The Eighth Wonder of the World comes to home video today with a two-disc, limited edition DVD set featuring a feast of bonus materials fit for a king. Peter Jackson’s CG-laden, Oscar-winning remake of the 1933 classic, King Kong, is now available to own from Universal Studios Home Entertainment and boasts never-before-seen featurettes and extensive behind-the-scenes footage.
The Kong DVD features collectable original package artwork specially designed by the Academy Award-winning artists at WETA Digital Ltd, the vfx company behind the title animated ape and other effects. Fans can choose to pick up the original theatrical version on a single disc or the two-disc special edition set that offers detailed looks at the making of the film.
Bonus materials include a special introduction by Jackson, nearly three hours of exclusive post-production video diaries, the documentary Skull Island: A Natural History (which aired on SCI-FI Channel), and an examination of Kong’s 1933 New York, including facts about vaudeville, the skyscraper boom, the construction of the Empire State building and more.
Peter Jackson’s King Kong grossed approximately $546 million worldwide at the box office and should prove to be one of the year’s hottest home video titles. The single disc version is available for the suggested retail price of $29.98, while the two-disc special edition is listed at $30.98. For more information on the film, go to www.kingkongmovie.com.
For those nostalgic for the 1933 version of King Kong from directors Ernest B. Schoedsack and Merian C. Cooper, Warner Home Video today released a single-disc, feature-only version to supplement the previously two-disc special edition and collectors edition already available.
Kong again gets a little competition from his scaly nemesis today as Sony debuts Godzilla: Monster Edition ($19.94) a re-release of director Roland Emmerich’s 1998 effort to bring the King of all Monsters into the digital age with CG animation effects. Starring Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, and Hank Azaria, the film is accompanied by a compilation of the best Godzilla fight scenes, a ‘Godzilla Takes New York’ before-and-after photo gallery, a gallery of publicity photos, visual effects supervisor commentary and a music video for The Wallflowers’ version of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes.’ The DVD also offers three episodes of Godzilla: The Series. Fans of the animated show that ran on Fox Kids from the late ’90s can pick up two new releases today. Godzilla: The Series: Monster Mayhem and Godzilla: The Series: Mutant Madness each offer three episodes and retail for $9.98 from Sony.
There’s more prehistoric monster madness to be found in Warner Home Video’s release of A Sound of Thunder. Based on a classic Ray Bradbury tale, this goofy time-travel yarn is reminiscent of early science-fiction B movies and features a lot of digital creature animation and effects, some competent and others laughable. Retailing for $27.98, the flick is recommended for lovers of Saturday matinee guilty pleasures. Read more thoughts about the film at www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=4445.
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