Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Double Trouble

Man, it feels like I just bought this dvd (Aug. 16) and now they're rereleasing it in a "recut, extended and unrated" version after only a few months (release date Dec. 13)!? AND it has the original version that I bought included in the set!? AND the complete graphic novel!? I call bullshit. So the studios burn the OG fans who supported the original release from the get-go, and reward the casual people who waited to buy the movie by giving them all these bonuses. Hellboy did this and now Sin City. The studios know they can do this and make money, especially to niche markets (i.e. geeks), because us fanboys will buy whatever they put out, but the filmmakers should know better.

I would've been okay with this had it come out a year or two from now, but to release it so close to the last dvd just sucks. I'm all for double-dipping when enough time has passed and fans are clamoring for a new version with more special features, a cleaner print, upgraded sound, etc., but not when they're just slapping stuff in that should have been in the original release anyway. I swear, the studios are going to start burning themselves if they keep this up. Now whenever a new movie is released on dvd I'm always thinking, should I wait until the deluxe version is released (you just know the must-buy Serenity is going to have one which I'll have to buy later)? It's going to get to the point where no one's going to buy an original-release dvd, knowing there's going to be a shiny new one just around the corner. It's even worse when they rerelease a dvd which has no extra features, just to make a quick buck. Case in point: I was all set to buy the special edition of Edward Scissorhands a couple of weeks ago when I found out it's the same disc as its initial release, only with new packaging. Lame.

I'm not sure what the solution is. Maybe an offer that lets owners of original releases the chance to buy the double dip at a discount? At the very least they should release the special editions first, for the fans, then release the stripped-down versions later, for the casual buyers who don't want to spend as much. Otherwise - the videostore near my apartment rents dvds for $1.50 and I have a dvd burner. I'm not saying this is the answer, or even encouraging such behavior, but I do know that studios should reward their product's fanbases, not alienate them.

2 Comments:

At 2:27 PM, Mitch said...

Poor Jefbot- I can almost see the tears of frustration working their way up through your typing. It does suck that they hook us like that. Probably a general rule is that when the dvd is released well before Christmas, you can bet they'll repackage it for the holiday season.

 
At 1:13 PM, John K said...

Yeah I have to agree...I call Shenanigans. It's a blatant attempt to suck in people. With the whole Lord of the Rings set, I just waited for the special editions..but at least there they said there would be special editions and gave a release date for them.

 

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