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MAMMA MIA!
GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! MORE GIFT SET
Studio: Universal
Film Year: 2008
Film Length: 1 hour 49 mins
Genre: Musical Comedy/Adaptation of Stage Play
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
BD Resolution: 1080p
BD Video Codec: AVC
Color/B&W: Color
Audio:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish DTS 5.1
French DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: PG-13 (Some Sex Related Comments, Lots of ABBA)
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried and Christine Baranski
Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus
Based on the songs of ABBA
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Film Rating: 2 ½/5 (my rating) 4/5 (Timothy E.’s rating)
The Mamma Mia Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! More Gift Set is a repackaging of the Blu-ray disc released last winter, this time with different additions to the package. The Blu-ray disc itself is the same one you have already seen, but instead of a digital copy disc, you will now find a CD soundtrack for the film with 18 Abba songs as performed by the film’s cast, a small collectible book with some photos and quotes, and a container box that lights up and plays the first bars of the title song.
The disc itself has already been reviewed here at Home Theater Forum, both in the Blu-ray and standard definition formats. The Blu-ray review, written by Timothy Ewanyshyn, can be found at http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/280083/htf-blu-ray-review-mamma-mia-recommended, and I recommend you check in there to get his feedback on the picture and sound quality, as well as the 3 pages of discussion which followed. Timothy recommended the original release for purchase and was quite complimentary about picture and sound. I reviewed the standard definition release and went into a bit more detail about the special features (all of which can be found here, either on the disc itself or via U-Control Picture-in-Picture or BD-Live downloads). My review of the standard definition release can be found at http://www.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/280440/htf-dvd-review-mamma-mia-2-disc-special-edition.
As a standard part of the release of Universal’s Blu-ray catalogue, you’ll find several BD-Live functions here, including My Scenes, My Chat and My Commentary. The U-Control feature allows you to not only access featurettes while watching the movie but bring up trivia about the Abba songs via the “Behind the Hits” function.
The CD in the package appears on the outside to only have 17 songs on it, but if you listen to the final track, you’ll find an additional song, “Thank You For The Music”, included there.
The booklet in the packet includes a generous amount of photos of the film shoot and a great shot of the cast along with the original members of the band at one of the film’s premiere events. A multitude of quotes from everyone is included to sit alongside the photos. There’s nothing particularly deep here, but fans of the movie will enjoy the additional dip in the pool, as it were.
I won’t even go into the singing box, other than to note that people at my workplace had a lot of fun pressing that button, over and over and over again…
IN THE END...
The Mamma Mia Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! More Gift Set will certainly appeal to fans of the movie and the stage musical. But a purchase here really depends on whether you already have this Blu-ray. If you bought it last year, all you’re getting this year is the CD and the booklet. On the other hand, if you only have the standard definition DVD or have not picked it up (and are a fan of the movie), then this would be a nice holiday gift to consider.
Kevin Koster
November 11, 2009.
