Today for work I had to write up a product solicit for Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut DVD set.
Until I wrote the solicit, I was seriously tempted to buy it. Five discs. The Watchmen equivalent of a Lord of the Rings extended edition, I thought.
Fuck no.
Disc one is the “ultimate cut,” which takes the Director’s Cut and sequences Tales of the Black Freighter into the film, thus replicating the graphic novel experience. Plus a commentary track by Dave Gibbons.
Disc two is a disc of documentaries. Some we’ve not seen before, and some, like “Under the Hood,” that we have.
Disc three? A digital copy of the film. This fucking counts as a disc? The fuck?
Discs four and five? Watchmen: The Motion Comic.
The things I’d be interested in? The Dave Gibbons commentary. Some of the documentaries, like one on adapting the graphic novel to film. But the rest? If I wanted the Motion Comic, I’d have bought that DVD. I don’t need a digital copy of the film. And, honestly, I don’t need Tales of the Black Freighter stitched into the film.
Essentially, I have everything I want out of the film I called “soulless.” I have Tales of the Black Freighter on DVD. I have the Director’s Cut. I don’t need the Ultimate Cut.