Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger face off in this sword-wielding fantasy based on the writings of Robert E. Howard (who also created Conan the Barbarian). Red Sonja gets a serviceable DVD release and has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The images have also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono. In addition to the original English-language soundtrack, an alternate French-language version is also included, as well as optional subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. The film's original theatrical trailer appears as a bonus.

The picture on this disc is first-rate. While there are a few scratches here and there, they are brief and hardly noticeable. The disc is framed at its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (anamorphic). Beyond the scratches, the picture simply looks great; the colors are very vibrant and the darks are solid. The composition is great and the image quality really stands out. The sound, which includes an English 5.1 Dolby Digital track and a French mono (split over two tracks), is very good, but falls short of spectacular. The front, mainly center speakers get all the action; there is little use of the rear surround speakers other than during the opening theme music. Since the dialogue is straightforward and never becomes distorted or shrill, this is less problematic than it might have been. It's the extras that are surprising. The audio commentary track from director David Zucker, producer Robert Weiss (who on voice alone could easily be mistaken for Howard Stern), and a mysterious guest named Peter Tilden is a major plus. This has to be one of the funniest tracks ever recorded. Discussing whatever comes to mind, they cover everything from being sure they would get a PG-13 rating now to the later troubles of O.J. Simpson. They may not have a lot to say about the filmmaking process, but the track is lively and probably better than many of the commentary tracks out there. A theatrical trailer is included. Not many extras, but the commentary track makes up for the lack of additional goodies.

This sequel to Hot Shots! didn't do half as well with the public as the first comedy but it actually contains more laughs than the original so maybe it will find a new audience on DVD. A wild spoof of the Rambo franchise that finds the time to lampoon dozens of other movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux still offers laughs after multiple viewings. The disc sports a good widescreen anamorphic transfer that returns the movie to its theatrical aspect ratio and the sound is well balanced and clear coming out of either a stereo system or television speaker. The DVD features two promotional features, the first is done in Spanish as a joke and the second (entitled "Early Awareness" -- the makers of the movie have a great time titling these things) seems like the usual made-for-HBO promotional film. While none of these extras are great, the DVD has been released at a low list price and the movie itself earns its keep in laughs alone.