It was nice to see a Vista Series re-release of this movie, and even nicer to see them put a little extra care into it by updating the packaging and including some extras. A well liked and generally underrated western, this release was a welcome addition to many dvd collections.
Tombstone
comes to us in cardboard slip box, that covers up a quad panel fold
out, 2 dvds, a small booklet, and a reproduction of Wyatt Earps
infamous O.K. Corral showdown map. The
box, and all of the included materials, are printed with a weathered,
old west paper look to them. The cover art is fairly subdued, nothing
flashy. The four main actors of the film are shot standing above
the movie title. Larger, faded headshots of Kurt Russe and Val Kilmer
take up the upper portion of the cover.
The back lists the dvd features, hosts a couple of movie review
quotes, and of course gives us a brief description of the movie.
The
dvd fold out slides out of the box. To ease pulling the dvds out,
the designers of the set included a cut out on the upper right side
of the box, perfect for grabbing the dvds and withdrawing them from
the cardboard cover. The designers also decided to add a bit to
this by creating artwork that makes the tab look like it was shot
out. Very cool, thumbs up to this small extra touch.
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The dvd case is a regular quad panel fold out. When you pull it out, the first image you see is of Wyatt Earp (played by Kurt Russell) with his gun drawn, striking a pose. Opening the dvd case, a nice 2 panel spread is revealed, which shows the movies title in the background, and our heroes riding towards us on their horses. Opening the dvd case entirely, you'll note the far left panel is the only panel that does not store something. A collage of images from the movie decorates the quad spread. The two dvds have images of Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer printed on them. The far right panel has a small slip in it, and resting here are the two extras that come with this set; a small booklet and the recreation of Wyatt Earps map. |
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Let's go over the booklet first! An odd design, it's only comprised of two sheets of paper saddlestitched. However, to include more information, the designers came up with a novel idea. The cover and back are a smaller sheet, while the interior sheet is much wider, allowing it to open into a quad panel. For example, when you open this book, you see a directors note along with an image of the 4 men of the movie. Turn the page, and you see a spread of our heroes again, infront of their hotel/saloon. However you now have two options. You can either turn the page to see a chapter list and some info on the extrs, or you can fold open the center page to create a 4 panel spread which gives you information on the gambling game included in the DVD-Rom aspect of this set. |
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Lastly we have the recreation of the map drawn by Wyatt Earp, which reportedly shows the events, locations, and actions of that fateful day at O.K. Corral. This map is printed on a textured paper, also brown and "weathered" to give it a wild west field. |
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There are two R1 releases for this movie, the first is roughly $8 or so cheaper. Personally, I would go with this Vista release. Not only do you get this packaging (much nicer than a generic snapper), but you also get a 2nd disc of extras, the small booklet, the map, and more audio options (including a DTS track) with the movie. |
Juice's Verdict
Build
Quality: 5
This
is about the same level of quality as the Silverado set. For a non-LE,
the build is good. Standard thick paper for the box and dvd case, it does
it's job but will eventually get dented edges and the usual cardboard
wear and tear.
Content
and Extras: 4
A small little booklet and a map isn't fantastic... it leaves me wanting a bit more.
Overall
Rating: 5
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