WARNER BROS has just released one of the best films of the past year, "A PERFECT STORM".  While some were turned off by knowledge of some of the film characters' tragic outcomes, it's a film that this viewer can't recommend highly enough!
Sebastian Junger's novel made for a "gripping" read, although it was very
technical at times and lacked some of the dramatic tension that has been
manifested in the film's script.

The main focus of the book and film is the crew of the Andrea Gail, a
swordfish boat from Gloucester, New England.  Because the novel stuck so closely to factual information, it didn't attempt to speculate what exactly happened to the men after they'd lost radio contact in one of the biggest storms of the century!  The intelligent script does speculate as to what happened.  And while some may not like that it does this, ...it's great drama!

The cast is outstanding, and once again, George Clooney proves he's a
terrific actor, as well as a great screen presence!   Actually, everyone in
the film's cast is great.  Diane Lane, although barely on screen, gives a
great performance, and Mark Wahlberg, proves "again" he doesn't mind showing restraint.

While the film offers a big cast, they almost take a backseat to the
incredible special effects!  One can't help but be amazed by how far film
technology has advanced when watching this.  It's also obvious that as
stupendous as the dvd looks, this is a film that cries out to be shown on a
huge screen!!!!

WARNER BROS HOME VIDEO has gone all out with their presentation here!  The image is outstanding!  There's great clarity in every scene and the detail is unsurpassed!  Although there's a large number of night scenes, there are some scenes early on that reveal bright, solid color values.  The original 2.35:1 aspect ratio is intact with 16:9 enhancement! 

WARNER BROS HOME VIDEO has presented this dvd with Dolby Digital 5.1(EX) sound!  While this process is new to dvd, it's extremely rare so far, giving one even more reason to grab this one for the home collection.  The effectiveness of the sound mix is obvious from the film's beginning wherein we get to hear the careful layering of dialogue, music and atmospheric effects as the fishermen's boats return home.  First, we hear the excited exclamations of loved ones waiting to greet them, only to be almost immediately stirred by the wonderful James Horner score, perfectly complimenting what's taking place without drowning it out!  Later, when the crew begins to experience the "Perfect Storm", the brilliance of the sound mix, is again brought to the forefront.  This sound mix deserves the Oscar for Sound Editing, hands down!!!  The audience is entirely engulfed in the sound mix here!  There are extremely effective directional effects throughout most of the film and with the additional surround channel made capable by (EX), those with the proper decoding system are in for an even bigger treat!  The LFE effects are also amazing in this sound mix.

WARNER BROS HOME VIDEO has made this special edition, extremely "SPECIAL". 
To begin with, there are three audio commentaries. The first one is with the novelist Sebastian Junger.  Here, we get to hear the author discuss his opinion of the necessary changes from his novel to the screen, as well as share a wealth of information pertaining to the research he had done in preparation for the novel.  This commentary is extremely educational, but probably not overly entertaining to mass audiences, or even aspiring filmmakers.
The 2nd commentary features visual effects Supervisor Stefen Fangmeier and Visual effects Producer Helen Elswit, both of who deserve Oscars for what's been achieved here!!!  Fangmeier also provided commentary on the DTS special edition commentary of "TWISTER", along with Director Jan De Bont.  This commentary is extremely "in-depth" and aspiring directors will probably find it worthwhile, although it's probably too technical for the masses.
The third commentary is with director Wolfgang Petersen, whom is no novice to audio commentaries.  The structure of this commentary is a highly structured conversation.  While it's fairly screen-specific, there's a great deal of questions posed to the director by JM Kenny as this segment's interviewer.  Petersen has already offered great commentaries for "AIR FORCE ONE" as well as "DAS BOOT", so he's become even more relaxed and entertaining here.  We hope that all of his future films offer him on a commentary track.

There's also a featurette, "HBO FIRST LOOK:CREATING A PERFECT STORM." There's plenty of "behind-the-scenes" footage here, as well as interviews with the real people involved in this catastrophic event.  Perhaps, the best footage, highlights the special effects, offering an incredible perspective of the big tank used for the various boat effects.

There are two other featurettes, including "WITNESSES TO THE STORM", comprised of interviews with locals that bore witness to the storm and its aftermath.  It's short and not altogether interesting.

The 2nd featurette is excellent!  "CREATING AN EMOTION" examines the work of composer James Horner, offering "behind-the-scenes" footage of him at work, putting together the score for the film, as well as interview footage explaining what his motivations were in composing the score.

Another segment titled "CONCEPTUAL ART WITH COMMENTARY" offers commentary with Petersen, all to various still images of art from the film.  This process allows the viewer to better understand the production stages of the filmmaking process and how the film's overall look can be altered during production.  Great stuff for aspiring filmmakers!

There's also a storyboard gallery wherein viewers can examine the
storyboards to some key scenes which advance forward at a pre-designed pace, making this feature more accessible and less burdensome.  It's a pain to have to advance frame-by-frame on most dvd/laserdisc gallerys. allowing for a better examination of the effectiveness if this craft.