MGM's first big-budget science fiction film, Forbidden Planet, combined state-of-the-art special effects with a storyline based on Shakespeare's The Tempest. In the 23rd century, Cmdr. J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen) guides United Planets cruiser C-57-D on a rescue mission to faraway planet Altair-4. Twenty years earlier, Earth ship Bellerophon disappeared while en route to Altair-4. Only the ship's philologist, Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), survived; in the intervening decades, Morbius has created an Edenlike world of his own, for the benefit of himself and his nubile young daughter, Altaira (Anne Francis). His private paradise is zealously guarded by Robby the Robot, a piece of technology far in advance of anything on Earth. When Adams and his crew land on Altair-4, Morbius announces that he has no intention of being rescued and returned to Earth. When Adams attempts to contact home base, he finds that his radio equipment has been smashed by some unseen force. Holding Morbius responsible, Adams confronts the scientist, who decides to tell all. At one time, according to Morbius, Altair-4 was populated by the Krel, a wise, intellectually superior race. Using leftover Krel technology, Morbius has doubled his intellect and gained the ability to shape a new world to his own specifications. Forbidden Planet was a big influence on future sci-fi outer-space efforts, especially Star Trek. The letterboxed video version is the closest to the original.

In a galaxy far, far away, the legend of an iconic villain grows — and you are at his right hand. Darth Vader's plan to exterminate all the Jedi has been set into action, and as the Sith Lord's Secret Apprentice, your actions will be crucial in ensuring his quest is a success. Unleash the powers of the Force as you scour the galaxy for remaining Jedi, and prepare to confront decisions that will affect not just your destiny, but that of the entire universe. In this chapter in the Star Wars saga, the path you choose may lead to an outcome that will rock your perception of Star Wars continuity down to its foundation.Experience the power of the Force like never before. In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, you'll explore the era between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope as you toil as Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice, assisting him in his quest to rid the universe of Jedi. Wield four core Force powers against your enemies as you execute amazing, never-before-seen combos that let you not just Force grip enemies, but Force grip them in midair, zap them with lightning, then drop them to the ground and make them explode like bombs. Incredible new technology brings the story and action to life with stunning realism. With the debut of Digital Molecular Matter from Pixelux and NaturalMotion Ltd.'s euphoria behavioral simulation engine, you'll experience both environmental objects and interactive characters that move and behave just like they would in real life, from wood that breaks and splinters like actual wood to characters that think and act adaptively just like real human beings, producing different outcomes every time. The result is an incredible, immersive gaming experience in which your every act delivers real consequences. The Star Wars universe will never be the same.

The second film in Baz Luhrmann's "Red Curtain Trilogy," Romeo + Juliet gets the deluxe treatment on this release from 20th Century Fox. The disc offers a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Closed-captioned English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Surround, while a French soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by Luhrmann and his crew, featurettes hosted by cinematographer Don McAlpine and director Luhrmann, interviews with the cast and crew, music videos, trailers, television spots, and (for those with a DVD-ROM drive) screenplay-to-screen comparisons. This is a superb disc that will remind people of the outstanding work done on the disc for Moulin Rouge.

Scotland, Pa., an unusual, yet often funny, retelling of William Shakespeare's McBeth, simply goes to prove that even a very small, independent film will make the move to DVD. Image wise, this disc is shown 1.85:1, and while not anamorphic, still looks very nice. Colors are realistic, and the earthy tones look entirely natural. Darker scenes, which comprise a good portion of the film, never show any shade imbalance and generally look solid. Grain and scratches are fortunately kept to a minimum. The sound is a bit of a letdown as it's only available in an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround leaving it centered up front without any surround material. Given the films low budget this really isn't a surprise, but what isn't welcome is the poor mastering of the soundtrack. Dialogue is often recorded too low, while the music (often by Bad Company) is overly loud. As for extra materials, they aren't exactly plentiful. The highlight would be a commentary from first time director Billy Morrissette. He has plenty to talk about which keeps this scene specific track alive. Other than this there is a short (about 5 minutes) recollection from Morrissette about making the film, and a couple of brief spots for the Sundance Channel. Still, even though the disc is a bit uneven, the movie is just odd enough to keep anyone's attention. Of course, maybe odd enough to turn others off.