Adjustment Bureau Blazes to DVD

119 Days from Theater Debut to Home Debut

I’ll freely admit that I can be really oblivious.  I had never even heard of Matt Damon’s new film The Adjustment Bureau before my daughter announced she was going to see it.  At that point I looked for a summary and the rating, decided it was fine for her to go and that she would likely be bored silly.  Turns out she thought it was great.  Turns out she might be the only one who saw it.

Damon and Emily Blunt star as a pair of lovers being deliberately kept apart by strangers belonging to something called…The Adjustment Bureau.  Apparently in order to be together the two must battle Fate or accept that their love is not meant to be.  Action and romance ensue.

On June 21st, just 119 days after its theatrical debut, The Adjustment Bureau will hit the DVD market.  Having grossed about $10 million over budget to date it looks like Universal is hoping to gain some ground with a big DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack filled with extra goodies.  They do look like prime goodies, too:

Deleted and extended scenes. Okay, but nothing special.  Deleted and extended scenes are, for the most part, deleted or edited for good reason.

Leaping Through New York. A detailed look at an action sequence.  Damon, director George Nolfi, a couple of producers and the special effects coordinator weigh in on the making of a chase through the streets of NYC.  I like these featurettes – it’s fun to see a dissection of an action sequence and it always makes me appreciate the technical prowess that is involved in even the most basic scenes.

Destined To Be. Damon expounds on the experience of his first real romantic leading man role.  This one surprised me, but looking at his filmography, even the movies where he is romantically entangled are primarily about something else.  Then again, The Adjustment Bureau looks like it has the familiar elements of action trumping romance.  Of course, I haven’t seen the movie yet, which probably puts the filmmaker in a better position to judge…

Becoming Elise. A featurette with co-star Emily Blunt on preparing for her role.  I’m okay with that.

Commentary with writer/director George Nolfi. I never watch commentary unless it’s on a 1/2 hour sitcom and features funny people.  Like most of the world I don’t have the time or the motivation to sit through movies twice unless I’m guaranteed some raunchy humor.  I wish they would stop touting commentary over the film as a great DVD extra.

The Labyrinth of Doors: Interactive Map of New York. For those of you getting the DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack you can also look for a digital copy of the film and some exclusive extras for your Blu-Ray player and various portable internet devices, including this one that takes you on a journey through NYC with little featurettes about the filming locations.  This is of no use to me for I have neither a Blu-Ray player or any portable internet devices.  I know I’m a dinosaur but why would I want to watch movies on a tiny little screen?  I bought a big TV for that.  I see kids watching movies on their iPods and it gives me a headache and makes me want to shake my walker at them and tell them how things were in the old days when we had to carry around our Walkmans and talk to other people on the phone.  Or in person.  And we liked it!  But even I have to admit that this looks pretty cool.

So why the rush to DVD?  Who knows?  The world of theater vs. DVD vs. On Demand vs. Netflix vs. etc., etc., etc. has stretched and turned the “rules” about how long it takes a movie to reach your home after it ends its theatrical run.  Some movies take a second round through the discounted theaters before hitting the home market, some are run on TV before hitting theaters and much later DVD.  Some leap from HBO to DVD in one big bound.  It’s a crazy world, kids, and that’s why I’m here to let you know when good stuff shows up at unexpected times. 

Sue Millinocket

Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills  She is the Editorial Director at Silver Beacon Marketing and an aspiring Crazy Cat Lady.