Released | Aug 31st, 1999 |
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Company | Private Digital Media |
Critical Rating | AAA |
Genre | Feature |
Though the plot and pacing of Uranus Experiment are something of a disappointment, from a technical standpoint, this is an impressive DVD package. Thanks to the high bit rate afforded by dual-layering, picture quality is outstanding — far superior to the VHS release — and the soundtrack, though dubbed, is presented in the viewer's choice of five different languages, all encoded in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. The disc also includes subtitles in four languages, though unfortunately for hearing-impaired Region 1 viewers, none of these is English, Spanish, or French. The disc's many menus (for chapter stops, extras, etc.) are all movie-themed, with mainstream-quality full-motion graphics and sound effects. Cleverly, a small space shuttle icon is used as the pointer. A well-produced trailer for the video is also included on the disc, and an entertaining "Making Of" featurette gives viewers a peek behind the scenes.
Somewhat disappointing are the cast bios, photo gallery and production notes, which are not very extensive and serve more as promotional material for other Private productions than anything else.
More disappointing is Private's continued trumpeting of the supposed "first-ever cumshot in zero gravity." Sorry, folks. The "zero-g" footage is all earthbound — as is obvious from even casual observation of Private's own "Making Of" featurette — so despite the cover blurb, don't hype this aspect to your customers.
Private also includes a small catalog listing their lineup of DVDs, CD-ROMs, T-shirts and other company collectibles with the disc.
Despite its few shortcomings, this is still one fine DVD. Stock in depth and use as a demo for technophiles and sci-fi fans.