How many times do you watch special features/bonus materials? (1 Viewer)

[Brent M]

Choosing between Spider-Man 2 Superbit and Spider-Man 2 Special Edition this week got me to thinking: how many times will you actually watch the special features on a DVD? Does anybody go back and re-watch them multiple times or do you usually just watch them one time? Of all the DVDs in my collection, there are very few where I have watched the bonus materials more than once(Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Terminator 2, Matrix and a few others being the exceptions). Usually, though, I only check them out once and sometimes not at all(I still haven't watched all the extras on the Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers Extended Editions). With Spider-Man 2, I decided that the PQ improvement and DTS track on the Superbit were much more important than the special features so I bought the Superbit and rented the 2-disc SE for $1 at Hollywood Video.

 

[mark alan]

In my case, never. I barely have time to watch the actual movie. In the hundreds and hundreds of dvds that I have watched, I have never bothered with an extra.

 

[Chad R]

Less and less these days do I watch the special features at all. I mean, how many times do I need to see a guy at a computer making a wire frame of some CGI monster/baddie.

I too went with the Superbit Spidey for that very reason.

The few times I do enjoy special features is a full doc like on TPM, or for classic films that actually tell a story about production. Those interest me, and I still say one of the best docs out there is on "Cleopatra."

 

[ChadP2k]

in all the dvds I've owned the only special features I've watched are bloopers occasionally, and I watch some of the added footage on TV show DVD sets. As far as movies none.. they're just there to take up disc space.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

I watch that stuff once, if at all.

 

[george kaplan]

Documentaries, etc. - once

Commentaries - once if they're good, but I'll stop after a few minutes if it's clear it sucks

Trailers - the good ones (e.g., Psycho, Miracle on 34th Street, The Bishop's Wife, Rope, Lilo & Stitch, etc.) I'll watch each time I watch the movie. The ones that just rehash the movie (most of them), once only.

Deleted Scenes/outtakes/etc. - If they're good, I'll watch them every time I watch the film.

 

[Jason Kirkpatri]

Once if it's really something I'm interested in (Matrix, SW, umm...). Commnentaries - only one, Goonies. Only because of the feedback I read on this forum, though.

I'm looking forward to more SB releases as a result of my lack luster movie extra watching.

 

[Matt Czyz]

I've given up on commentaries completely. I have yet to find one that I'm really glad I spent 2+ hours listening to.

I think the one extra that I've played more than twice is Gollum's acceptance speech at the MTV movie awards.

If "special features" were dropped from dvds, I wouldn't really mind one bit (even though I'm very much looking forward to seeing the completion of the LOTR:EE docs in the Return of the King 4 disc set (even then, I'll still only end up watching them once)).

 

[Jonny_L]

It depends on the quality of the extra to me. Some of the fluffy stuff on the phony Collectors Editions (or whatever the studios wanna call em) are so lame that they arent worth watching more then once, if at all.

However, you get a high quality supplement like a full length, indepth documentary or a really good commentary or something like that and I'll watch it over and over.

What MUST be mandatory though are the original trailers that went with the movie. They are like mini-films now themselves and are what got you interested in seeing the flick in the first place.

 

[george kaplan]

The best seem to me to be the ones by film historians, such as Roger Ebert, Rudy Behlmer, etc. The ones by directors or cast & crew usually fall flat for me.

 

[Joel C]

I'd like to watch select extras (mostly longer documentaries), but I don't have time. I don't even have time to watch movies, I bet I have over 50 unwatched discs and tons of old favorites I'd like to see again.

I do listen to commentaries as I try to fall asleep, but I usually drift off rather quickly, even if they're interesting (the Spiderman 2 Raimi track was good).

