Review of Fight Club

Introduction

Oh. My. God.

Normally you`d expect a review to carefully dissect a disc, and then present a balanced opinion of the content at the end. Normally that`s the style my review would follow, but then Fight Club is no ordinary DVD.

I have no qualms about saying right now that this is without a doubt the best DVD I have ever seen. I make no apologies for spending the next few hundred words gushing with praise for this little shiny disc that has made my DVD life so much better.

There. Now that I`ve got across to you the fact that this is a damn good disc, let me explain how and why I`ve come to this opinion.

The first thing that lets you know you`re in for something special with Fight Club is the packaging. The two disc set is presented inside a cardboard slip case, which contains fold out packaging for the discs and the accompanying booklet. Yes, some people will comlain that this disc will not fit in their DVD storage racks. Yes, some people will complain that this disc stands out on their shelf. For my money, that`s the point - it`s clear from the very beginning that Fight Club is happy to be that little bit different from all of it`s peers.

The booklet contains a fragmented account of how the film came to be produced, alongside quotes from reviews of the film from around the world. This is worth pointing out, as half of the quotes are from bad reviews, and make hilarious reading now that the initial furore surrounding the film has subsided. These snippets prove how over the top some reviewers will go - the Nazi one is my favourite.

Video

Fight Club the movie is contained on the first disc. The film is focussed around the slow realization of the central character, played by Edward Norton, that happiness in life cannot be found within his current surroudings. A chance encounter with Tyler the soap salesman leads to further seeds of enlightenment/destruction being planted in the main characters mind. Regular fist fights become the vent through which their anger at not being able to fulfill their potential is released. The first fight club is formed as other males realise that this back to basics approach is in fact a step forward.

From here the movie changes direction. Instead of just trying to complete themselves, the fight club members embark on a course of radical change.

Yes, this movie is contreversial. A lot of the press reviews that you may have read were from people that later admitted to never having seen the film, or who just plain missed the point.

Fight Club speaks not just to Gen-X, but to all. The film presents us with an unmistakable view on our current society, and many people will be uncomfortable with that simply because we do not appreciate having forced on us that which we so often try to hide. The movie is undoubtedly the first important movie of the twenty-first century (ok, it was made in `99, but you get the point). It`s loud, offensive, in your face, and hopefully you`ll recognise yourself in a part of the movie. If you come away from the film thinking about what is said, and thinking how you can improve yourself, then it was a success with you.

All of this thankfully does not get in the way of what is a fantastic film. Everything about this film not only acts a public broadcast wake up call, but also great Saturday night entertainment. Funny, violent, action, sex and sarcasm - the winning formula.

Hit that pause button whilst the FBI warnings are coming up for a surprise. The film itself plays wonderfully on this format. Included are some setup options from THX, which help optimise the performance of the disc on your setup - you`ll probably find that you`re already running with the optimum settings, but worth the thought all the same. The colours are both vibrant and dark in the right places, and there are no glitches to be seen.

One problem I did have is a scene near the opening of the film where a large amount of text is shown. Watching the film in letterbox mode on my square TV meant that some of this was not readable. Those with bigger/wider TV`s need not worry though.

We get the original theatrical ratio, which is what is important.

Audio

Alongside the movie stand four complete commentaries. I`ve not yet had a chance to listen to all four all of the way through, but from what I have heard the director`s commentary (David Fincher) is the most informative for my money.

Audio on this disc is again superb. Dolby Digital is used to great effect throughout the film - I`m sure that this sounds better at home than it did in the theatre. Crunching punches reverbrate from all five channels, and the in-your-face soundtrack by The Dust Brothers literally takes over your front room with the sub-woofer at times.

Features

It`s in the extras department that the Fight Club DVD really shows off it`s prowess. An entire second disc is dedicated to the non-commentary extras, and it`s needed. What we get is nothing different to any normal DVD - alternate and deleted scenes, storyboard to film comparisons, behind the scenes in production, visual effects explanations and cast and crew biographies. It`s the way in which this information is presented to the viewer, and the shear amount of information provided that set Fight Club apart.

The majority of the features (behind the scenes, visual effects explanation, alternate scenes) come with voice overs from relevant members of the crew. An alternate view of the proceedings is provided by a seperate angle of the same feature (essentially more on the same thing), which will normally have a different commentary. Brief on screen notes help to explain what it is that you are looking at, and add to the experience rather than getting in the way.

There are also quite a few different trailers, and the web site specific trailers are included as well. The public service broadcasts from the two lead actors are a good idea - I`m sure that these were not shown in UK cinemas, so this will probably be the first time you`ve seen them. This idea should, (and no doubt will), be copied by other films in the future. Oh, and don`t forget the stills and artwork shots as well.

Conclusion

It`ll take you a long time to get through all of this DVD. The shear amount of extras provided, along with the movie itself and the four unique commentaries mean that Fight Club will quite easily take up at least 12 hours of your life to see it all once. Doesn`t seem like much, but compare that to a low-on-extras disc with a 90 minute movie.

As I`ve said, everything about this disc exudes quality, from the packaging, to the interactive menus, to the feature and extras themselves. I`ll say it again in case I`ve not made it clear enough yet (!) - this is the best DVD you can get yet. A standard setter. Other will be judged against this, and it will be probably be an unfortunately long time before this is bettered. Beg, borrow, buy or steal to get this. It`s that good.