A somewhat disappointing DVD release, MGM/UA's The Princess Bride provides nothing extra beyond a theatrical trailer -- no commentary, no featurettes, not even cast and crew biography pages. The film is presented in both widescreen (1.85:1 letterboxed, non-anamorphic) and full-frame formats. The image is nice and clear, with beautiful, vivid colors and no evidence of artifacts such as shimmering or edge enhancement. There is some slight indication of grain and a touch of softness from time to time, which may be more indicative of the age of the film than the quality of the transfer. The print used for the transfer also has some very infrequent speckles and marks, but overall the transfer is quite watchable. The English audio track is presented as Dolby 5.1, though this seems to be little more than a simple transfer of the original Dolby Surround mix, rather than a remix, and as such it is fairly ordinary. Surrounds are hardly called into play, and most of the directional work in the front is in Mark Knopfler's music. Dialogue ranges from clear to somewhat muddy, depending on scene and actor. There is also a Spanish audio track, in mono. This has a terribly compressed sound to it, with brittle-sounding dialogue recording, a variable voice cast, and highly inadequate matching. Subtitles are available in French and Spanish. The trailer is presented full-screen, and mastered from a very bad print. The main DVD menu is animated, with music. There are rumors of an improved edition of this disc, but for now this will have to do.

Muppet movies are perennial family favorites, and there is the usual large helping of good-natured fun in Tim Hill's Muppets From Space. Columbia TriStar has taken full advantage of the DVD medium with this disc, which has a great deal to recommend it. The anamorphic transfer of the film is as good as one could wish for, with the colorful visuals expected from a Muppet movie rendered gloriously. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track is also of high quality, and all the music and dialogue is crisp and clear. The bonus materials on the disc include both the original theatrical trailer and the teaser trailer, in addition to trailers for some other family films. Also included are some brief talent profiles, an enjoyable music video ("Shining Star" by the Dust Brothers featuring Jeymes), and an amusing selection of outtakes. By far the best extra feature is a live video commentary (similar in style to the feature on the Ghostbusters DVD) with director Hill and Gonzo, Rizzo and, briefly, Kermit. Though it offers absolutely no insight whatsoever, it is one of the funniest commentaries ever made for DVD, and in many ways the equal of the film itself in terms of sheer entertainment. In fact Columbia TriStar's disc is a triumph in every respect, and is probably essential for any fan of the Muppets.