Xanadu - Magical Musical Edition (With Complete Soundtrack CD)

Well, I was a bit skeptical about this release. I mean, how much money are you going to throw at the remastering of a film that was critically reviled and a box office bomb? The answer is: Not much. Still, I think they did a good job with what they could afford. The picture quality is an improvement over the version released in 1999. The images aren't as low-contrast and there isn't as much dirt on the print. The image quality is still a bit soft, but I attribute some of that to the quality of film stock they used when they filmed it.

This is where it gets tricky-- the soundtrack on the previous version was a bit of a mess. The music sounded ultra-compressed and muddy at times. Other times, it sounded great. The worst offender was the first number, "I'm Alive". For whatever reason, this song never sounded as good in the film as it did on the soundtrack. I'm not exactly sure why that is. I am pleased to announce that the mix is fairly well improved. It still sounds a bit squashed but the lows boom without being overbearing and the highs sparkle. "All Over the World" has a bizarre sound mix where the back up vocals are largely relegated to the back of the mix and are barely audible at times. If you know this song, you'll notice that they are missing. Also blended back are some of the instruments in Olivia's "Suspended in Time" number. It's interesting to compare the 5.1 mix to the French 2-track mix, which is also an entirely different mix. In that mix, some of the background vocals are mixed way up front and some of the harmony lines are more present in tracks like "Don't Walk Away".

The trailer attached to this is the same one as in the previous release. They didn't clean this up at all and, for what it's worth, it's no surprise that no one came to this film. It's a terrible trailer!!!

The high point of the DVD is the mini-doco. There are confessions, revelations and grumbles as well as a bit of celebration and appreciation for the film that won't die. Olivia Newton-John and Michael Beck are sadly absent from this but there are a few dancers, the production crew and Gene Kelly's widow present to help you understand why this movie failed but also succeeded in the afterlife of video rental and late night cable.

One other bit they attached to this is a little photo gallery. The frame isn't very big so most of the pictures are smaller than you'd like. It's still nice to see some production photos and some never-before seen shots from the film.

Lastly, the packaging is embarrassing. I wish that it wasn't quite so tacky. The original release sported a reprint of the original movie poster. It wasn't the most eye-catching packaging but at least it was authentic. The bonus CD is exactly the same disc that was remastered and released on MCA records a few years ago. Not to take away from the Amazon bundle that's currently being hawked, but there's no reason for you to buy the soundtrack in addition to this release. It's already included.

All in all, it's a nifty little re-release. If you are a fan of the film or a fan of the "spec-tacky-lar" musical numbers, I'd totally recommend getting this edition.

Great movie and I love the music and the clothes. It is a must to have. It will get you up and moveing. It is a feel good movie.

Fact: Most colorful musical ever made.
Fact: Worst male lead actor ever chosen by man. (No, not Gene, the OTHER guy.)
Fact: Some of the best pop music ever written OR performed. *ONJ & ELO are probably why we all know what acronyms are.
Fact: This movie is so good it allows for the worst male lead probably ever seen on film, the silliest script ever written and the most profound misuse of classic poetry ever portrayed by Hollywood. The movie does not fail, it endures and entertains beautifully.
Fact: ONJ charmed my young adulthood with an idea of what magic could mean. The music, the colors, the sweetness of this film make it worth watching alone.
Fact: You should give it a go to watch it. It feels like Grease and Two of a Kind... yep... has that feel but prettier and every bit as good of a musical score as them both.
Speaking for myself... this is a movie I will be watching every so often for the rest of my life and I can't say that about more than around five other flicks.

It looks a lot brighter and defined than the previous. They got rid of most of the celliod scratches that made the movie look dated. The "Going Back To Xanadu" documentary was a great treat after all these years! The reason they didn't include the numbers everyone seems to be whining about is probably because they didn't want to ruin it. The continuity of one of the greatest soundtracks of all time should not be tampered with. The album flows better without them. You can download the missing songs from YouTube. I put them on my Ipod. I am very satisfied with the crisp and clear sound of the 5.1 upgrade. It is certainly worth buying over. Border's has a new release sale right now at $13.99. The soundtrack alone is worth more than that!

I had already bought the original XANADU on DVD and I also had the original soundtrack, as well. When I saw that the DVD was going to include a complete Soundtrack from the movie I thought, finally, the complete soundtrack is being released. Wrong. The Complete Xanadu number is the same as the one on the original. Just the song Xanadu. There were several numbers by Olivia Newton-John in the movie right before the Xanadu number. The box itself states that the Cd is the full complete soundtrack from the movie. But we were misled again. I don't understand why these companies do this. You know later on they will release it again with the complete soundtrack and then we will have to pay for it all over again.