Review: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Blu-Ray

Read my review of the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-Ray!

The first thing you should know about the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray * is there are a ton of different versions. They all have the same movie in them, but the special features are different. It depends on where you buy it from. Here's a rundown of the special features. The featurette lists are from TrekCore:

• All Retailers (Basic Disc)
  Featurettes (40 minutes)
  
• Creating the Red Planet
• Attack on Starfleet
• The Klingon Home World
• The Enemy of My Enemy
• Ship to Ship
• Brawl by the Bay
• Continuing the Mission
  

• Target: A Limited Edition 3-disc collector’s set
  Available only at Target, A Limited Edition 3-disc collector’s set that includes a Blu-ray bonus disc with over 70 minutes of special features including 30 minutes of exclusive content, available only at Target. Collectively these features give the fan detailed insight into the development of the movie’s characters and its amazing world of visual effects. Featuring a collectible package art, this set is a must have for any collector.
  Featurettes
  
• The Voyage Begins... Again (2:29)
• Mr. Spock and Mr. Spock (4:15)
• Rebuilding the Enterprise (5:30)
• Vengeance is Coming (4:27)
• Kirk and Spock (5:34)
• Visual Affection (9:02)
  
• Best Buy: “30 Minutes of Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Content”
  A Best Buy Exclusive, delve into the creation of the film’s unique alien creatures, get a first-hand look at one of the locations used for the U.S.S. Enterprise’s Engine Room and more.
  Featurettes
  
• Down With the Ship (6:09)
• NIF: Home of the Core (4:32)
• Safety First (2:26)
• Unlocking the Cut (5:10)
• The Sound of Music and FX (5:27)
• Aliens Encountered (6:50)
  
• Walmart: “Limited Edition Gift Set with Steelbook & Villain Ship”
  Only at Walmart, this Limited Edition Gift Set includes the Blu-ray Combo Pack in collectible Steelbook packaging and a replica of the U.S.S. Vengeance.
• Amazon: Starfleet Phaser Limited Edition Gift Set
  An Amazon exclusive, the Starfleet Phaser Gift Set includes a 1:1 scale authentic Starfleet phaser replica, gloss black display stand, brass plaque and the Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack.
• iTunes: iTunes Extras
  Go behind-the-scenes with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise with iTunes Extras. Get a first-hand look at the making of Star Trek Into Darkness in an all-new, exclusive, enhanced commentary with visionary filmmaker, J.J. Abrams and his crew. See how filmmakers brought the red planet to life, find out how, and why, the identity of the film's true villain was kept a mystery to the very end, and sit in with Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch as they revisit their intense preparation for the film's action-packed climax.
  

Finding out if a DVD or Blu-Ray has pre-production artwork is kind of tricky since some specifically say "concept art" or "storyboards" and others use terms like "production photos" or "designs from the making of the film."

So which one has concept art? I decided to roll the dice and went with the Best Buy version since it's the only one that specifically said it had designs for the creatures.

Well, it turns out the "special features" are a digital version of the featurettes on the DVD, so I didn't gain anything from it.

On the other hand, the shorts "Creating the Red Planet," "Attack on Starfleet" and "The Klingon Home World" have some amazing concept art. I especially enjoyed the insight concept artist Neville Page brought to the videos. He worked on the last film and even did a cameo in the first Star Trek as a Romulan crew-member.


Here's some art I captured from the featurettes of the Nibiru natives.

Here are the specifications for the disk set.

• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Multiple Formats
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (B, C untested)
• Number of discs: 2 (DVD, 50GB Blu-Ray, UV digital copy)
  
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: September 10, 2013
• Run Time: 131 minutes
• ASIN: B00AZMFK3K

Audio

• English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
• French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
• Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
• Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1

Video

• Codec: MPEG-4 AVC (26.27 Mbps)
• Resolution: 1080p
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Is it worth the money? I'd say yes, but with the caveat that it has no art galleries, no storyboards and very few interviews with artists.

Great for behind-the-scenes insights, but very little for fans of movie art




* Sales made through the links provide a small commission for me to help pay for art book and videos for review.

What do you think of the Star Trek Into Darkness home video releases?
 
Official Star Trek Into Darkness Synopsis
When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.

Pioneering director J.J. Abrams delivers the explosive action thriller Star Trek Into Darkness, following on from the international box office success of Star Trek in 2009. Featuring a stellar cast including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Alice Eve, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood, Noel Clarke and Peter Weller.

