#3 - Oldboy Limited Edition Tin

Once in a while a DVD set will come around with the perfect combination of quality and thoughtful packaging with an excellent film appreciated by a wide audience. The Oldboy Limited Edition Tin, released by Tartan Asia Extreme Video, is just that item.

The set comes sealed in a thicker plastic wrap than the usual keepcase size DVD and the seems are easily separated, however, can with withstand general care on a shelf with minimal handling. Once opened, you will encounter the sleeve, made from sturdy white card stock, with all the details of the tin, a write-up on the back with film credits and a shadowed image of the lead character, Oh Dae-Su and his hammer. Once the sleeve is removed, the shiny, glossy tin is revealed that is pretty to look at. The letters of the word 'OLDBOY' is embossed, both on the cover and on the sides with a soft sepia color that suggests the maturity of both the film, and the designers of the package (although I initially got the impression of militaristic rather than what the film eventually becomes - my suprise!). The cover on the tin shows the fight scene of Oh Dae-Su about to fight a gang of people in high contrast suggesting the quality of the film.

Now here is the fun part - when you actually open up the tin box. You are first greeted by the Old Boy manga comic, published by Dark Horse Comics. The 210-page comic is printed especially for this set, as stated on the back cover. On your left, beneath the hood is the Oldboy DVD contents. It is not printed right on the tin, but a laid-in sheet of card securely glued down which looks very nice and clean. Following the comic is the 35mm film clip (click on photo to view larger image). From previous reports, there appears to be various different clips from the film that come with the set. It may be they cut up an actual print for the sets, where each set got like 3 frames worth. I have not seen any redundancy in the film images.

Lastly the DVD's them selves each come in their own slimline cardboard cases, each with a darkened color theme with a shadowed image of a different character from the film, and then numbered "one", "two" and "three". I will not go into detail about the contents of the DVDs, however, I will sum up by saying that you will know quite abit about the film when you are done watching all the special features. Although, a nice feature is that there are 3 different commentaries to choose from. Overall, from the amount of special features compiled on these three DVD's, it is quite evident that, not just the filmmakers, but also the actors are highly invested in this film and have found it to be a truly remarkable film. In Sum For a moment, put aside all the nice packaging and watch the film. You will have a higher appreciation for the tin set. There is no special reason why it is in a tin or any token item like a mini hammer that accompanies the set, and maybe thats a good thing as it might cheapen the set, but its a good tin set. I cant deny, it is a great package. The tin itself is printed nicely, is of a sturdy quality, although some have stated the tin to be a little thin and have found many dented copies - which is likely to be the case with metal cases that are not cared for. And this may effect pricing in the future for these sets on whether the set is "pristine" or "dented and scratched".

I like the comic book that comes with it, I like that they packaged the DVD's into individual pieces rather than some wrap-around set. I like the individual film cells that are placed into a card holder describing the film (although the print that surrounds the film cell is, understandably, the same for all sets). I really like that they did not leave the back of the cover blank, but put the DVD contents there. The graphics are professional, well thought out, mysterious and consistent throughout the set.

The only drawback to the set that I can think of is that there is enough produced to satiate mostly everyone that is interested in it, and that the film is released as a single-disc for those that do not want to pay the $39.99 SRP. Tartan is no longer a small independent company, but the leading brand of modern Asian cinema. Their series "Asia Extreme" has brought to light many films to the US that do not get theatrical releases, and with the general popularity of Asian culture in the US right now, starting with manga comics and anime-style animation, these films have a perfect niche for this community. Oldboy might just be the film to break the gap into a wider audience awareness. And so, with that, I would expect there to be more than what is perceived to be out there in terms of number of tin copies. It is still relatively new on the OOP market, but there is still plenty left to go around. These are not numbered, so quantity is up for debate. What might be somewhat of a disappointment to some is the comic that comes with it is only Volume 1 of which it appears to be a continuing story. Also the comic tells somewhat of a different tale, more detailed, however, the film needs to resolve with or without the comic. On the other hand you are given another inclusion into, what might be, a larger world of Oldboy.

Conclusion

In my own humble opinion, it is rare that I find special features, like behind-the-scenes, either satisfying or entertaining. By and large Oldboy does not rise above this, but only to say that they are not propagandist versions of the entire crew patting each other on the back. They are, however, quite lengthy interviews and video journals showing the film being made, discussions on inspirations of the story or some of the work that went into making the film. Yet, they did not put these in the set for me, but for the group of people that have found the world of Oldboy completely mesmerizing and have immersed themselves in that world. The film comes from a comic book, which appears more involved than the film could allow. With that said, it is an excellent set and a definite must for the collector. With the few negative remarks about the set, I have to say that, overall, the set is really well done, and for a film that can be watched multiple times with new surprises at each viewing. Although officially discontinued at the moment, it is not a difficult set to find in any market. Right now is probably the best time to get one while the prices are reasonable, but I would not expect that to remain. It is one of those sets that will have maintained collectible status despite the single-disc release. Word of mouth is great and this film is creating new fans everyday, and if they missed this opportunity now, then you will see the true potential of this collector's item.

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