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AvP Collectible DVD Gift Set Review The Alien vs. Predator movie was released on DVD today - January 25th, 2005. Potential buyers have many options when it comes to what extras they would like to get with their DVD. One of these options is an exclusive that can be purchased at Blockbuster. Blockbuster has created and released 25,000 AvP Collectible DVD Gift Sets (limited edition) to celebrate the release of the movie on DVD. This set includes some nice goodies for AvP fans. With the Blockbuster gift set, you get the widescreen version of the AvP DVD and two nicely-sculpted mini-busts; one of the Grid Alien and one of the Celtic Predator. These mini-busts are indeed mini, being only 3 ¼ inches tall. Although they are very small, this does not detract from their desirability and beauty. Both of the mini-busts are beautifully sculpted with lots of intricate detail. These limited edition beauties come in a numbered box which makes you really feel like you own something rare and special. One of the only problems with these mini-busts is that the paint is less than perfect. For instance, the paint on the Grid Alien’s head looks like it was rushed and merely splattered on. Overall, though, these are a nice addition to this gift box set and I am sure any AvP collector will enjoy them. Now, on to what really matters in this gift set; the DVD. The DVD that is included in this gift set is the same one that can be bought on any store shelf. Some of the things that were really enjoyable were things like the picture quality and sound. The picture was sharp and clear and everything looked well-polished. The sound is even better, especially if you have a 5.1 surround sound rig hooked up. The movie really takes advantage of positional audio, which really gives the viewer an amazing movie experience. Also, the bass is rich and powerful and the actors’ voices are always loud enough to hear at any volume level. Advertisement One of the biggest issues I had with this DVD was with the extra content. The DVD advertises an “alternate opening.” I wouldn’t really call this an alternate opening, because it doesn’t replace anything. It is less than two minutes long and doesn’t really add to the movie in any way. I think Fox made a good move by not putting this extended scene in theaters; it was made to be more of a marketing ploy than a legitimate addition to the movie. I was also disappointed to see that there were only a few special features that really pertained to the movie. Most of the extras listed under the special features menu were advertisements for upcoming Fox movies, television shows, and even Super Bowl XXXIX. The features that actually were related to the movie were pretty limited. There were only three small deleted scenes on the disc, which is less than some of the releases in other regions had. There's also a behind-the-scenes special, which is a compilation of all the behind-the-scenes videos from the Internet and a few new bits of information here and there. The extra features that I thought were actually worth looking at were the ones about the old Dark Horse comics. Fans that didn’t collect these comics in the 90’s, when they were popular, have the opportunity to read the very first AvP comic book. They also can look at the covers to all of the AvP comics that have been released. Fans can also get a sneak peek at an upcoming AvP graphic novel by dropping the DVD into their computer. All of these features are very interesting and a nice touch to the overall package. What I think hurts this DVD the most is that there have been recent releases of both the Alien and Predator movies with a plethora of special features. Fox has shown that they can put together a really nice package when they want to. They have clearly shown with this release that they were not very interested in making a DVD with hours of extended footage and special features. Hopefully, Fox will revisit this movie one day and make a special edition DVD that can stand up to its peers. Overall, the Blockbuster gift package was well worth the $30 I paid for it. The mini-busts help me feel better about my buy because they are so cool. I think the Blockbuster release of this movie is more geared towards the hard-core AvP fans. People who liked the movie will enjoy this gift set and probably won’t care too much about the lack of special features. People who did not enjoy the movie will probably find little reason to rush to stores and pick up their copy, since there is almost nothing new to see with this release. Overall, I would say that the Blockbuster gift set is a great buy, and while the DVD is not bad enough to be a lemon; it’s not good enough to be lemonade. By Whitney O'Meara Comments? Flames? Praise? Mail feedback!