Official Site: StarTrekMovie.com

Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch, Peter Weller

Copyright © 2013  Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot. All rights reserved

Follow @filmsketchr

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Arek Movie, review, Star-Trek, Star-Trek-Into-Darkness

Review: OBLIVION Blu-Ray Makes Up For Missing Art Book

Check out my review of the Oblivion (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) disc!

The Oblivion Blu-Ray was the top-selling DVD release last week for good reason. The film is stunning.

Released August 6, 2013, I got the special Target exclusive OblivionBlu-Ray because it has an awesome little concept art book included.

The 12-page concept illustration book is worth getting since they inexplicably never released an art book for the film. The images are small, but printed on glassy stock and look wonderful.

The five-clip "Promise of a New World: The Making of Oblivion" series of features are a fascinating insight into the design of the movie. Being a trained architect, Joseph Kosinski was able to help visualize the movie in ways many directors can't.

It also showcases some breath-taking illustrations for the film underscored by the ethereal score.  My favorite feature was "Destiny" which had beautiful illustrations set to music along with director commentary.

• Format: Color, Widescreen, Multiple Formats
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: August 6, 2013
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• ASIN: B008JFUO4U

Special Features

• Oblivion (Blu-ray Format) – The theatrical version of the film on blu-ray.
• Oblivion (DVD Format) – The theatrical version of the film on DVD.
• Oblivion (Digital Copy/UltraViolet) – The theatrical version of the film (digital copy/Ultraviolet).
• Audio Commentary – Feature Commentary with Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski.
• Deleted Scenes
• Promise of a New World: The Making of Oblivion – A comprehensive and thought-provoking multi-part feature covering the making of Oblivion. Includes the following parts.
  
  • Destiny – Looks inside the conceptualization, development and pre-production of Oblivion and the planning that went into the Herculean task of shooting the epic film.
  • Voyage – Follows the creation of the amazing Bubble Ship from its early design conception to its journey around the world.
  • Combat – Explores the film’s ground-breaking action and death-defying stunts, all performed by one of the most popular movie stars in the world.
  • Illusion – Focuses on the film’s post-production and dazzling visual effects.
  • Harmony – Delves into the innovative musical world of M83.
• M83 Isolated Score – Watch the entire film accompanied by the evocative music track.

Here are some images from the illustration book:



It's worth the effort to get the Target exclusive, but if you want to get the standard version and you enjoyed the visuals of this film make sure you pick up the Oblivion (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)* disc today.

Rating:
Video 5 stars
Sound 5 stars
Special Features 4 stars
Overall: 5 Stars

See more Oblivion concept art and illustrations on my blog.

Official OBLIVION Synopsis
Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.
 

Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete.  Living and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Oblivion will be shot in stunning digital 4K resolution on location across the United States and Iceland.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo
Cinematography by Claudio Miranda
Production Design by Darren Gilford

Official Site: www.oblivionmovie.com/‎

Release date: April 26, 2013

© 2013 Copyright Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Chernin Entertainment, Monolith Pictures, Radical Studios,

*Sales from my Amazon links provide a small commission to help me buy Art Book and Blu-Ray discs for my reviews

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Arek Oblivion, review

2012 Reviewed in An Animated Infographic by Yiying Lu for Visual.ly

Artist Yiying Lu created this fun animated infographic for the San Francisco based data visualization company Visual.ly

Included after the infographic are some of her good 'old school' hand drawn ink sketches for the project.








Visual.ly
Yiying Lu

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Arek animation, computer animation, digital art, drawings, graphic design, graphics, illustration, review, san francisco

Review: The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy' is More Making Than Art

The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy is good, but is less art and more making of the three films Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

The book is published by Harry N. Abrams and written by Jody Duncan Jesser, and Cinefex magazine writer Janine Pourboy. It's a decent size at 9.2 inches x 1.1 inches x 11.9 inches and weighing a whopping 4.5 pounds. If Batman could keep it in his utility belt, he could knock out the Joker.

It's 304 pages of behind the scenes stories and quotes. The pages start out with the quote from Henri Ducard: "Your parent's death was not your fault...But if you make yourself more than a man... if you devote yourself to an ideal...then you become something else entirely. Which is? A legend, Mr. Wayne."

Here's the official description:
"In 2005, director Christopher Nolan redefined the Batman legend with Batman Begins, starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. A fresh, dynamic reboot of the franchise, Batman Begins explored the comic book hero’s origins and his evolution from billionaire Bruce Wayne to dark avenger who fights crime and corruption in Gotham City. A 2008 sequel, The Dark Knight, took those compelling, character-driven foundations and raised the stakes, pitting Batman against a deranged master criminal, the Joker, in an all-out war for Gotham’s soul. Now, the final film of Nolan’s trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, is 2012’s most anticipated film release.

