Beware

I apologize if this has been already asked, but I have been wondering how other people go about it.

First off, I think its insane different stores get different ‘exclusive’ material, usually forcing mega-fans of the films to buy multiple versions. I get it, it’s a whole money thing, but it just irritates me to no end.

I buy dvds of films I know I will watch more than once, and that is very few. I usually get them as presents or buy them myself, but I always aim for the unrated, extended, or special multiple disc sets and stick to those, tossing aside the store ‘exclusives’. I would LOVE to have EVERY single version so I could have all the ‘exclusive’ material, but I watch the bonus features once and never again and I don’t have too much money to waste.

*The exception being Superbad, I got the one disc as a present instead of the 2 disc and read the difference in features between the 2 and it didn't seem worth it*

So how do you do it? Also, do you think its right for them to have multiple versions?

I don’t know why it’s a big deal to me, I usually buy dvds just for the actual film, giving the bonus features a peak….but if it’s a movie I really like, it seems different…

Solid Snake

I usually buy whatever version appeals to me. For the most part it's the special editions. These extended versions sometimes add things which are good but choice among them is good too. Ex: The Warriors has an ultimate Director's cut or whatever they called it..but I'll fail to get till it gets the theatrical cut on DVD..which seems never. Cuz the version here added some "comic book" scenes in the movie..which I hear really kills the pace a bit. So...I'll never own The Warriors from now on till there's an unlikely change to happen. Though films like Kingdom of Heaven benefit from a different edition of the film. It's an epically great film in it's Director's Cut form. The theatrical cut is just horrid..it's a film that doesn't know what it wants to be. So..all in all it's what you want. I too go for special features..but it's all about the film and the price tag involved, features are good but..it's an extended cut that sucks..I'll stick w/ the 1st version if it's the better of two...which at times does lack the features...Universal does that a lot..well...as do other studios.

Trevor

Buying can be cheaper than renting.
Every case is different, but I'll admit that I'm a bit of a completest, so I tend to have a lot of double/triple/quadruple dips.
I don't like it, but of course it's right. Whatever makes them the most money is "right". We're not a socialist country yet.

NoirFan

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/

Travis McClain

One thing that helps me is that I'm not a package collector. Of late, many store exclusives do not revolve around additional content. For instance, The Dark Knight. The 1-disc came packaged with a comic book and a replica of Harvey's coin at Walmart. Target had the Batman mask package. Best Buy had mini-busts and something else tangible. Ultimately, I elected to forgo all exclusives and simply purchased the Two-Disc Special Edition. I'm all about content, so had there been a third disc somewhere, that's the version I would have tried to obtain.

For comedies, I have a hard time justifying $20+ for a two-disc edition. It's all psychological, but for some reason I can pay that kind of money to go behind the scenes of a James Bond movie, but not a Judd Apatow flick. In the case of different cuts of a film, I tend to favor extended or director's cuts. Generally, I've seen the theatrical cut and seeing additional footage--even if it's just a brief, superfluous scene here or there--helps make the second, home viewing feel a bit more fresh.