Red Dragon [WS] [Collector's Edition] [DVD] [2002]

Plays DVD, CD, EVD, VCD, CD-RW, DVD-R, VOB, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG3, MPEG4, DIVX, MP3, WMA, JPG and JPEG formats; up to 2.5 hours of playback; headphone jack

Fans of Hannibal Lecter get more than fava beans and a nice Chianti with Red Dragon from Universal. In this prequel to the blockbuster The Silence of the Lambs, viewers get plenty of in-depth extras about Hollywood's favorite serial killer. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, the picture is clear and crisp. Even during the shadowy scenes, the images come across sharp. The English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround lives up to the format's reputation, producing static-free dialog and sound effects. Universal created a satisfying selection of extras on this disc, mainly because there's so much attention focused on Dr. Lecter himself. To start, viewers can enter the world of cinema's creepy killer through "Hannibal Lecter's FBI Case File and Life History," a nifty little collection of easy-to-read documents. Star Anthony Hopkins gives viewers an in-depth taste of his relationship to his character in "Anthony Hopkins: Lecter and Me." He discusses how he first met Dr. Lecter: Hopkins' agent sent over the script of The Silence of the Lambs, and Hopkins thought it was a children's movie. "The Making of Red Dragon" is the obligatory behind-the-scenes featurette, but Universal created a less commercialized, meatier extra by focusing more on the cast members and characters instead of the typical sales-pitch trailer stuff. For viewers who admire musical genius Danny Elfman, a quasi-hidden musical-score commentary will be much appreciated. The selection of additional scenes, with optional commentary, is a well-organized extra that's worth a look. Here, Universal broke the choices up into three categories: deleted scenes, extended scenes, and alternate versions of scenes. One particularly creepy choice is the "Attic Scene with Dragon Voice." The disc also boasts of a decent audio commentary with Brett Ratner and Ted Tally. The oft-funny banter touches on the origins of the film, the workings of the production team, and the nitty-gritty of filmmaking. Yet perhaps one of the biggest perks of the disc is the featurette "Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer." This Court TV-like feature, hosted by renowned FBI profiler John Douglas, provides insight into the mind of killers like Lecter. Douglas parallels his own experiences with those of the character Will Graham, played by Edward Norton.