Customer Reviews

Luc Besson Collection (Leon The Professional/The Fifth Element/The Big Blue/Subway/The Messenger/La Femme Nikita)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A long-time Luc Besson fan, I have avoided renting or buying one of my all-time favorite films, 'Subway' because the US dubbed version is so incredibly terrible. I finally got around to shopping for the DVD and discovered that it had been released twice, once in the original, reformatted version with English dubbing (BLECH!) and more recently in wide-screen format with choice of French with English subtitles or the (BLECH!) dubbing. This box set, for those who are curious, includes the latter version. In fact, all the films in the set are in wide-screen format (5th Element includes BOTH modified and wide-screen) and the box set includes Director's Cut (original French version) of The Big Blue. I took the plunge and bought the collection and can honestly say I'm ecstatic to have purchased it. Well worth the money!

One thing which I wanted to know, but could not find on the packaging until I opened it, was whether the movies in the set were all widescreen. I was quite happy to find out that all of the films in the collection are widescreen, at least according to the packaging. I have watched 4 of these films and enjoyed them all. It would be useful if the technical specifications section would spell out more clearly when films, especially in box sets, are in widescreen.

Simple Review - This is a great collection from a great director. You obviously wouldn't be looking to buy the entire collection if you hadn't seen any of the individual films, so if you like Luc Besson or Jean Reno (an actor in many of Besson's films) then you'll like this set. The good news is that 1) The Professional is the extended international version with 26 additional minutes of footage ($25 on its own), 2) the Big Blue is the director's addition with lots of extra footage, and 3) the Messenger is the extended international version, too. Also, each DVD case has the same spine and border, so they make a really good looking pack. This is a great buy!

I purchased this set back in 2002-2003. I became a Luc Besson fan when I watched 'La Femme Nikita' in 92. Do Not watch 'Point of no Return', the Nikita U.S. remake with Bridget Fonda, it sucks. Remake was made for lazy Americans who do not want to read subtitles. Love the set- from The Professional(Natalie Portman with a breakthrough performance) to Big Blue, even though it has Rosanna Arquette(blech!) The Fifth Element has great special effects and Milla Jovovich. Meow! Weakest of the bunch for me was Subway, but still enjoyed the French underground chaos. All this and I paid under $50 bucks for a new set... Bam!!!