5 out of 5

Arrow Video’s bluray release of the trilogy.

Excellent transfers – DOA: Final in particular looks great – with appreciatively slim packaging, a great booklet, and a fair amount of worthwhile extras.

To be clear, all of the flicks look fantastic, but 3’s surreal, yellowy haze demanded an update.  The temptation with packaging, on special editions, is to go above and beyond, but Arrow does right on these: it’s a 2-disc set (DOA1 alone, 2 and 3 on the second disc) in a regular sized case with reversible artwork, with a really thorough rundown on the specs of each flick in the booklet, plus an impressive essay (not by Mes!) on the trilogy.  The extras are interesting but admittedly not required; still, there’s a sense of completion to the set: we’re getting what there was to get.  Mes’ commentary on DOA1 is quiet but the bits and pieces he offers are certainly (as always) worthwhile.  What I actually ended up finding more compelling were the interviews with Show, Riki, and producer and screenwriter Toshiki Kimura.  While these are strictly talking heads, seeing Show and Riki’s personalities beyond their flicks is fascinating, and there’s a sense of honesty in the interviews that we don’t often get in movie extras; all three admit to things they didn’t or don’t like, for example.  Trailers and making-ofs round out the set.

For the picture / sound / packaging quality alone, this is a great buy, but Arrow puts a professional polish on the whole thing that bumps it up another notch, not to mention the included extras.