The original theatrical cut of "The Blues Brothers" is a prime example of the Hollywood mind-set that if you sometimes throw enough money at a potentially dead-in-the-water project, you can shove it down the public's throat by bombarding them so much with over-the-top spectacle that they'll forgive the fact you never had much of a movie to begin with. I think even the staunchest "Blues Brothers" fan has to honestly admit the movie is way too long, is seldom gut-achingly funny, often substitutes rampant destruction, distracting cameos & clumsily-inserted fantasy elements to gloss over a story that has no business being padded out to a 128 minute movie. All of which makes "The Blues Brothers" an anomaly. By all rights, the movie should have suffered the same fate as countless other "Saturday Night Live" sketches adapted for the big screen, playing for a week or two in theaters before everyone caught on to the fact it's yet another expensive product made to cash-in on the public's familiarity with its characters. Instead, it's a modern classic every self-respecting guy knows by heart. Sure, the movie's an awkwardly-paced exercise in cinematic overkill, but just try to find somebody who can honest tell you they don't have a soft spot in their heart for it, or at least pause just a bit longer to catch a few minutes when it pops up while channel surfing. I'm still at a loss as to why it's so revered. Of more personal importance, I'M at a loss as to why I love this movie, for it still represents everything wrong with the movie business (even after 25 years). In all my years of movie-going, "The Blues Brothers" is the only film that I can honestly admit I can't effectively explain why it works...it just does. Despite its overlength, with scenes that could have easily been edited out without anyone missing them, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you which of those scenes I could live without.

This double-sided 25th Anniversary Edition contains two versions of the film, the original theatrical cut and an even longer (!) expanded version. Anyone reading this probably doesn't need a summary of the plot (such as it is), so I'll start by saying that the expanded version is definitely inferior to the original. The original cut was already too long by at least a half-hour, and the restored scenes add absolutely nothing to the already flaky narrative. There are no new musical set-pieces, no additional scenes of character development, no lost classic lines of dialogue, no restored scenes of wholesale destruction. Curious die-hard fans may like checking out these scenes once or twice, but I think even THEY will prefer to pop in the original cut (on side B) upon repeated viewings. Most will agree that there's good reason these "new" scenes never made the final cut in the original version. If you already own this movie on disc, and all you seek are additional relevant story elements, then you're advised to stick with what you have.

I never looked at the original DVD release of the movie (it's popped up so often on TNT & AMC that I haven't felt compelled to buy it), so I can't make any kind of comparison. The movie is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and for the most part, the overall image is fairly free of scratches & blemishes. Black tones are pretty accurate and there's not much noticeable grain. The soundtrack is rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital (just like the original DVD release), and it sounds okay, though the scene in which Carrie Fisher's character confronts Jake & Elwood late in the movie suddenly sounds like it was recorded in the tunnel it was shot in.

The disc is stuffed with a lot of fun and informative extras. The best feature by far is the hour-long retrospective documentary on side A, "Stories Behind the Making of 'The Blues Brothers'," which includes tons of insightful comments by almost everyone in the cast (except John Belushi, of course), as well as director John Landis, about the origins of the Blues Brothers Band and the subsequent film production. Side B includes an intro to the theatrical cut by Dan Ackroyd, a Blues Brothers concert from 2005 (featuring John's brother, Jim), as well as one on the myriad shows, sequels & spin-offs inspired by the movie, just in case anyone was ever curious about the impact this film had on popular culture in the 80s. Also on side B is a tribute to John Belushi by friends and colleagues. All-in-all, this is a huge batch of extras any fans of the movie will love. The only shortcoming is the lack of an audio commentary.

This 25th Anniversary disc is every "Blues Brothers" fan's dream. The extended cut is arguably the least vital addition to this new edition (though it's worth checking out at least once), but the plethora of extra features more than makes up for it. This is a solid release from Universal. Useless Trivia: Keep on the lookout for a plethora of cameos, like Steven Spielberg as a county clerk, Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens as a waiter, Muppeteer Frank Oz as a corrections officer, Chaka Khan as a choir singer & Joe Walsh as a prison inmate.