Saw II: Special Edition DVD

Just in time for the theatrical release of Saw III, we've got Saw II on disc. No, you're not suffering from déjà vu — Saw II was released on DVD once already this year.

Unless you are the biggest diehard fan of Jigsaw ever, it's probably not worth revisiting, but if you somehow missed the first go-round, this second issue is well worth a look. First of all, the hologram-style packaging is really cool. Secondly, you get two discs for the price of one, each jammed with a whole lot of new additional release material. (In addition to some previously-released stuff.)

Here's what you can expect:

Commentary by director Darren Lynn Bousman, production designer David Hackl, and editor Kevin Greutert — This is a different director commentary than what was on the first disc, though it was difficult for me to tell if it was recorded at the same time. It's nice that all three speakers were in the same room, as the dialogue flows easily. While the trio does joke around a lot and offers up the flubs and continuity errors with likeable self-deprecation, this track is more technical. It's not-so-knee-slapping stories like the one about how a seam in a wall was digitized out, that makes this track dry and ultimately tedious.

Commentary by writer/executive producer Leigh Whannell and executive producer James Wan — Here's the yak track for the more casual fan of the Saw movies (and horror movies in general). It's seldom technical, almost always anecdotal, and is truly informative. It was interesting for me to learn how the "traps" were sort of an afterthought in the first movie, and why they snowballed into being one of the most important things in the sequel. The playful duo jokes about the actor who played the hero, Donnie Wahlberg; they explain how Billy made the transformation from a homemade doll to a $10,000 animatronic film prop; and much more.

The Scott Tibbs Documentary featurette — I seldom enjoy horror movies about ill-fated documentary film crews (Cannibal Holocaust, Blair Witch Project, Prison of the Psychotic Damned, The Manson Family) so I guess you could say I like mocumentaries about documentary filmmakers following horror icons even less. This might be fun idea for some, but I found it contrived and poorly acted.

The Making of Saw II featurette — This a truly engaging look inside the Saw phenomenon, and how intricate each set-up and deadly trap was. The attention to detail is pretty amazing, considering that there is so much in the periphery that the audience will never actually see in the finished product.