"The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy tells the complete behind-the-scenes story of these three monumental films. Based on in-depth interviews with Nolan and all of the films’ key cast and crew—including cowriters David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, cinematographer Wally Pfister, and more—the book reveals the creative process behind the epic Dark Knight Trilogy, supported by lavish art and never-before-seen photography."

Here's the video preview of the book:

I was disappointed that it focuses very little on the artwork. We get many great photos of the filming though. My favorite is the shot of the life size Bat-Pod sitting on Nolan's patio while his wife and son look on.

Most of the book tells the story of the making of the film and the challenges they face. There are great stories and quotes, but very little you wouldn't find on the Internet, or in online interviews. It's nice that they put it all in one book though.

On the other hand, there is very little concept art and only one storyboard. Contrast this with book on Inception: The Shooting Script which was full of dozens of drawings and pages of storyboards.

There is no concept art for Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), which Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon) described as "fantastic." Only two images of Bane (Tom Hardy).

There's no list of the artists that worked on The Dark Knight Rises (like Tully Summers) but they do mention Jamie Rama in connection with The Dark Knight bat-suit design. Most of the time they focus on the work of Production Designer Nathan Crowley and Costume Designer of Lindy Hemmings. These guys are at the top of their game and did a lot of the designs, but they didn't work in a vacuum. The book gives vague terms like "artists" when acknowledging the contribution of other illustrators. The Avengers book had a complete list of all the illustrators who worked on the film. This book has none.

I can only assume they put everything in The Dark Knight Manual: Tools, Weapons, Vehicles and Documents from the Batcave because this book is empty.

The book is good if you're not familiar with the filming of the other movies and don't care about concept art and storyboards. Otherwise, it's a disappointment.
2.5 stars out of 5

Have you read the book? Would you read it?

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Arek Batman, Book_Review, Nathan Crowley, review, TheDarkKnightRises

'Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers' Assembles The Best Concept Art

Avengers: The Art of Marvel's The Avengers has some of the greatest concept art I've had the pleasure of seeing. The book is written by Jason Surrell who was a Disney Imagineer for a long time and did books on Pirates and Haunted Mansion.

With an introduction by Marvel Visual Development department concept artists Ryan Meinerding and Charlie Wen, they start by saying "The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a world whose foundation is based in art, or as we'd like to call it: an illustrator's dream." And it really is. It wasn't easy designing The Avengers. That's the one message that keeps coming up in the book.

There are many quotes from actors, Joss Whedon the director, James Chinlund and concept artists to help you feel what it was like to design such a huge film.

For the film they gave a core team of concept artists a character to focus on. Andy Park (), Phil Saunders and Adi Granov (Iron Man), Charlie Wen (Thor), Ryan Meinderding (Captain America), Rodney Fuentebella, Jacon Johnstson. Production Designer James Chinlund got an amazing group of freelance artists together to round out the team.

The art in the book is beautiful and the glossy oversize pages really let you see an amazing level of detail.

The introduction takes you through the set of movies from Iron Man to Thor and ends with an amazing timeline of the cinematic universe timeline that's three pages long.

The next three chapters take you through the events in the film in three acts: Incident in the Desert, Avengers Assemble and Common Threat.

"Act One: Incident in the Desert" takes you through the sets and designs from the beginning of the film and concept art for Nick Fury, Agent Maria Hill, Loki and Hawkeye.

"Act Two: Avengers Assemble" covers Bruce Banner/Hulk, Black Widow, Steve Rogers/Captain America, Tony Stark/Iron Man, Thor and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vehicles including the massive Helicarrier. There is also a collection of storyboards

Andy Park's Black Widow "Cat Suit" designs with unused "Widow Stingers" coursing through the costume.

Finally, "Act Three: A Common Threat" starts with designs of Iron Man's new armor and takes you through the design of the evil alien Chitauri. There's even a key frame of the post credit surprise cameo. It ends with an amazing storyboard of the final battle against the aliens by Bryan Andrews and Jim Mitchell

Bryan Andrews "Battle in the Desert" storyboards featuring Iron Man vs. Thor

The final section, "Some Assembly Required" covers various aspects of the marketing from t-shirt designs to versions of the San Diego Comic-Con poster.

One nice feature that I hadn't seen before is a list of all the artists in the book along with the page numbers.

