40 - Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Ultimate Edition (Artisan)
A vast package with three distinct cuts of the film, T2 makes outstanding use of seamless branching. (Is James Cameron the only one using this miraculous technology?) DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks are but two of the many options on the computer-animated menus.

39 - Pearl Harbor Gift Set (Buena Vista)
Pearl Harbor's spectacular battle sequences, presented in first-rate THX-certified 2.35:1 anamorphic video and DTS/Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, call your home theater to arms. The Dolby Headphone track allows anyone with a headphone jack to enjoy convincing simulated surround. If a two-disc edition is good, three discs must be better: National Geographic adds an educational program that begins where the film ends.

38 - Yellow Submarine (MGM/UA)
Drastically restored to its full psychedelic brilliance, Sub now looks and sounds better than it did in theaters. Non-Beatles commentaries, pencil sketches, and a featurette are all aboard, with isolated music for when you just want to hear what made the Fab Four worth all the commotion.

37 - Dinosaur Collector's Edition (Buena Vista)
This set delivers a THX-certified digital-to-digital transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS sound. It's technically jaw-dropping in every way. Disc one seems loaded as can be until you pop in disc two, with its exhaustive files on the creation of Dinosaur and some priceless Easter eggs, to boot.

36 - The James Bond Collection, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 (MGM/UA)
They took the longest and most beloved franchise the world over and presented it with best-ever picture and sound, plus a full special-edition complement—even a cut scene or two. Look for every movie from Dr. No to Tomorrow Never Dies.

35 - Pink Floyd: The Wall (Columbia Music Video)
The experience is most effective with this high-definition transfer and tweaked 5.1 sound that swallows the listener and spits him out 99 minutes later. The bonus material rocks, too: commentary with Roger Waters (the voice of Pink Floyd), documentaries, and the excised song "Hey You."

34 - Unbreakable (Buena Vista)
Sure, there's an entire second disc of extras—background info, interviews, multiangle features, and fully post-produced cut scenes—but the movie itself sits happily isolated on disc one, which packs a luscious THX-certified anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS audio across two layers.

33 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture Director's Edition Paramount)
The widescreen remaster, aggressive 5.1 mix, brand-new digital effects that range from spectacular to sublime, and (most importantly) "final" edit combine to make engaging sense of what was once a bloated, confusing bore.

32 - Citizen Kane (Warner Brothers)
The painstaking preservation of the finest possible black-and-white image and mono audio, the twin commentary tracks from Roger Ebert and Peter Bogdanovich, and the array of vintage tidbits are a profound tribute to the movie even William Randolph Hearst could not destroy. The fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane on disc two is required viewing.

31 - Platoon Special Edition (MGM/UA)
Oliver Stone's seminal film brings with it all of the extras that made past videos so memorable: a star-studded retrospective documentary and commentary from the wise, amiable military advisor Captain Dale Dye, which is an unexpected treat.

30 - Oliver Stone Collection (Warner Brothers, et al)
Seldom do so many great American movies arrive in such outstanding enhanced editions, let alone in a single box. Some among Any Given Sunday, Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors, Heaven & Earth, JFK, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, Talk Radio, U-Turn, and Wall Street are exclusive new director's cuts, most with a host of bonuses.

29 - The Fifth Element Superbit Edition (Columbia TriStar)
The old movie-only platter was a hit, as the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and crisp, colorful video made it a favorite demo disc. The no-nonsense Superbit approach serves this title well, as the new anamorphic master has a dual-layered side all to itself, plus the bonus of a DTS soundtrack.

28 - The Sixth Sense Vista Series (Buena Vista)
This souped-up redux of the first, quasi–special edition release is THX-certified and 16:9-enhanced, and it sports Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS tracks. Most of the existing features are in this improved two-disc set, which comes in an almost-decadent slipcase package.

27 - The French Connection (20th Century Fox)
The DVD's quality is excellent but inconsistent, although the grain somehow suits the gritty streets of 1970s New York. The twin commentary tracks include an unusual first-half/second-half configuration by stars Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, and the deleted scenes are loaded with classic acting.

26 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Columbia TriStar)
Beyond the extras, this DVD shines for its ability to present a foreign-language film to the broadest possible audience, with English or Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks and optional English subtitles. Watch it however you like, and maybe even develop an ear for a second tongue.

25 - Thirteen Days (New Line)
This Cold War drama is an ideal Infinifilm DVD, armed with massive bonus materials delivered in a painless interactive manner: An optional icon allows you to branch off from the movie to learn lots more about the portentous subject at hand.

24 - Akira Special Edition (Pioneer)
The images of Neo-Tokyo are at times almost photorealistic in this masterpiece of Japanese animation, thanks to a high-definition THX-certified restoration. You can click on an onscreen symbol to get an on-the-fly translation of signs and graffiti or an explanation of the local geography.

23 - Cast Away (20th Century Fox)
Tom Hanks stars in an audio/video cornucopia of exploding jumbo jets and lapping waves (in EX/ES). The jaw-dropping digital effects look spectacular on the small screen in the 2.35:1 anamorphic format. Although not quite a desert-island disc, you could wile away many hours sifting through the extras.

22 - Mad Max (MGM/UA)
The anamorphic and full-screen transfers shine on side one, and the 5.1-channel track finally brings home the real Mel Gibson in his true Aussie-talkin' glory. Bonuses include a terrific trivia-text track and crew commentary, with documentaries, trailers, and a poster-art gallery on the flip side.

21 - Forrest Gump (Paramount)
The anamorphic video and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio do wonders with the Vietnam scenes and the music throughout, and director Robert Zemeckis and the producers provide twin commentaries. Disc two dissects the complicated production.