Universal 100th Anniversary Collection

Just in case you haven't bought most of these on Blu-ray already, Universal has seen fit to release a gargantuan set that includes 25 films throughout the ages of their existence. The movies that date pre-2000s are some of the most iconic and memorable films the studio has to offer. Many of them are classics in every sense of the word. Comedy, drama, action, adventure, it's all in here. The problem is you might have purchased all, or most, of them in standalone releases.

Since we've already reviewed every film that can be found in this set, we'll simply link to the previous reviews below:

1930: 'All Quiet on the Western Front'
1931: 'Dracula'
1941: ''Buck Privates''
1959: 'Pillow Talk'
1960: 'Spartacus'
1962: 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'
1963: 'The Birds'
1973: 'American Graffiti'
1973: 'The Sting'
1975: 'Jaws'
1978: 'National Lampoon's Animal House'
1982: 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'
1983: 'Scarface'
1985: 'The Breakfast Club'
1985: 'Back to the Future'
1985: 'Out of Africa'
1989: 'Field of Dreams'
1989: 'Do the Right Thing'
1993: 'Jurassic Park'
1995: 'Apollo 13'
2001: 'The Fast and the Furious'
2002: 'The Bourne Identity'
2008: 'Mamma Mia'
2010: 'Despicable Me'

Personally, I take issue with the inclusion of 'Fast and the Furious,' 'Mamma Mia,' and 'Despicable Me' being placed in the same collection of movies as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Jaws.' It's obvious that in the later years Universal seemed to be reaching to include some newer films. Better picks might have included 'The Deer Hunter,' 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,' or even Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' for more recent releases. A great selling point for this set would've been for Universal to include an exclusive release of 'Schindler's List.' I know it's a pipe dream at this point, but think of how much more coveted this set would be if it was the only place, for now, to get a Blu-ray of one of the last great anticipated Blu-ray releases.

However, the set does contain a large number of cinematic classics. Directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Mulligan, John Hughes, Robert Zemeckis, Sydney Pollack and Brian De Palma are featured. Many of these films, their actors and directors are the who's who of cinematic icons. While the pickings get slimmer after the year 2000, this is still an extremely solid set of movies.

The problem still remains though, that a set like this is cost prohibitive to some people, especially because they've already spent the money picking up many of the movies as they've come out. Even with the extra goodies, like the booklet and restored shorts, it's hard to justify spending so much money for many movies that are sure to be duplicates of stuff already on your shelf.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

The packaging of the set is pretty much identical to Universal's packaging of the 'Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection.' It comes in book form, with each page constructed from somewhat sturdy cardboard material. Discs slide into a side slot. Packaging discs this way almost makes it impossible to not get fingerprints on the disc when you remove them. I've only had the set a couple days and have already had problems with the discs slipping all the way through and into the binding of the book making it impossible to shut unless you can slip your finger in and push the discs back out of the binding area. It's quite an annoyance if it ends up happening. It's certainly hard to justify the high sticker price for packaging that seems pretty flimsy from the outset.'

Each section of the package has a nice display though. On the left side we get the release year along with a classic one-sheet from the movie's theatrical run. On the right side is where the disc is stored along with an introduction to the movie (what makes it special and inclusion worthy), a few interesting factoids about the movie, and a list of the bonus features included on that particular disc.

Included with the set is a 71-page, full-color, booklet that is dedicated to showcasing Universal Studios and their films throughout the past 100 years. Not only does it discuss most of the movies included in the set, but it covers a vast expanse of Universal's history. It's only a cursory view of the history of the studio, since it's been made to fit into a small book, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

Also, included are two bonus discs. The first is a disc of exclusive special features that include vintage shorts, vintage cartoons, and the collection of the "100 Years of Universal" featurettes. Some of which can be found on random discs throughout the Hitchcock set. The other bonus disc included is a CD that contains some of the most famous musical scores included in this set, and also a few movies that aren't. You'll find music from 'Psycho,' 'Airport,' 'Scarface,' 'Jaws,' and 'Touch of Evil' just to name a few. There are 15 tracks in all on this disc.

This is a 27-disc set. All of the Blu-ray Discs included (25 total) are 50GB discs. The bonus disc with the vintage shorts and cartoons is, disappointingly, a standard DVD. The last disc is the CD mentioned above.

Finally, the entirety of the set's contents slip nicely into a sturdy outer case which is classically adorned with famous artwork from the included movies. Even though it contains 25 movies, Universal has done a good job keeping the set as compact as possible. Although, that does mean a tradeoff with the packaging and doing away with disc hubs and using simple slide-in disc holders.