When a Thai kickboxing champion paralyzes his American opponent, the fallen fighter's determined brother vows revenge in this classic martial arts opus starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Presented in 1.33:1 pan-and-scan and offering audio in closed-captioned English Dolby Digital Stereo with optional English subtitles, this release offers absolutely no extra features to speak of.

The Karate Kid Part II lacks any exciting bonus features, but it does offer a few supplements. A six-minute featurette contains basic information about the film from interviews with director John Avildsen, producer Jerry Weintraub, and Pat Morita. Created at the time of its original release, this feature comes in an unimpressive full-frame format. The other major section is a series of trailers for this film and a few other Columbia Tristar releases. The previews for The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part II come in poor, full-frame transfers with very limited sound. There are also selected filmographies for Ralph Macchio, Morita, and Avildsen. The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer features impressive moments of shining colors and excellent clarity. Much of this transfer works nicely, but there are some moments where the contrast suffers and the picture becomes dark and grainy. This could stem from the age of the print, but it's still disappointing in the overall sense. Even given its uneven nature, this transfer still does a decent job in presenting the story. This disc also contains a 1.33:1 full-screen transfer for people more accustomed to television viewing. Bill Conti's rousing score and Peter Cetera's cheesy title track both spring nicely from the speakers on this well-done audio transfer. Although it is only a 2.0-channel Dolby Surround track, the force of the sound renders the limitations less important than usual. The dialogue is clear and understandable throughout the running time, and the sounds have a full texture with plenty of depth.

Fans of Jumanji who own the original DVD release might want to sell off that old copy and look for the newer special edition. Once again, the picture is outstanding, maybe even reference quality. It is alive with color, while the dark scenes look perfectly natural, without any noticeable grain. The sound is problematic, as the dialogue is recorded lower than the music and sound effects. This means continuously raising and lowering the volume. For the most part, however, the extras make up for any inconsistencies. Though far from the best, they are plentiful. First up is an audio commentary track, not from the director or actors, but from the real "stars" of the film -- the visual effects crew. They create a track about the technical details while trying to keep it as uncomplicated as possible. In addition, there are three featurettes. The longest, a 20 minute "making of" documentary, has some interesting interviews, but little behind-the-scenes footage. The other two, one on the visual effects and the other on the production design, are shorter, but still appealing for those interested in an effects-laden picture such as this. A small storyboard section allows the viewer to look at drawn images of specific scenes while watching a smaller window with the final results. A brief photo gallery rounds out the main supplemental material. There are talent files and theatrical trailers for this film as well as for Madeline and Matilda. While certainly not the greatest special edition ever produced, this will no doubt please fans that enjoyed the film.

Franco Zeffirelli's television miniseries about the life of Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, comes to DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. Supplemental materials include a trailer, and additional information on how life was lived during Biblical times. This is a solid release from Artisan that should please genre enthusiasts as well as those with an interest in the subject matter.