I do always watch gag reels, and I tend to watch more of the TV show extras. Mostly because I have zero time to watch the actual episodes. For example, I've seen all of Buffy and Angel on TV, but only made it through 2.5 seasons of Buffy and 1.5 of Angel on DVD. I watched all of ST:TNG on DVD (more or less, maybe a season worth of episodes total I didn't re-watch, mostly because I reviewed the sets for digitallyobsessed), but I own all seven seasons of DS9 (which I never saw on TV), and I've watched a grand total of 2.5 discs, and the last disc I was on got lost somehow, and I don't know how to replace it.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

I watch all extras at least once. If they are entertaining, I will try to watch them each time I watch the movie. Sometimes, I do just watch the commentary and not the movie (most recently with some animated movies).

 

[Ben_@]

I think i'm in the minority, in that i access bonus content about as much as the feature. Obviously not all extras are as good as others, but some i actually enjoy rewatching. I'm surprised how much i enjoy the making of documentaries. I mean the one's that are well done like Clerks X or Alien Quad, obviously the EE's of LOTR.

Stuff like music videos or promotional stuff i could definitely do without, i'm very into the making of the movies though.

I also listen to commentaries rather often when i'm at work, as they are interesting without being too loud (i work really late at night).

 

[Scott W.]

It depends on how much I like the movie.

Scott

 

[Greg_S_H]

I'm another in the no-extras camp. I don't think I watched a single extra on the original Spider-Man disc, so I'm not interested in the 2-disc version of that particular film. I would tend to be more interested in Star Wars extras, but I haven't really watched too many on the OT box set. I can only remember watching the Episode III featurette. I'll get around to the big doc eventually, but that's an exception for me. Most discs, only the movie/show gets watched. I did find it interesting to listen to a commentary via wireless headphones while doing lawn work, but I wouldn't generally sit there for two hours listening to one while watching the film.

 

[Jeff D Han]

I try to watch as much of the extras as I can
make time for. The commentary tracks are my favorite
bonus material, and I make the most time for them.
I've heard that the Raimi track for Spider-Man 2 is
a good one, and I'll listen to it soon. The "Making
The Amazing" documentary was pretty good, but I don't
know if I would watch the whole thing more than once.
I consider the extra material a worthwhile part of movie
collecting, so I try to get the loaded versions of
DVDs (The Pearl Harbor Vista Series, Lord Of The
Rings EEs, SE7EN Platinum Series, Black Hawk Down
Deluxe Edition, etc.). Maybe I won't watch every extra
that I have, but they are there if the mood hits me.

 

[jason:g]

I go through the extras, commentaries, etc.
For me, I hardly have enough time to watch the movie, but I usually have time to watch the extras.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

If it's a movie that I really enjoy, and the documentary is well done, I usually watch it multiple times.

I've also found that guests usually want to view at least the first 15 minutes or so of a good "docu" following the viewing of the film.

Some good documentaries that I continue to enjoy include "The Harryhausen Chronicles" on the "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" disc; "Disney through the Decades" on the Snow White set; "The Beginning" on "The Phantom Menace" set (and, in general, almost all the documentaries included with all the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films); the "Jaws" docu (and virtually all the "docus" included with the Spielberg films).

Great Stuff!!

 

[PatW]

It depends on the movie. I'm watching less extras lately.
I just don't have the time and frankly alot of it is boring.
I thoroughly enjoy the documentary on the Star Wars
Trilogy though. I've watched it twice so far.

 

[Andrew Chong]

I love extras when they are well done and don't compromise the audio and video presentation of the feature; which is why I especially appreciate multi-disc sets. These I enjoy playing again and again. I particularly enjoy the work of David Prior, Van Ling, Charlie de Lauzirika, Michael Pellerin, Laurent Bouzereau, and others.

My favourite extras are 'fly-on-the-wall-style documentaries', galleries full of concept art, photographs, thoughtful or fun commentaries, and isolated music soundtracks in 5.1 surround. I feel that these add great value to the dollars spent on particular titles.

I can't imagine having the deluxe sets of Panic Room, Terminator 2, all the Alien's, all the Lord of the Rings's, and all the Back to the Future's stripped of everything but the feature.