About this time last year, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment promised a fully loaded special edition version of The 6th Day. Fans might recall that nearly at the last minute, the DVD of The 6th Day was announced to be a stripped down, bare-bones release instead. The film did not do huge box office numbers, but I clearly can remember the number of complaints surfacing on the DVD newsgroups, forums, and to our incoming email mailbox. Evidently fans wanted the special edition with all the extras, especially since the rest of the world got them as promised. Now, almost full year later, Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment has brought us the two disc set they originally promised.
The 6th Day is presented in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen, and the transfer appears to be the exact same one as appeared on the original release. Check out our review of that release here to get all the details on how good this transfer looks. It was great looking back then and still is. The same rocking Dolby Digital 5.1 track is here again as well.
Extras, extras, and more extras, that is why you are reading about this DVD so let's get on with it. Located on the first disc is the same commentary track from composer Trevor Rabin that was included with the first release. The commentary is mixed in with an isolated 5.1 music score track. A little bit odd, but interesting none the less. Flip in disc 2 and prepare for all the goodies that were to be included so long ago. First up is The Future is Coming, an exclusive Showtime special runs over 15 minutes. This is really a promotional fluff piece, with included film shots and cast & crew interviews.
The much more interesting and enjoyable feature is On the 6th Day, which is comprised of nine short featurettes that each take a look at specific production aspects. They are as follows: Another Way To Fly, which focuses on the CGI helicopters; Find Sim Pal Cindy, which takes a look at the Cindy animatronic doll that Arnold purchases in the film; The Art Of The Chase, focusing on the stunt sequences used in the car chases; Over The Cliff, here is where the car drop by waterfall is detailed; Virtual Girlfriend, the most fun aspect of the future The 6th Day shows us; In The Tank, which details the tank that houses the early stage clones was manufactured; Free Falling, another stunt work profile; Detonation, dealing with the pyrotechnics for the many on-screen explosions; and lastly Enhancing The Look, which shows us what all went into play for the special effects that made the film work as a whole. This is a very extensive look into the film The 6th Day. Nearly every aspect of effects work is covered in great detail.
This is a second disc, so bring on more features. Storyboard comparisons are also available which detail the more complex special effects shots included the car chase, the helicopter crash, and the cloning tanks. Two RePet commercials are also included. One is a short infomercial running about two and a half minutes, while the other is the tv spot seen in the film. A section of animatics details storyboard combined with computer composites. Filmographies for the principle cast and several Columbia trailers help round out the disc. Spiderman is one of these, which is a nice plus indeed.
Columbia Tristar finally delivered the goods as promised. This is a very nice two disc set, with an abundance of production features that offer some genuine insight into what it took to get this film made. If you held off on getting the previous DVD release, then get the new release. It is a highly recommended film and DVD for fans of action, sci-fi, or Schwarzenegger films in general.
