Hollywood Popular Artists

Oct 5th 2012, 19:30

In the age of the cloud, digital copies, and online rentals, a physical medium as a home video option loses relevance every day, but every year a handful of releases almost require a purchase. It takes an attention to detail and a dedication to the consumer to make any DVD or Blu-ray worth the price or even the physical space the box takes up.

"Bond 50," the new collection of all 22 EON films, several on Blu-ray for the first time, is simply a must own for fans and arguably the best home video release of the year.

By definition, a well-priced set including every official Bond film is something to get excited about, and the films are the real draw here. Currently sitting at $150 on Amazon, that works out to $6.82 per Bond movie on Blu-ray. Each film has been lovingly transferred, but the Connery era will astound you with its clarity. It was a pleasure to sit down and watch "From Russia with Love," even after just watching it a few weeks ago for the Bond-a-Thond.

But that doesn't take the special features into consideration. The extras aren't all shoe-horned into one disc in the back of each booklet (which, by the way, are sexy as hell).Each disc comes packed with bonus material, specific to each film. That way you can revisit a film and all of its extras in a convenient way.

A special mention must be made for one detail that is stunningly considerate. The second booklet of discs comes with an empty slot for "Skyfall." That's the kind of detail that could make a Blu-ray completist cry tears of joy.

The only clearly missing feature in the set is "Everything or Nothing," the new documentary that retells the story behind the entire franchise. For such a well-made documentary, its absence is sorely felt.

"Bond 50" is one hell of an argument for still buying Blu-rays. If you haven't bought many Bond discs in the past and you're a fan of the series, it is simply a must-buy.

"Bond 50" is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.

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