When Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle made it to movie screens in 2004, it earned a mere $18 million at the US box office. Apparently it found an audience on home video, as the flick went on to spawn two sequels via 2008’s Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and 2011’s A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas.
All three of those films appear in this 2012 release called “Harold and Kumar Blu-ray Ultimate Collector’s Edition”. Do the UCE’s Blu-rays differ in any way from those already available on the market? No – the UCE simply places them in the same box, but it makes no changes/additions to them.
If you want to read about the specifics related to those flicks/Blu-rays, please click on the links above. The grades listed here offer an average for the picture/audio/extras of all three. Expect consistency for visuals and audio, as the three movies all look and sound fine. However, the quality of the supplements varies. The first two movies come packed with useful bonus materials, but Christmas skimps on those components. Its “D+” dragged down the “A-“ grades of the first two movies.
Though the UCE includes no new disc-based materials, it does present some physical pieces. We get seven scented White Castle drink coasters and three scented car fresheners. These will stink up your house! All of these reside in a case that opens to resemble a lighter.
As you can see from the movie summaries listed at the top of this review, you can tell that I’m not a fan of the “Harold and Kumar” franchise. If you’re reading this, though, you probably like the series much more than I do, which leaves one question: should you invest in this “Ultimate Collector’s Edition”?
If you already own all – or even some – of the previously-released Blu-rays, the answer is no. Unless you just gotta have those coasters and car fresheners, there’s no reason to repurchase Blu-rays you already have.
If you don’t own any of the existing Blu-rays, the UCE makes more sense, thought it’s probably sensible to simply get the cheapest deal you can find. If you can buy the three individual Blu-rays for less than the cost of the UCE, do that. If the UCE runs you less money, go for it. I don’t think the coasters and fresheners add value to the set, so just find the cheapest way to own the three movies and enjoy yourself.