Here's the list of artists credited

• Aaron McBride
• Adi Granov
• Amanda Hunter
• Andy Park
• Ari Sachter-Zeltzer
• Ben Edelberg
• Bryan Andrews
• Bryan Hitch
• Charlie Wen
• Christian Alzmann
• Christopher Ross
• Dave Yee
• Fabien Lacey
• Iain McCaig
• Jack Kirby
• Jacon Johnstson
• Jeff Markwith
• Jim Mitchell
• John Giang
• Josh Herman
• Joe Simon
• Justin Sweet
• Jackson Sze
• Mark Goerner
• Michael Meyers
• Nathan Schroeder
• Nick Cross
• Olly Moss
• Paul Ozzimo
• Phil Saunders
• Paolo Rivera
• Raj Rihal
• Rick Buoen
• Rodney Fuentebella
• Ryan Meinderding
• Steve Jung
• Tani Kunitake
• Yanick Dusseault

This is a beautiful book and, with it's artist quotes, beautiful layout and insider information, is well worth reading.

4 1/2 of 5 stars

Timeline image via comicbookmovie.com

What do you think of the book? Are you going to look for it?

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Arek Avengers, Book_Review, Movie, review, Rodney-Fuentebella

UPDATED: FIVE Things I Learned About 'Alien' (1978) From 'Giger's Alien'

Update: Originally, the list was seven, but I shortened it to five. The title still reflected that. Thanks for catching that Heiki!

The book Giger's Alien by H.R. Giger is a great read. It's full of marvelous concept art and great stories. I learned a lot about the film industry and a lot about Giger. It's a collection of diary entries he wrote making the film.

He admits in the foreword that he didn't understand the challenges of film-making at the time. Since then, he's come to respect everyone and the effort it took to make the film.

Here are the seven  five most interesting things I learned in the book.

1. The Alien Was Almost A Giant Baby
Originally, the producers suggested the alien look like a big baby.

THE ALIEN, THIRD (NATURE) PHASE. Having left its victim, the Alien promptly grows to Man-size, whereupon it is terrifically dangerous. It is very mobile. strong, and capable of tearing a man to pieces. It feeds on human flesh. This creature should be a profane abomination. Some producers have suggested that something resembling an over-sized, deformed baby night be sufficiently loathsome - In any event, we wish you to feel free to create your own design.

I'm not sure how scary it would have been, but it definitely would have been freaky to see a giant deformed baby chasing them around the ship.

2. The Original Eggs Were Hilarious

I had heard that the original design of the Alien egg opening looked like a vagina, but Giger's storytelling skills are phenomenal.

1 September 1978, Shepperton Studios
Scott, Carroll, Dilley and Powell appear to Inspect my work. I had just started to apply a texture. The lid of the egg, which in O'Bannon's sketch sprang up at a touch, I changed it into an organic, vagina-like opening. When I take off the plastic cloths in which my work is draped, there is a howl of laughter from the whole group. I had lovingly endowed this egg with an inner and outer vulva To make it all look more organic, I filled some more preservatives with clay and arranged these semi-transparent little sausages on the pink aperture.

When the gentlemen are beginning to get over it, I allow myself to ask whether they like it. Scott thinks It's too good, and Carroll too specific. He's afraid it will get them into trouble, especially in Catholic countries. Dilley would rather have something more like a flower opening. This suggestion gives me the idea of doubling the bud effect and laying the two one across the other. Seen from above, they would form the cross that people in Catholic countries are so fond of looking at. Once again I can satisfy the producers, myself and the public at home and abroad.

3. Secretaries in Switzerland Are Well Paid
At one point, H.R. Giger complains about the amount of money the studio is offering him. As a professional artist he's insulted and says secretaries in Switzerland are paid more. If he was serious, I can't imagine how much lawyers are paid there.

4. If O'Bannon Had Stayed In Town The Alien Ship Would Have Been Traditional

Giger and the producer had a numerous fights with Giger about the designs. Most left his concepts and designs behind. One big fight was over the design of the derelict ship the crew find. Dan O'Bannon, who wrote the screenplay, was adamant that they should have a traditional ship with tail fins sticking in the air. Gordon Carroll, one of the producers, insisted the derelict will blend in with the landscape.  He won the argument.

