tylergfoster

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releas...n-trilogy.html

I would have preferred a special edition of the original, but who knows -- maybe this trilogy collection will actually have features. It'd be great if the flipside of disc 2 was a "bonus features" DVD with a doc on the trilogy, deleted scenes, the TV pilot and trailers, and there'd be a commentary for each one. But that's me outright lying to myself.

dx23

You are really expecting too much from Universal. This is just the 3 movies already released pack together with the Franchise Release tag.

Zen Peckinpah

If we do get this SE it'll be like the shameful RoboCop Trilogy where we had to buy the sequels to get the SE of the good one (the original). At least this is half the MSRP of that set...

tylergfoster

I know what it is. That's why I said I was lying to myself.

GuruTwo

The second one is non-anamorphic so we'll see if they truly give it an anamorphic transfer or if the announcement is incorrect.

Simpson Purist

The low price tag may justify buying the very bad Darkman sequels, especially if they're given nice new anamorphic transfers.

hapgilmore

I think Darkman 2 is decent but 3 just sucks

TheMovieman

Already own the first one (paid $4.88) so I'll skip this...

GuruTwo

The third one is actually anamorphic but it doesn't have a menu or anything, you just put it into your DVD and it plays.

Gimme an anamorphic transfer on the second film and a menu on the third and I'll buy it.

Of course, the first movie is the main draw (I mean, Liam Neeson in a Sam Raimi film is something significant whereas the two sequels are merely a footnote) and I've love to see it get a new transfer (the existing one is anamorphic but dates back to the format's early days and doesn't really hold up) but the second one is in the worst shape in terms of DVD presentation.

I'd like to see Universal give the first two films new transfers (maybe even the third if they feel like it), give them all a menu (and make them uniform while they're at it) and do a feature-length series-spanning doc, include the unaired television pilot, all the deleted scenes Bruce Campbell talks about in "If Chins Could Kill", have Raimi do a commentary, etc. but I'd be willing to bet money that this is just the three existing discs. That's what their Franchise Collection releases tend to be.

Even though it's a 2-disc set I'm betting the individual releases of the sequels wind up on either side of a 2-sided disc.

I'm gonna play it safe and say if we're lucky here Disc 1 is the existing "Darkman" disc and Disc 2 might be a newly-pressed disc with a menu and a new Darkman II transfer. That's within the realm of possibility. It wouldn't even need to be a "flipper" since the combined runtime of both sequels is less than 3 hours. They could easily fit on a one-sided disc as evidenced by Paramount's "Friday the 13th" box set.

Edit: DVD Active also says the three films will all have 5.1 tracks. That would be another "upgrade" compared to the existing releases.

I'm skeptical that any information that points to new content on this release is simply incorrect but the idea of them getting in there and actually adding new transfers and soundtracks is very promising. There's always the possibility that things will be botched but in this case there's a lot of room for improvement in this series all around and I'm hoping Universal makes this set worth purchasing!

tylergfoster

Well, nobody expressed similar skepticism when Universal announced a Clint Eastwood Franchise Collection with anamorphic transfers. Sure, Darkman is less of a big deal, but who knows.

Universal's Tom Hanks Comedy Collection apparently had new transfers for 'The Burbs and Dragnet, so I am guessing this will actually be what it says it is, but I still doubt there are extras. And based on the Hanks Comedy Collection, this will be two single-sided discs.

Yavin

I just realized this was already out. So, did Universal give all 3 films new transfers? And is the 2nd disc just a flipper disc with the second movie on one side and the third movie on the other? I'm sort of contemplating getting it (if only for the first film alone), since it's rather cheap.

Pointyskull

It's a 2-disc set. The first two films share the same side of disc one. The third film is on the second disc by itself.

Yavin

So both discs actually have disc art? I'm shocked! Sadly, this seems less and less commonplace nowadays. Are they new transfers all around for all 3 films?

Pointyskull

The first film has a new 5.1 surround mix. The transfers appear to be the same as found on previous releases.

The only extras are trailers for Darkman and Darkman II. And has been already mentioned, Darkman III has no menu at all - just put it in and it plays.

Yavin

Thanks for the info! Maybe once the set drops to about $9.99 I'll give it a go.

Trevor

That's my thinking, although it may have to be closer to $5. I already have the first, but wouldn't mind seeing the other two someday if it gets cheap or available at CH.

Cameron

so is 2 anamorphic now?

Trevor

You all know about the deal for this at BB this week?

It is on sale for 9.99, and part of a group that is buy 5 get a $20 giftcard. Add the normal reward zone points and the summer special ($10 RZ cert for $100 in purchases), and it knocks the list of titles down to under $5 per.

Sabrett

Yeah, I just picked this one up at Best Buy. I would've bought 5 more, but for all the remaining titles, I either own them already, or don't want them. But still, this is a great pick-up for $9.99

Rammsteinfan

Yes, it is on this release.