10 Most Bizarre DVD Easter Eggs
Some were obnoxiously hard to get to, some weren't worth the effort, and some were just weird.
Long before the advent of DVD and the internet, information about rare films was generally limited to Leonard Maltin film guides and specialty video stores. As a result, collectors searching for out-of-print copies of Re-Animator or Piranha that the local Blockbuster didn't carry resorted to raiding antique shops and thrift stores, hoping to stumble upon a dead man's bounty.
So when DVD came, and so many films thought long lost were suddenly getting released, emotions were mixed. The sudden availability was thrilling, but consequently, a collector's pastime was going extinct.
Studios did what they could to cater to collectors, but a lot of it was shameless pandering. It was bad enough we had to suffer through the explanation plastered on every DVD why the letterbox format was superior to pan and scan.
One of the earliest little "bonuses" they thought would appeal to us on this new technology were Easter Eggs. Surely, after years of searching for a copy of the film and wanting to learn all we could about the process of making it, all that was missing was the opportunity to futz about with a remote for ten minutes to get a thirty second deleted scene.
They still pop up on blu rays, but they're few and far between. Of what we managed to find, here are some worth tracking down, some cautionary tales and some that are just downright odd.
10. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Game)
There's very little about The Lost World that's redeemable, yet somehow it's still watchable. It was an admitted cash-in sequel rushed to theatres by both author and director, the latter of which would later apologise for succumbing to what he once referred to as a "cheap carny trick."
Without it, however, Jurassic Park would not be the active franchise it is, for better or worse. But insofar as over-the-top effects-laden extravaganzas go, there are worse ways to spend your time than watch a T-Rex wreak havoc in San Diego.
Of course, with a hit franchise comes all the promotional material and tie-in products; action figures, comic books and video games. The latter products vary in quality, with a slew of NES, SEGA Genesis, Super NES and Sega CD games.
Of the films, it's the most fitted for a video game tie-in. Even the movie's elaborate action sequences seem tailor-made to be played along with, but the technology just wasn't there yet. One day, we'll see a good Jurassic Park game that will perfectly capture the series' atmosphere, but so far we've only been offered a handful of decent platformers, inexplicable puzzles, 3D shooters and a point-and-click.
In 1997, Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation released their licensed game for the sequel. Despite being set on "Site B" like the movie, it ignores the plot. If, however, you collect all the DNA hidden around the platformer, you will experience an end far better than the film's: Jeff Goldblum telling you to leave.