Bitingly and bitterly funny, Slap Shot has amassed a fervent cult following since its initial 1977 release and received one of the better early DVD releases. This 25th Anniversary Special Edition improves on that earlier edition with a remastered widescreen transfer and a number of worthy DVD extras. The image quality was already high on the previous release, but the source print has been remastered and cleaned up further without artificially brightening or perverting Victor J. Kemper's muted and dour cinematography. The Dolby Digital audio track has actually been improved upon more than the visual track and now sounds less compressed if played through a stereo system (while the two versions seem identical if played through a TV set). Real-life hockey players the Hanson brothers are fan favorites and they contribute the entertaining and often very funny audio commentary track even if it often deals more with their own experiences in hockey than the making of the movie. While in some ways a precursor to the type of rude, shocking comedies the Farrelly brothers are now famous for, the makers of Slap Shot knew that the reality of hockey and even of life in a dying town can be funnier than wild fiction. The Hanson brothers' commentary track and the disc's other highlights featuring their real life exploits bear this out. Slap Shot is one of the best sports movies ever made because it always aims for the truth rather than the legend. This 25th Anniversary Edition DVD is also being sold in a slip cased edition along with Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice, but that straight-to-video sequel doesn't hold a candle to the original.