Maybe it was just because I was little and new things were exciting, but I loved DVD extras. I remember getting Red Dwarf DVDs and discovering little bonuses and easter eggs hidden in the menus; though I think it was just a cool use of a new technology where the novelty has since worn off.
We still get DVDs from our library of whatever show we are watching now, even if we are subbed to whatever service it is on. No ads, deleted scenes, & bonus features? Sign me up! Even saves time, we can watch one episode in about 15 minutes less compared to streaming. Since we watch at night after the kid goes to bed those 15 minutes are more valuable than you’d think.
I remember being addicted to the “making of” section of Lord of the Rings
I’ve seen clips and quotes from the LotR behind-the-scenes bits for years, but I only actually watched it all recently. There’s like 12 hours of it and it’s all fascinating!
There are tons of great documentaries out there and it was always a surprise to discover them. Especially when the dvd case listed it as a featurette and it turned out to run for 60 minutes or so.
The Bladerunner documentary I think is about 3½ hours long, The Frigteners has one that lasts 4½ hours. 12 Monkeys has one called The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of 12 Monkeys which is excellent.
But sometimes, they can be disappointing. Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny comes with an hour long documentary but it’s terrible (in my opinion).
You know those promo interviews that are edited with quick cuts of behind the scenes action and everyone says how great making the film was. It’s that for an hour. I lasted 20 minutes.
It’s not like the old days where it focuses on one aspect like a certain stunt or sequence and then breaks it down and talks to the relevant people. It’s just all over the place.
Additional material can be fun. I still laugh if you watch Galaxy Quest on DVD, and change the language from English to Thermian for all the dialogue.
Additional commentary, additional unreleased scenes, and behind the scenes are always welcome.
Sometimes additional scenes point to a different direction not taken, such as with Supernova.
Unfortunately some movies went to the well a little too often with their extended edition, special edition, ultimate edition, etc. I must have 4 different versions of Terminator 2, Blade Runner, and a film I didn’t care for no matter what the version-- Alexander.
Sometimes the special editions are better. The Abyss for example. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was a better version too.
Mad Max: Fury Road’s Black & Chrome Edition was okay. Not sure it was needed.
I have a good size collection that I have ripped for use on Jellyfin. I make sure to gram the extras and sort them where they belong.
I remember setting the metadata for the Thermian language track for Galaxy Quest.
