Val Kilmer's uncannily accurate take on Jim Morrison is the highlight of this Oliver Stone biopic on rock band The Doors. Talk of a Special Edition DVD release has been ongoing for over two years and finally here it is. Most of the extra features are old promotional material, but you do get a new Stone commentary and beautiful presentation of the film to tempt you.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture The sometimes dreamlike quality of the filming makes for a slightly soft, but nevertheless detailed, rich image transfer to disc.

Sound The 5.1 mix is undoubtedly the star attraction of the DVD. Particular attention has gone into separating the music between the speakers. And there are some excellent surround effects that absorb you right into the heady vibe of the movie.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary Oliver Stone looks back on a film he seems pleased with, although it does contain some special effects he admits he wouldn't use again. Surprisingly, there are quite a few ILM process shots in the movie, and for Stone it was his first experience of using CGI enhancements to achieve the look he was after.

Stone talks about first hearing the music of The Doors while serving in Vietnam. He felt their songs seemed to speak directly to him and his fellow soldiers. In the dope-charged atmosphere, he says the songs "blew their minds". His stories of his acid experiences in the 60s and 70s help explain his artistic choices for the movie.

Making of This six-minute making of featurette was created to promote the film back in 1991. For the most part, it contains cast and crew interviews discussing characterisation and story. Stone and Val Kilmer swap a few comments about each other, and Val talks a little about his interpretation of Morrison.

Interviews There are what looks like a great selection of cast interviews on the DVD, but the length of them ranges from eight seconds to a maximum of two minutes. What's worse is that most of the material was used for the Making of featurette above.

Behind the Scenes This is seven-minutes of B-roll footage with no presentation or interviews. It does cover a few scenes, though, including directing a large crowd for concert footage.

Additional Extra Features Also included on the DVD is a music video, trailer, five teaser trailers, and an additional scene selection menu that takes you straight to the songs. Included in the packaging is a 14-page booklet of film notes.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Region: 2
Chapters: 36
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Audio Tracks: Multiple languages
Subtitles: English, and multiple languages
Captions: English
Menus: Animated, with music.
Special Features Subtitles: None of the special features come with subtitles.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.