21 Grams (DVD)

One of the better movies of last year has come to DVD, but if you are looking for an experience greater than the movie itself you will be disappointed as this title comes with no extra features.

21 Grams is the story of three people, brought together as a result of a tragic accident, which alters the path their lives were on drastically.

It had been a long while since I had seen 21 Grams and after seeing it again I was surprised that I wanted to watch it again right away, and was upset that there weren't any special features available on the disc.

It would have been great to have a commentary with the director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, or a behind-the-scenes featurette detailing the performances turned in by Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Benicio del Torro. Unfortunately they aren't there so it won't do much to complain.

Despite the fact there aren't any extra features to make this DVD even more appealing it is a great movie and the story is told in such an extraordinary way that is worth multiple views as I got even more out of it the second time around than I did the first.

The jigsaw manner the story is told in allows for the first time you view it to be the time where you have to pay attention and not miss any details or you may end up lost by the end, but once that viewing is out of the way you can watch the movie and get even deeper into the film by paying more attention to the characters and the parts they play.

Alejandro González Iñárritu has turned in a crowning achievement with this film as del Torro was an Oscar nominee for a Best Supporting Actor as was Naomi Watts for Best Supporting Actress.

Also, as far as the quality of the audio and video of this DVD goes, they are top notch. There is a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track as well as my favorite a DTS track. As for video this is one film to pay attention to as Iñárritu uses several different types of cameras and lens tricks to add a sense of realism to the production.

I said the same things in my review of the theatrical release and to quote myself, "There is a sense of realism that is brought into 21 Grams due to that just about every shot was done with a hand-held camera, that takes away the static nature of a steady-cam, and brings the viewer into the world being described on the screen. There is a textured feel to each scene that helps describe the emotion and does some of the storytelling for you."

Despite the fact that 21 Grams is a somber story, the performances and directing style are definitely reason to buy this DVD and watch it over and over again.