Thanks to Lionsgate the staff was able to receive The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on DVD/Blu-ray and review the different packages. All packages are rated out of five mockingjays.
Blue-ray + DVD + Digital HD Ultraviolet Copy - (TARGET EXCLUSIVE)
3.5/5
Overall: This was one of the top packages. The packaging was amazing, the extra featurettes on the bonus disk were pretty interesting to watch, and if you pre-ordered the target exclusive you received a free poster (my advanced copy did not include this, so unfortunately I cannot review that.)
Price - $22.99: The target exclusive is only three dollars more than the "standard" package, and the top notch packaging and bonus disk are definitely worth the extra dollars.
Packaging - 4.5/5 : The outside packaging was pretty standard. However, when you remove the outer paper packaging it revealed what looks like a book that stores the three disks in "pages". It's a pretty neat way to store your disks. I wouldn't mind having all of my movies in this type of packaging.
Disks - 3.5/5: Overall this package included three disks, a blue-ray disk, a standard DVD edition, and a DVD bonus disk.
Extra Footage - 4/5: Includes an extra disc with 45 minutes of exclusive bonus content.
Disk 1 (blu-ray): Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson, "Surviving the Game: Making Catching Fire" (only on Blu-ray), Deleted Scenes, and Divergent Sneak Peek.
Disk 2 (DVD): Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson, Deleted Scenes, and Divergent Sneak Peek.
Disk 3 (Bonus Disk): "The Alliance" Featurette, "Friend or Foe" Feaurette, and "One Vision" Featurette
Bonus Add-ons - 2/5: The package included a target "e-ticket" for a digital copy on ultraviolet and itunes.
Two Movie Set (Catching Fire and The Hunger Games) - DVD + Digital (WALMART EXCLUSIVE)
3/5
Overall: This was a decent deal. For five dollars more than the standard version you get both movies. However, this only included the films and did not have any extra features. That knocked it down to a three.
Price - $24.99: On one hand this is only five dollars more than the standard version and you get two movies. However, it is only fair to point out that this does not include ANY of the special features. That does make it a bit pricy considering that the first movie is on Netflix. Plus, this does not include a Blu-ray version.
Packaging - 3/5: The outer packaging was lenticular, which is pretty cool to play with. However, the outer packaging is probably not something you will save and the rest was a standard DVD case which does not provide the special permanent storage that the Best Buy and Target exclusives do.
4/5
Overall: First of all, the steel book packaging is amazing. Second, if you have a blue-ray player this is probably the best package for you. I would definitely recommend this package as one of the top.
Price - $22.99: The price is only three dollars more than the standard package. It's the same price as the Target exclusive, and while it does not include the target featurettes, you practially get a free ticket to see Divergent.
Packaging - 5/5: This came in steel book packaging, which is pretty amazing. The silver toned image of Katniss and Peeta on the cover was gorgeous and really set this package apart from the others.
Extra Footage - 3/5:
Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson, "Surviving the Game: Making Catching Fire" (only on Blu-ray), Deleted Scenes, and Divergent Sneak Peek.
Bonus Add-ons - 5/5: This is what really made this package. You get a $8.00 credit to Fandango to see Divergent. At my local movie theatre a ticket is $7-10.00, so I am essentially getting a free ticket to see Divergent. You also get a digital copy on ultraviolet and itunes.
Blue-ray + DVD + Digital HD Ultraviolet Copy (Amazon)
2.5/5
Overall: This is essentially the standard package. There are no real extras or specialties going on other than the making-of documentary, which wasn't too bad. The reason this package received two out of five was mainly because you could spend an extra dollar or two and get a much better deal.
Price - $19.99: While one of the cheapest deals, this is expensive considering that for an extra dollar or two you could get the Target or Walmart exclusive.
Packaging - 2/5: It comes in your standard blu-ray disk packaging.
Extra Footage - 3/5:
Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson, "Surviving the Game: Making Catching Fire" (only on Blu-ray), Deleted Scenes, and Divergent Sneak Peek. + 9 Part Making-Of Documentary
Bonus Add-ons - 2/5: This package included a digital copy on ultraviolet and itunes.
DVD + Ultraviolet (Amazon)
2.5/5
Overall: This is essentially the same standard package as above, but without the blu-ray. At $15.99 it is a pretty decent deal if you only want the DVD.
Price - $15.99: I have to say that the price is pretty good if you just want the DVD. Fifteen dollars is hard to beat.
Packaging - 2.5/5: Standard DVD packaging.
Extra Footage - 2/5:
Filmmaker commentary, deleted scenes, and Divergent sneak peek.
Bonus Add-ons - 2/5: This package comes with a digital copy on ultraviolet and itunes.
