Throughout the years that DVD's have existed there was the collector. And for the collector was the prized Limited Edition. These were usually designed in special packaging or had other features not available anywhere else. But the term "limited" implied that there was a certain amount made and afterwards there was no more to be found. Some limited editions, however, failed from the start. Either because they sucked or because the studios were deceitful in what they determined as "limited". Here is my list of Limited Editions that have Failed because they plain old suck or, lets face it, they just arn't limited.

This set which has both JURASSIC PARK and its sequel THE LOST WORLD. While Spielberg's moder classics are definitely great films, this set seemed too large for most collector's shelves and it did not offer much anything else besides some postcards and a certificate.  Why this set fails is because it was released in the year 2000. Here in 2010, it is still available and at a cheap cost!

About 6 months before the release of Peter Jackson's big film KING KONG back in 2005. To this day you can still find these hanging around. The real Fail of this set was that it was a set based solely on the hype of the film and the studio's unabashed ability to cash in on it. While these were numbered, there was nothing very interesting in this set, especially since a lot of it was available on the website. Amazon still maintains the price of $33.99 for a new set, but 3rd party sellers are roughing it at $6.00. 

Christopher Nolan's modern noir thriller where everything is reversed, MOMENTO was put into a Limited Edition back in 2000. Still available in this two-pack set. This was not numbered, so this was a pending limited edition for about 10 years!! Why this set Fails is because it was more available than the regular release and prices are cheap! This set is, perhaps, the premeir Liaf!

This Limited Edition came in a tin with a single disc with a few extra features. This set Failed on every level possible. Besides the enourmous print run, no numbered edition, the tin itself is this little piece of...well...tin! And thats what it feels like you are getting. The special features are minimal and are not original. What ends up being just packaged hype finds itself a turd in the world of Limited Editions. Prices are cheap and used copies are even cheaper. Total Fail!

 Many cult films lay in the dark waiting for their day to see the light of digital and in 2003, Blue Underground was their savior. Re-releasing many of the earlier Anchor Bay titles, they also brought their own titles to the game and gave them the special Limited Edition treatment. While these are nice releases unto their own, for the most part, there was little or special interest to them. One of them is the CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION. A Limited Edition set of around 20,000 numbered units. Despite good reviews for the treatment of the films, little interest remained as this set flows into the 100,000 mark in sales rank on Amazon and that it has been around 7 years since its release. Its hard to justify the term "limited" in that kind of a time span, especially when each title is available individually, so there is nothing especially unique about it.. While I love BU and their releases, this set is a total Bloody Fail!

  On the heels of one of the most popular films of the decade, SPIDER-MAN had a highly anticipated DVD release. And Sony made up with this by releasing a special Limited Edition. A great film; a popular film; a limited edition - what could go wrong? Well, everything on this one. Perhaps the worst Limited Edition available. Released back in 2002, this Limited Edition has been available ever since. This set came in a cardboard box with a mini poster, postcards, and a replica comic of the first appearance of the web slinger. This set never seemed to go out of print and with regular copies being released in single-disc, double disc, boxed with Spidey 2 and 3 and in various double and triple features, this movie seemed more abundant than corn. Spidey was a success in the box office, but this DVD set is a definite Fail!

 When Warner Brothers announced that it was releasing the BLADE RUNNER work print in a huge marketing campaign, the repercussions were not as well known then as they are now. The release came in a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 disc set and then was the Atache case which included the 5-disc set among other little goodies. This last set was a Limited Edition of something around 164,000 copies divided among SD, HD-DVD and BD. The HD-DVD is now defunct and generally worthless, while the BD remains the most collectible. However, the SD version has the most version but does not seem a special interest among collectors, only 2 years after its release. Release December of 2007, copies are below $40.00, more than half the MSRP. Blade Runner Atache Case is a Fail because of its large edition released, among the other variations released at the same time to instantly saturate something that could have been more unique.

 One of the larger Limited Editions to come along is the monstrous KING KONG DELUXE EDITION LIMITED EDITION SET. Inside this comes with the 3-disc Extended Edition of King Kong (many of who believe the film is long as it is), and also some sort of book end of Kong on top of the Chrysler or Empire State Building. While nice to look at, this set reaped a heavy price tag for something that seemed unworthy of its cost. Its not a bad set, but because of the cost, it was left more as a display item in stores than anyone is willing to show off in their personal collection. So, in sum, this is a definite King Fail!

Some of you might be surprised by this pick, but lets face it, some Limited Editions are destined to Fail from the time of their release. The Dark Knight is one such movie that a comapny like Warner Brothers is too eager to share with the public, especially when its star dies during production and is then one of the highest grossing films of all time, receives Oscar Awards and is rated one of the best films of all time. Putting out something called a Limited Edition for such a film basically means, it needs to supply at least half of its fan base - some 1 billion of them? So the DARK KNIGHT BLU-RAY gets a special release with LIMITED EDITION BATPOD. The pre-release photos looked great, but upon the release, it was a bit of a disappointment. A small little image thing sitting on a plaque-like stand with the DVDs resting inside some case, untraditional of a standard keep case. Released a little more than a year ago, I have seen this on sale for $20 bucks at Blockbusters and Fry's, each with many copies! So, this title definitely gets a big Fail!

There are certainly more LE's that have failed in the past. I chose the ones that have stood out for me in the time I have explored the world of DVDs. Limited Editions are tenuous in their definition and studios know how to market them. Sometimes titles are limited under other names like "Collector's Edition" or placed in special cases like Steelbooks or with Lenticular covers. But anything that gets attention from the buying public will suddenly increase quantities to saturated amounts, effectively killing its novelty. As it stands, a good movie is still the bottom line for any DVD, regardless of special features, limited or collectible items, or cool packaging.