Elf (Ultimate Collector's Edition) Blu-ray Review

It's been a while since Hollywood has churned out a genuine Christmas classic. Disney tried last year with their uneven but worthwhile adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Warner has tried two years in a row (2007 and 2008). Their last outing was the Vince Vaughn/Reese Witherspoon film Four Christmases. While occasionally enjoyable, the film can hardly be called a classic. Then there's Fred Claus (also starring Vaughn). That film is a disgusting misuse of Christmas cheer – an abhorrent atrocity that should be gobbled up by the Abominable Snowman and forgotten forever.

In truth, pretty much any modern (2000-present) Christmas film, save for a few here and there, is pretty weak. And this is why Elf has remained, over the years, such a popular title. Of all the Christmas dreck, it's the only film that's really stood the test of time. It still garners chuckles every year, and the film's child-like charm and sense of wonder continues to warm our hearts.

Admittedly, Elf is far from flawless, but there are very few Christmas classics that can be labeled perfect. The film lumbers in its final act, to be sure, losing sight of its narrative for a more tiresome "Santa Claus Saves Christmas"-style finale. There's also the odd Lord of the Rings-inspired Ringwraith park rangers who garner few laughs but chew up screen time.

But even when the film stumbles it's quite amusing, and even heartwarming. Will Ferrell is a delight as Buddy the Elf, a role he was born to play. James Caan is perfect as his cold, estranged father. Zooey Deschanel is just lovely as Ferrell's romantic interest. And the rest of the supporting cast (including veterans Mary Steenburgen, Ed Asner and Bob Newhart) is just terrific, too. There's a little something in Elf for audiences of all ages.


And what better way to celebrate this modern Christmas classic than with a fancy special edition. That said, if you've read any of IGN's "Ultimate Edition" Blu-ray reviews for Warner titles, you'll know that there's not a whole lot that's truly "Ultimate" about them. The disc here is the same as the standalone release (which arrived at retailers back in October 2008). The only new bonus is a cute collectable tin loaded with swag. With this set you get a full-sized stocking, a magnetic frame, a handful of gift tags (a mere 15), and a five-track CD soundtrack sampler. In an odd move, the set also includes a Digital Copy of the film (the same copy from the 2008 release) which is now expired! Smooth, Warner.

As for disc, the VC-1 transfer is a touch spotty, rich with hot contrast, saturated fleshtones, noise and obvious DNR – all of which were present on the original DVD as well. But details are striking and much bolder than the DVD, and the print is bright and cheery as often as it can be. The film's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 high-res mix never quite engages the audience as much as it could, but it's still an enjoyable presentation, free of any high-end crackles or distortions. It's just not much better than the original mix found on the DVD.


Extras have been ported over from the previous special edition DVD and are presented in standard definition. Fans are once again treated to two commentary tracks, production featurettes (roughly 90 minutes of material), a few deleted scenes, a text trivia track and Elf Karaoke and Focus Points, which feature behind-the-scenes info and brief featurettes that are accessible any time an icon appears on screen during the film.

Obviously, like other "Ultimate Edition" sets, whether or not you buy this release will depend solely on two things -- if you don't already own the film and need a copy, or if you're a diehard Elf fan and simply must own this set. If you already own the previous Blu-ray, there's absolutely no reason to buy this new version. But, if you get it as a gift (as I suspect these sets are made to be gifted by that Aunt or Uncle who doesn't know you all that well), there are plenty of cool physical goodies to enjoy -- and the disc is still pretty good.

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