OzGirl - DVD Review

The first thing that shocked me was the sheer amount of gratuitous nudity contained in the DVD version. Okay, not really, but I’m fairly certain I have your attention. The single DVD comes in a slim-line case and contains all 23 original episodes, deleted scenes, two commentaries, bloopers, and a behind the scenes vignette. All-in-all I must say the DVD exceeded my expectations.

Surprisingly, the twenty-three individual episodes cut together, flow amazingly well. Watching the movie in this format, for that is what it feels like, brings a seamlessness to the narrative and to the structure of the film, that enhances the experience. For those who did not watch OzGirl or who have never watched a net series, this is a perfect way to experience the series, because it really does feel like a complete movie and not twenty-three different parts slapped together in a row.

The DVD features two commentaries by the cast and crew. The commentary by series creator and director Nicholas Carlton and cinematographer Shaun Crawford is full of inside information and technical discussions that will surely interest those with a passion for film-making, or for those who just want to listen to two guys with accents talk for two hours. The second commentary features actresses Sophie Tilson and Shanrah Wakefield talking about their experiences making OzGirl. Listening to the two of them talk, one can tell that they had a lot of fun working on OzGirl. Also, they seem to have read everyone’s comments and enjoyed, eventually, the instant feedback indicative of net series.

The DVD also features a number of deleted scenes, including my personal favorite, Sadie’s aborted video blog. On the one hand it is obvious why they chose not to use it, it does not really fit the character, but on the other, a few more Sadie blogs would have been a real treat. Also, there is an extended collection of Megan clips, which everyone surely will enjoy.

Nevertheless, no review would be complete without a few minor gripes and this one is no exception. For instance, it would have been nice if they had used a different picture of Sadie on the DVD package. There is nothing wrong with the picture, however; after six months of starring at the same photo, a new one would have been nice. Also, the DVD menu is barebones at best, but it gets the job done and really, how much time does a person spend looking at the menu?

For those who have not picked up a copy of the DVD yet, I highly recommend doing so. The twenty-three episodes when viewed as a cohesive whole truly enhances the experience and the video quality was very good even when viewed on my 42 inch LCD. For fans of the series the behind the scenes bonus features and commentary are a real treat.

Net series are a dying breed, if you enjoy watching them, then if you can, support them, otherwise you will end up having nothing to watch but Fred, and that is a fate I would not wish on anyone.