Jackie Chan - My Stunts

DVD Released by : Mega Star

Player reviewed with : Malata DVD-N996

Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925

Features:

Interactive Menus

Scene Access

Trailer

English or Mandarin Soundtracks

English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Bahasa Malaysia, Vietnamese, and Thai Subtitles

Dolby Digital

Jackie Chan : My Stunts is a made for TV special that shows some of the tricks of the trade that Jackie and his stunt team utilize to perform their stunts. This is not an endless gag reel of stunts gone wrong, but an in depth look at how timing and camera placement can make or break a shot. Jackie will show you what is done to enhance fights and protect the stuntmen from getting injured. Of course, if the character you are portraying is wearing shorts and a tank top, you just have to get hurt! Even though this is called JACKIE CHAN : MY STUNTS, credit should be given to Jackie's stunt team. They train very hard and Jackie literally trusts them with his life.

There is a choice for English subtitles on the Mandarin side of the DVD but the entire menu is in Chinese. I found it easiest to cycle through the subtitles with the subtitles button when the movie was playing. The subtitles contain very few spelling errors and they are very readable. They stay on screen long enough to read them.

The DVD contains a trailer and a Media Asia promo.

I would definitely recommend this DVD if you are a fan of Jackie Chan or if you like to see how fights and stunts are staged. If you don't like knowing how these things are done, avoid this DVD! If you are interested in making movies, this is a great look at how Jackie gets things done.

If you are a fan of WHO AM I?, you will love the segment on the roof top fight scene. You will see how two doubles and a fake leg can stand in for an actor. Stunts from other movies are explained and you will see how there can be a thousand takes for a 2 second scene.

This DVD contains two versions. There is a Mandarin version on side A and English version on side B. These versions are slightly different. The movie clips are the same but Jackie's introductions were actually filmed twice as opposed to just being dubbed. If you are a completest, you will have to watch both.

Being made for TV, the aspect ratio is 4:3. On the 47 inch screen the picture looks good. The clips from the movies are letterboxed to preserve their framing. There are no complaints about the picture.

The audio is also well done. It is funny seeing sound effects added to some of the fights when you can see form certain angles that they aren't connecting. The sound is in sync and is mixed well.