Forrest Gump (2 Disc Set) (UK)

this is paramount`s first major 2-disc set,i like the movie so
instead of buying it ,i rented it from by local blockbuster,the
movie is good,i thought the picture was alright,the sound was
again ok but as all things from paramount go the extras were
not as good as i had thought they would be,the commentry`s
were alright and the making of`s were insightfull but there was
no need for a second disc the film isn`t that long any way,i think the package in whole is very insightful.

When Forrest Gump was first being advertised I thought it looked like another hilarious comedy from Tom Hanks, what I got was something else. This movie was not only had the brilliant comedy we expect from hanks but it also had the emotion and drama we see in Phillidephia.

Hanks certainly had his greatest performance in one of the best movies of all time. I doubt he`ll ever beat this performance, even the brilliant Cast Away pails in comparison to this movie.

The features on the DVD are brilliant. If your a fan of this movie you`ll love them, if your not then I`m sure they won`t interest you. The Robin Wright screen test and the three kids tests are all excelent althought it would be nice to see some of the comments they received from the casting panel.

The commenteries are good but a bit basic in places and they could have done with a commentery with Hanks and Zemekis talking to each other...

The picture and sound also look great, but then I`ve got a very basic system with no Surround or Widescreen.

10/10 for the Brilliant Movie, 9/10 for the features

Introduction
Forrest Gump - well what can you say. An unlikely story to turn into a movie.
The Plot
Its an engaging story of a low IQ main character who not only survives but thrives somewhat against the odds. That may sound rather sickly but its actually done very well.

He survives by doing whatever he is doing to the best of his abilities and by sticking at it. He excells at American Football by running like a demon for the line and not always stopping there! He survives the Army by doing what he`s told. He becomes a champion ping-pong player by practice, practice, practice.
The Cast
Tom Hanks plays the part very well and is supported by an excellent cast too.
The Visuals/Audio
Audio and visual are fine, I noticed nothing particularly good or bad about them.
The Extras
I haven`t listened to the commentarys yet, so can`t comment on them (hey - sometimes its hard to find that amount of time in a block!).
The 2nd disk has some interesting stuff on.

The screen tests are interesting - mostly I found because they sort of break through the actor/character barrier. It also shows how good the stuff in the film is - you forget how young some of the actors are.

The featurettes are all quite interesting, some more than others. I found it sort of interesting after having seen other more recent special effects just how quickly the area of digital compositing is moving on. They had a number of issues mixing old 16mm film with current tehcnology. Issues which seem to have been easily solved in more recent films.

Call me dumb, but I thought they had played the Lt. Dann character as an actor without legs, and digitally given him legs as most of his on screen time was without legs, rather than the other way around. It was interesting to see how they removed them here.

Make up and sound features are ok - given how this isn`t the most intersting of topics for the average person (me included).
Summary
A good film, worthy of its accumulated awards. The DVD is a good package too.

What everyone referred to as "a masterpiece of a movie", turned out to be a harmless (and occasionally beautiful) little gem. Nothing more, though.
Hanks succeeds, despite being his usual obnoxious self, in portraying an "all American hero".
The video transfer is very good. There aren`t any compression signs and the saturation level is satisfying. While the movie does not boast with explosive effects, the subtly of some of the special effects is remarkable. While some of the effects don`t look that real, it doesn`t have a significant effect on the movie itself.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is very good. The surrounds are nicely used throughout the movie.
The menus are beautifully animated with sound.
The extras include 2 commentaries, a picture gallery, a 30-minute behind the scenes featurette, extensive explanations about the effects, 2 deleted scenes, and several screen tests.
Bottom line - this is the very first time I saw the movie. It`s a beautifully made nostalgic movie, but it`s not the masterpiece everyone had made me think it`d be. Still, it`s presented in a beautiful 2-disc set.