Eggs And Reviews

Reflecting on the Series VI DVD release.

22 April, 2005

First things first. For those of you suffering though menu screens and button pressing in the hopes of locating our hidden Easter Eggs, fret no longer. Now added to the Frequently Asked Questions section of reddwarf.co.uk are details of how to locate some bonus footage animations and outtakes. Click the link, pop in the disc, follow the instructions... and breathe a huge sigh of relief.

The full list of Series VI eggs - look away now if you don't want to know the result - is as follows:

Gunmen of the Apocalypse Animation - which you may have seen coming a mile away, but not looking like this! (See accompanying picture.)

The Memory Man - Our favourite egg so far. Danny getting very, very confused during his DVD interview. Will this spark demand for a documentary outtake reel?!

Footage Archive - Three gems for vis-FX showing the computer animations created for Series VI, plus our lads in the cockpit filming a shot to be used for rear-projection.

You can find directions to each egg here.

But what did the press make of the sixth DVD release? Well, it seems like we're the victims of our own success. Reviewers have become so used to the quality and quantity a Dwarf DVD has to offer - or so we're choosing to believe - that they barely offer up column inches! 'Another solid Dwarf release', as if every TV show got this kinda of treatment. (Rant Mode Cancel.) Still, the scores we do have speak volumes.

SFX head straight in, awarding 5-stars for the extras - "Everything you could ever possibly ask for, and a few things you'd never have thought of". Starburst gave the extras four stars, as did Ultimate DVD. "Extras-wise, the usual impressive selection is here," says TV Zone, offering 7/10 for "enough bonus material to keep anyone happy."

From the States, Now Playing Magazine makes an interesting point: "Unfortunately, with only six episodes per season, these discs fly by, but they are also packed with extra features which helps to alleviate the jones a bit... an exhaustive collection." A solid 'A' from them. Sci-Fi Online handed over another - grudging - 9 from their barrel-of-joy reviewer, who amongst the usual Marvin-isms did at least highlight the "entertaining" documentary and "fantastic" Howard Goodall piece.

Amazon's reviewer was more confident, deciding that "The double-disc set matches the quality of the programs with some terrific extras." FilmFocus.co.uk, meanwhile, hit us up for the full 5-stars:"Surprisingly topping their previous successes on the DVD extras front, Grant Naylor Productions have yet again managed to pull out all the stops... The cast commentary is insightful; the behind-the-scenes, model-maker and raw FX footage is amazing; the recovered scenes are a joy to behold; and The Starbuggers documentary is fantastic in every respect."

Fan-site wise, the usual in-depth analysis comes from The White Hole - "It's come to the point now where you just don't worry about these DVDs any more. You know with every inch of your body that a new Dwarf DVD will mean excellence, and by golly this DVD has topped the lot!" - and Ganymede & Titan, who have clearly been watching Shaun of the Dead (or possibly the Spaced commentaries):"The whole 75-odd minutes is fried gold, in terms of information and entertainment... one of the best series of the show has a DVD release to match. These are features to watch over and over again, and cherish forever".

Which, of course, we do. Although sadly we have to admit that one Amazon customer's disappointment is entirely our own fault. The individual in question points out that "the bonus features have taken a bit of a down spiral... the bonus disc does not have a single hidden egg on it at all!!!" (Exclamation marks sic.)

For this, we can only apologise profusely. The number of Easter Eggs on a DVD is, of course, the first and only indication of quality - and to only have five, all on disc one, must surely be some indication that standards are slipping. All we can offer in defence is that, well - Disc Two was too full to fit any on! With over 200 minutes of all-new extras, things were kinda cramped!

Oops. Thought I'd cancelled that Rant Mode.

You can buy the Red Dwarf DVDs right now from the UK Shop, USA Shop or Australia Shop.