19 July 1978, Shepperton Studios
They ask me to go to the office, where Scott, Seymour and Carroll are waiting for me. Carroll says, please will I design another derelict. The entrance passage and the landscape can stay the same as those that have been built in Sound Stage H, but the rest will have to be changed. As it is now (plate 378) it is too reminiscent of a bone and might make people think it was an organic part of the landscape. There will also be technical difficulties In building it. I am absolutely astounded to hear this from Carroll, of all people, who had been so enthusiastic about my derelict when he first saw It. I suspect that Shusett and O'Bannon are behind it. Even good friends can often infuriate one. I try to convince Carroll that the dimensions and the aerodynamic shape are enough in themselves to distinguish the derelict from the landscape, and moreover that technical details ought not to be too obvious in case they spoil the biomechanical character of a spaceship built by non-humans. I simply can't see how I can improve on it; I regard it as one of my best pictures. Carroll proves unyielding and finally practically orders me to conjure up something else out of the ground. They seem to think I can just shake good ideas out of my sleeve— the bitter fate of the creative artist. Scott keeps quiet during the discussion, and in silent opposition demonstrates a quite ordinary, banal crashed aircraft, its tall fin pointing skyward. I understand and, promising to try something different, go back to my work. This is an occasion when time will work for me.

But, when Giger came on set the next day, they were building the ship the way he designed them. He concludes that it's because O'Bannon went back to America and they didn't have enough time to develop another design.

5. A Surprising Number of Children Were Involved
The scene with Lambert, Dallas, and Kane in the "Space Jockey" cockpit was filmed with children in the space suits. This increased the scale. Two were Ridley Scott's children.

26 September 1978, Shepperton Studios
Yesterday we worked late into the night to get the set looking more or less finished. A truck with a camera crane that can be raised and lowered has been set up at the edge of the set for the camera team. The %pada effects' men veil the whole scene in smoke from some kind of burning oil. It smells horrible and makes it very stuffy on the stage. The lighting men crouch in the scaffolding bathed in sweat and light up whatever they are told. Meanwhile Scott hovers on his airy seat with the cameraman, Derek Vanlint, and gives instructions. All the preparations are complete and filming begins. The three actors playing the astronauts are replaced by children, wearing miniature copies of the astronaut's clothes. This makes the enormous figure of the pilot look bigger still.

While designing the the Alien phase III, at one point Ridley Scott strapped a bunch of children to a man. This was to give the impression of a creature with many limbs.

23 February 1978, Shepperton Studios
Alien III Is the monster, the superstar, the title-role of the film. O'Bannon had used a monster before, in his film Dark Star. For that they used a balloon the size of a medicine-ball which hopped about on two hands. To begin with we weren't clear what the Alien in Alien ought to look like. Scott definitely wasn't going to have some ordinary cinema monster stamping stiffly and awkwardly through t

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Arek Alien, H.R.Giger, Movie, review

Review: 'Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)' Blu-Ray Review

Captain America: The First Avenger has no concept art gallery. I was going to drop my rating because of it, but then I watched the gorgeous featurettes and stopped complaining.


Product Details

• Actors: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan
• Directors: Joe Johnston
• Writers: Christopher Markus, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Stephen McFeely
• Producers: Alan Fine, Amir Madani, Dan Masciarelli
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount Studios
• DVD Release Date: October 25, 2011
• Run Time: 124 minutes

Special Features

• Includes Digital Copy
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
• Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer -- Go deeper inside the Marvel Universe and unveil secret plans to assemble the ultimate superhero team, the Avengers. 
• And more!

Here are some of the featurettes I found interesting along, with some admittedly poor screen caps from the disk. I just couldn't resist putting some of these on the site.

Featurette Review
Designing the Costume
The director and producer talk about the challenge of designing a faithful comic book costume while making out realistic. Some concept art with interviews with lead concept artist Ryan Meinerding and some brief, but beautiful pan and scans of the illustrations.

Heightened Technology 
The producers and actors talk about the desire to bring advanced technology to WWII without looking out-of-place. We get a few shots of concept art on boards during production and some beautiful images of Daniel Simons' vehicle designs. He's the star of the featurette since he talks extensively about his design principles.

The Transformation 
A great explanation of how the creators got Chris Evans to look skinny and why they did it the way they did. There are only two illustrations, but the focus is on the technology.

Behind the Skull 
This feature talks about how they brought the character of the Red Skull to life. Artists Ryan Meinerding and Charlie Wen take about the challenge of balancing the anatomical effect of a man with his face burned off while maintaining the classic image of the comic book character. Here are some really nice illustrations in this video. The best on the disk really.

Overall, it's a really good set of disks. The concept art for the Marvel films are some of the best in the business and, besides the lack of a gallery, it's still a good disk to own.




Charlie Wen's website is http://charliewen.typepad.com/ and Ryan Meinerding's is http://boyrobot.com/. Both guy's are pretty busy, so Wen's site hasn't been updated since 2010 and Meinerding's blog domain has lapsed. Just go to Marvel.com to see their stuff.

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Arek CaptainAmerica, Charles Wen, Michael Kutsche, review, Ryan_Meinerding