Stars:
Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor, Michelle Ang, and Marton Csokas
Writer:
R.J. Stewart
Based
On A Story By: Rob Tapert and R.J. Stewart
Executive
Producers: Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi, and R.J. Stewart
Director:
Rob Tapert
Feature
length: 100 minutes
Extras:
Feature Length Audio Commentary With Director Rob Tapert, Lucy Lawless, and
Renee O’Connor, Behind-The-Scenes Featurette, Series Finale Photo Gallery,
Xena Screen Saver
Languages:
English Stereo
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 13
Sound:
Stereo Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: USA Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
While
in other countries entire seasons have been made available in DVD box sets, in
America there has not been much in relation to “Xena” on DVD aside for some
early Universal releases featuring the character and Hercules. However fans of
the series in America have been treated to a Director’s Cut of the series
finale entitled “A Friend In Need.”
In
a story that takes our traveling companions across the boundaries of life,
death, and the afterlife, Xena and her soul mate Gabrielle are called to Japan
where Xena must defeat a soul swallowing demon and make amends for a tragedy she
caused some 25 years earlier. The series finale is bittersweet and yet it is
quite entertaining with the trademark action, effects, and humor that made the
show a worldwide hit.
USA
Home Entertainment presents “Xena: Warrior Princess: Series Finale:
Director’s Cut: A Friend In Need” in the (1.33:1) aspect ratio of the
American television broadcast. I read that later seasons of “Xena” were shot
(1.85:1) for high definition broadcasts, but there is no explanation if this is
true why the finale was not presented in a widescreen aspect ratio for the DVD.
The picture is a bit dark with some subtle grain, which is a bit of a
disappointment since there are films and television programs that are older that
do look better on DVD. Overall, I suppose this is as good as it gets on home
video for the series finale of “Xena,” but I hope if there are any future
DVD releases of “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” or “Xena: Warrior
Princess,” the transfers will look sharper. The DVD features a high fidelity
English Stereo Soundtrack that is quite dynamic with a nice surround feel.
English Closed Captions are encoded on to the DVD as well. The DVD is dual
layered with the layer change occurring after the first 55-minutes.
Stars
Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor and Director Rob Tapert, who also married Lucy
Lawless over the course of the series, participate in a conversational and
screen specific feature length audio commentary track. Tapert explains how this
cut restores 15-minutes that were never shown on American broadcast television
because of commercial breaks and how he felt bringing the series to Japan would
bring the series full circle with Xena’s sacrifice and redemption along with a
visual homage to “Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn” as well as Asian cinema. He
also informs viewers who may not be familiar with the series exactly what scenes
are edited back into this version and why they were cut if it was not because of
time constraints. Lawless and O’Connor reveal how throughout the series the
question of Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship being more than friends had
always been left unsaid in such a way so the audience could wonder, but in the
finale although the characters do not go out and say it, it is pretty obvious
that Xena and Gabrielle were lovers and Xena had other female lovers before she
met Gabrielle so there you have it.
There
is a 30-minute videotaped behind-the-scenes look at the making of the finale
narrated by the documentary Writer and Director Sharon Delaney for Creation
Entertainment. A still gallery and a Xena and Gabrielle screensaver for both
Macintosh and Windows PCs equipped with a DVD-ROM player wrap up the extra
features on this DVD.
There
is an insert with series finale trivia within the DVD keep case as well. The
menus feature full motion scene selections and animated transitions and all of
the interactive menus are easy to navigate.
“Xena: Warrior Princess: Series Finale: Director’s Cut: A Friend In
Need” is available on DVD-Video now from USA Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.