Though it makes up for some of the previous edition's mishaps, the Jaws: 30th Anniversary Edition is an almost-perfect DVD that suffers only from a bit of laziness on the part of Universal. Released in 2000 as one of director Steven Spielberg's first blockbusters unveiled on DVD, the Jaws: Collector's Edition was a big seller in the stores, yet still managed to fall short thanks to the studio's unwillingness to include the full two-hour documentary from the laserdisc, long thought of as the definitive look back on the troubled production. So now here comes this two-disc set celebrating the crowd-pleaser's pearl anniversary and the good news is that the documentary has indeed been reinstated to its full glory. Those who have only seen the previous hour-long cut are in for a big treat here, thanks to the incredible detail that was culled from the various sources in the production, including John Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, Peter Benchley, production designer Joe Alves, and, of course, Spielberg himself. Another bit of good news involves the inclusion of a never-before-available nine-minute interview on-set with the director from 1974 that gives the audience a rare glimpse of the young director on just his second day of shooting, no doubt already feeling the constraints of the sea-bound production. For aficionados, it's the kind of engaging footage that is endlessly interesting, given the kind of Vietnam hell that followed Spielberg on the rest of the shoot. Other new bits of goodness involve the inclusion of both 5.1 DTS and Dolby tracks (previous versions included either one or the other) along with the infamous original theatrical mono audio track, which will please the hardcore fans out there to no end (many were not happy with the enhanced 5.1 tracks). What isn't pleasing about this edition is the exclusion of the famed theatrical trailers that figured prominently into the success of the film. This lone exclusion will prevent most customers from getting rid of their previous version, which makes little sense in the grand scheme of things given that the rest of the still archives were carried over, including other marketing pieces such as posters, books, T-shirts, and much more. This, along with the fact that no new menus were designed for this edition, just makes Universal look bad. It's like they listened to the gripes about the documentary on the last one, but didn't feel the need to dedicate more money into an anniversary edition of one of the biggest films of all time. The result is yet another DVD that gives the same "play all" feature to the deleted scenes, with the added annoyance of outtakes being thrown into the same feature as well. Though no one will miss the trivia game or the shark facts from the previous version, there will be those who will resent the silliness involved with the loss of the very integral trailers. Still, with the full documentary and the reinstated original mono mix, many will pony up for this release, which comes with a nice commemorative booklet and the same fine 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer carried over from the Widescreen Collector's Edition.

Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam war opus Full Metal Jacket is available as part of the Stanley Kubrick collection from Warner Bros. Featuring a digital master from restored elements and a soundtrack newly remastered in Dolby Digitial 5.1, this title looks and sounds great. The only qualm, and it is a rather major one, is the format of the film itself. It is unfortunately presented in full screen, not the original widescreen format many DVD lovers have become accustomed to. As for bonus materials, the title is on the skimpy side, offering only the original theatrical trailer, scene access, and language choices in English and French. Subtitles are also available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Bigger isn't always better. Case in point: Bad Boys II. On the other hand, this ample two-disc DVD set from Columbia/TriStar is nothing to complain about. The first disc, with the film, offers both picture and sound that is stunning. The 2.40:1 transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions, is beautiful in every way. Colors are vibrant, blacks are solid, and detail is constant throughout. Director Michael Bay -- known for style over substance -- doesn't disappoint, and this digital transfer is up to the task of recreating his "vision." Equally impressive is the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, available in either English or French. Aggressive and exciting, sound alternates from speaker to speaker, both front and back, highlighting every gun shot or obligatory bass-heavy song. This is an remarkable mix, bound to take advantage of any decent sound system. While this disc is slim on extras -- only containing trailers from both Bad Boys films, S.W.A.T., Radio, The Missing, Underworld, and a handful of others -- the second disc holds the meat of the supplements, including a handful of deleted scenes and two featurettes: a short nine-minute look at the stunts and another, twice as long, on the visual effects. Both could have benefited by being more in-depth, but they're still very good. In addition, a music video from Jay-Z for "La-La-La" will appeal to his fans, but the highlight of this disc are two separate sections: the "Sequence Breakdowns," where six sections of the film are extensively studied, and a comprehensive "Production Diary," made up of 19 short, but revealing, featurettes covering just about everything, including the original Bad Boys film. Oddly enough, a Bay commentary is missing, and while his brand of filmmaking is often critically questioned, this set has everything one would expect.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Alien Resurrection comes to DVD in this two-disc Collector's Edition from 20th Century Fox. Presented with a widescreen 2.35:1 color transfer. Dolby Digital Surround soundtracks are available in English and Spanish. English and Spanish subtitles are also accessible. Disc one contains the original 1997 theatrical version along with the 2003 Special Edition version. Director Jeunet provides an introduction and an audio commentary track. Disc two contains all the special features, including a teaser trailer for Alien Vs. Predator. The Pre-Production section contains a ton of featurettes about the writing process, character design, casting decisions, and general direction. Includes test footage, ADI effects, conceptual art, storyboards, and multi-angle rehearsals. The Production section contains the featurettes "Death From Below: Underwater Photography," "In the Zone: The Basketball Scene," and "Unnatural Mutation: Creature Design." The Post-Production section explores the music, CGI animation, miniature photography, and reaction to the film's release. Each section contains an extensive photo gallery. A highly recommended disc for fans of the saga.