Just a hardcover copy of this classic graphic novel is $23.99 on Amazon, and a paperback of the 30th Anniversary Edition is $12.53. This package includes the hardcover 30th Anniversary Edition of the graphic novel, two blu ray discs (animated movie version of the graphic novel, and special features), plus a DVD and digital copy of the movie. The story is classic and was one of the stories that inspired Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. This package deal is a fantastic value.
I expected a mindless action movie. Not only was this a decent action film with well done special effects but it also presented some interesting moral dilemmas.
For decades I have heard mixed reviews about this film. Friends and critics either thought it was hysterical, or it was stupid. I agree with both statements. This movie is hysterical because it is stupid, which is not an accident. Not all stupid movies are funny. The premise, the characters, and the dialogue are all purposely outrageous making this over-the-top melodrama a first rate comedy. Even though I watched it almost three decades too late, it was still one of the funniest comedies I have ever seen.
I remember begging my parents to see this when I was four years old. They did not let me see it then, but I viewed it the first time it was broadcast on national television several years later. Now, decades later, I still revisit it from time to time and felt the need to go from VHS, to DVD, to Blu-Ray. Classic storytelling never gets old. This is not just proven by Spielberg's film as a whole, but also by the iconic scene where Robert Shaw tells a fish story after comparing scars with Richard Dreyfuss. Old classics never drown.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this movie. The movie does not offer the stark good vs. evil characters common in movies today. All of the characters were flawed. I could identify with all of the characters, but I would not want any of them as my friends. This is old style story telling; a slow build up to a climax and resolution; not jumping from one climax to the next. The characters kept my attention until the end and the film was more entertaining than I anticipated.