The 2-disc Collector’s Edition includes the following supplements:

The Jarhead Diaries featurette is introduced by director Sam Mendes. He explains that an extra production crew was embedded with the filmmakers to shoot behind-the-scenes material. He even armed the actors with cameras, and they were encouraged to record their experiences shooting the film. The resulting documentary-style effort is pretty revealing and quite entertaining. It starts with the first day of rehearsal, when the actors are given their cameras. We then travel on location, and we see them endure the forced marches and rifle training necessary to perform their role. A funny moment is when the cast eats MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), which are standard armed forces rations. It’s good stuff, although it’s hard to evaluate the video quality since my review copy had the words “Not Authorized for Broadcast” on the bottom.

Semper Fi is also introduced by Mendes. He explains that this documentary chronicles the post-Iraq War experience of four actual Marines. First we meet Angel Serrano from The Bronx, who was deployed to Fallujah in 2004. He talks about using your fears as an advantage, since they make you more vigilant on the battlefield. Back home, he enjoys playing pool and downing beers, although he admits that his friends don’t quite understand what he went through. Next we meet Robert Vlasaty from Yonkers. He says he finds it disrespectful when civilians ask him how many people he killed, since if he didn’t kill the enemy, he may have been killed himself. Vlasaty introduces us to his uncle and the other members of his family-owned business and shows us pictures of his time overseas. Next is Tom Vick, veteran of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. From Burbank, California, he talks about assimilating into civilian culture, which meant it was no longer necessary for him to iron his t-shirts. He admits, “I wasn’t a classy date, I just got out of the Marines!” As the most articulate and troubled of the four subjects, his material was quite interesting. Finally, we have Alex Ryabov from Brooklyn who joined the Marines because he wouldn’t have to worry about college money. He thought it was “a dream job.” His story was the least interesting to me, though of course, no less noble. Any chance to meet the brave men who protect our country is worthwhile. However, I wish they had found some Marines from the heartland and not just New York and L.A.

Finally on the Collector’s Edition is a featurette entitled Background. Once again, Mendes begins by discussing what the supplement is and how it came to be. Background is about the extras on the Jarhead movie set. We start with casting calls at a local job fair and rodeo, where the casting department hoped to recruit young, lean, strapping men. Some of the extras want to be directors and some are real-deal war veterans. All the extras needed to know how to walk and move with soldierly authenticity. Being an extra on Jarhead was no picnic; they had to carry all their gear and take care of their (rubber) rifles. Background is an interesting supplement to flip through.

Despite the presence of a two-disc collector’s edition, the single disc should be enough to satisfy most viewers.