OTHER TECH

Ever wonder why mediocre titles like The Scorpion King 2, Scooby Doo, and Happily N'Ever After are available on Blu-ray while classic blockbusters, beloved series, and your favorite films of all time can only be found on DVD? You might be surprised to learn it has little to do with what consumers want.

One of the trickiest aspects of managing a home-video production studio is determining when particular titles will be released, deciding the level of investment each one deserves, and attempting to predict how successful any particular release will be when it hits store shelves. When it comes to the well-established DVD market, the major studios have been following similar patterns for years. But in the uncharted territory of the still-evolving Blu-ray industry, studios are taking wildly different paths in the hope that theirs will prove to be the most successful.

When it comes to title selection, studios like Disney, Lionsgate, and Dreamworks tend to be cautious, delivering a slow but steady stream of new releases and safe catalog bets, while studios like Sony and Warner Brothers are flooding the market with diverse classics, niche titles, and other assorted goodies. Likewise, Lucasfilm and Fox are holding back fan-favorites until Blu-ray is a more viable platform, while Warner and Paramount have boldly released major titles like The Matrix Trilogy and The Godfather Collection.

So as we drew to the close of a banner Blu-ray year, I asked myself: What films should have been released? What titles would have increased overall disc sales? But most importantly, what releases would have convinced more DVD owners to pony up the extra cash, take full advantage of their HDTV, and buy a Blu-ray player? I answered myself with these ten titles:

10. Alien Quadrology

Director Ridley Scott gave us one of the most frightening films of all time. Self-proclaimed king-of-the-world James Cameron took the torch and delivered one of the most intense and thrilling actioners of all time. Despite startling tonal differences, Alien and Aliens are perhaps the finest horror/sci-fi masterpieces I've ever had the pleasure of watching again and again. Once you ignore the maligned Alien 3 and look past the bizarre fourth entry in the series, is there any doubt the Alien saga would bring enormous attention to the Blu-ray format? The four films bring four very different experiences to the table, a considerable cult following, and enough visual and sonic atmosphere to make for an incredible high-def presentation.

So where are they? No offense to fans of Richard Donner's horror classic, The Omen, but Fox's decision to release a foursome like The Omen Collection is disappointing when a money-maker like The Alien Quadrology would be a far more obvious, lucrative, and advantageous Blu-ray release. Since the DVD edition was already packed to the brim with fantastic supplemental features, an Alien BD box set would allow the studio to deliver exciting exclusives that would surely catch the attention of DVD owners this holiday season. Alas, tougher fanbase expectations, higher overhead costs for meeting those expectations (particularly in creating new, exclusive features for those same demanding fans), and more expensive licensing fees have probably all contributed to the Alien Quadrology's absence. Hopefully, Fox will overcome these obstacles and be more prepared to pick my pocket in 2009.

9. Jurassic Park

There's an abandoned movie theater in Western Maryland that used to sell tickets for a dollar. It was there that I proudly spent sixteen bucks on Jurassic Park, a film forever entrenched in the minds of millions around the world. Apparently, I wasn't the only one dumping plenty of cash into Spielberg's pockets. Adjusted for inflation, the director's prehistoric cautionary tale earned approximately $1.5 billion in worldwide theatrical sales and quickly expanded its following; first on VHS and eventually on DVD. It also remains unrivaled in its genre. Can you name any other films dinosaurs in the last ten years that have featured? Didn't think so. Jurassic Park remains the go-to dinosaur adventure film. More importantly, despite a decade of CG advancements, the film's raptors and T-Rex still hold up to close scrutiny.

Now just imagine how good they'd look in high definition. Distribution rights are owned by Universal Studios (and Spielberg who's never been quick to sign-off on new releases of his films) and they have yet to announce any Blu-ray release plans. The lack of a high-def edition may seem odd considering the studio spent so much time and money in 2007 on mediocre titles like Doom, Bulletproof, and The Watcher. But even a bit of casual research reveals the likely reason Jurassic Park hasn't lumbered onto the market yet: A little film called Jurassic Park IV is currently in production and tentatively scheduled for a 2010 release. It doesn't take a marketing degree to figure out the most likely reason Universal continues to sidestep such a major catalog title. Promotional opportunities aside, a remastered 1080p release of Jurassic Park would sell like mad and draw new consumers to the high-def market.