DVD REVIEW

Die Another Day  (2002)

>>Continued from Page 1 (Synopsis, Critique).

MGM presents Die Another Day in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. MGM’s presentation is very nice with an overall clean transfer. I didn’t notice any spots of dirt, gain or scratches. Dark tones and black levels are terrific. However, the transfer includes some heavy edge enhancement. Nevertheless, the color palette is very prominent and color detail is consistent. Die Another Day looks crisp and alive, despite the heavy EE usage.

MGM presents Die Another Day in both English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround and DTS 5.1 ES Surround. Both of these tracks are terrific and distribute enough bass and punch to all your speakers. David Arnold’s score is all over the place, rocking your ears. The sound effects are all over the soundfield, creating a lot of effective noise. Dialog scenes are perfect and easy to understand. Surround usage is evident, loud and crystal clear. Die Another Day’s audio presentation is simply rocking. MGM also presents the film in optional French and Spanish Stereo Surround.

This 2-disc special edition is the most features-laden DVD of any Bond picture, but that’s most likely because it’s the most recent and profitable of all. Produced by Charlie De Lauzirika, known for some of director Ridley Scott’s special editions, Die Another Day is as packed as the film’s attendance during opening weekend.

Commentary by Lee Tamahori and Michael G. Wilson – This track between Director and Producer, respectively, is quite interesting. Tamahori offers all sorts of information about directing the twentieth Bond picture. Wilson adds comments of his own throughout, but it is Tamahori who keeps this track alive. Well worth a listen, but only after you hear Brosnan’s track.

Commentary by Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike – Brosnan starts off the commentary by himself and is very engaging. His comments are personable and fun to listen to. As in the Evelyn commentary, Brosnan is very apt and comfortable talking about Die Another Day. Rosamund Pike joins the track later on. This track is definitely worth listening to, especially because it is with James Bond himself.

MI6 DataStream – In other words, this is a trivia track with pop-up information on Bond and all other things. Also included is a branching feature showing behind-the-scenes clips running about two minutes each.

This is where the first disc comes to a stop and requires you to pop in the second disc, where the real special features are located.

Inside Die Another Day (~90 mins) – Here you get a detailed look at the making of the film, including breakdowns of the major scenes in the film. This documentary also features interviews with all sorts of people who worked on the film. It’s a nice, reflective and entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the film. For your viewing pleasure, a "play all" option allows you to watch the documentary as a whole instead of having to select each of the eight parts.

Mission Deconstruction – Basically, this menu breaks down into a few different parts, each detailing specific areas of the film. "Scene Evolutions" is a storyboard-to-scene comparison on the Hovercraft and Iceland Car Battle scenes. "Inter-Action Sequences"is a multi-angle exploration of some of the film's coolest scenes, such as the Hovercraft Chase and Iceland Car Battle, among two other scenes. "Title Design" explores the creation of the film’s titles by showing some video that lasts about ten minutes. Lastly, “Digital Grading” looks at how the film’s color is balanced and graded for a better look.

Rounding out the rest of the special features is "Equipment Briefing," which gives you a look at some of Bond’s gadgets. Next up is "Image Database," which kind of explains itself. This still gallery includes photos of the film’s effects, students, sets, vehicles, etc. Lastly, "Ministry of Propaganda" is another word for the following; a music video for Madonna’s Die Another Day, a short making-of the video, a trailer and making-of for the 007 Nightfire game, Theatrical Trailers, TV spots and some DVD-ROM features.

You can select to view the film with optional English and French subtitles. The animation of the DVDs main menu is very neat, but takes some time to get to the navigation. The 132-minute feature is organized into twenty-six chapters.

 

Overall

Die Another Day is fun and exciting, I guess it’s what some people call an action ride. The action and jokes are featured prominently in Lee Tamahori’s skillful direction. Brosnan is now perfect as 007 and Halle Berry joins him as the sexy Bond girl Jinx. There are some problems in the video transfer, but the audio presentation is sure to rock your ears. This 2-disc special edition includes some great features, including the 90-plus minute documentary of the film. Die Another Day comes highly recommended and is worth adding to your collection.

RATINGS SUMMARY

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