1. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING - EXTENDED EDITION(A/A/A+)
If you bet that this extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wouldn't be my pick as the best DVD release of 2004, you're a sucker. Both of its predecessors took the prize for their respective years, so unless New Line dropped the ball badly, there was little chance King wouldn't join them. Some folks complained that this set was just "more of the same" and didn't innovate. Huh? What could they do to make it better? Change just for the sake of change is stupid. This franchise set the standard for DVD excellence, and King continued that trend with arguably the best movie and the strongest package of the three. At least 2005 will open up the top spot on my chart for someone else, since Peter Jackson and company sewed it up for three years straight. I doubt my 2005 winner will be as good as this, however; all three LOTR extended editions are the gold standard for DVDs.

2. HELLBOY - SPECIAL EDITION/HELLBOY DIRECTOR'S CUT (A-/A/A+)
Not one but two Hellboy DVDs end up near the top of my chart. The movie itself offers a very good comic book flick, and I can find little fault with the package. Picture and sound quality are excellent, and both sets include a terrific roster of supplements. I made both the original two-disc edition of Hellboy and the three-disc Director's Cut of the film tied for first place simply because I didn't think it was fair to give the movie two slots on the Top Ten. I prefer the Director's Cut package since it includes more extras, but you can't go wrong with either one.

3. THE STAR WARS TRILOGY (A/A-/A-)
Given all the uproar and complaints that have greeted the four-DVD Star Wars Trilogy set, I expect this will be my most controversial choice in the Top Ten, especially given its high placement. Yes, I recognize that the set has its flaws. However, overall the thing is amazing, as the movies have never looked or sounded better. The extras could have been more extensive but they nonetheless cover a lot of good territory. And don't forget the movies themselves, all three of which continue to dazzle and entertain. I found myself too impressed with this wonderful set not to give it high placement on my Top Ten. Of the whole list, it's the one that will get the most use in my collection.

4. THE ULTIMATE MATRIX EXPERIENCE (A-/A-/A+)
I struggled over whether to place Star Wars or The Ultimate Matrix Experience in the #3 slot. Obviously I went with Star Wars, largely because I like the movies more. However, if I judged strictly on DVD quality, this Matrix set would have to get the nod. As with Star Wars, it's not perfect. Better audio commentaries instead of the tedious critics/philosophers tracks heard here would probably have bolstered my overall impression of the release. Nonetheless, many hours of video extras add lots of information and make this an excellent package. It's a real treat for Matrix fans.

5. SPIDER-MAN 2 (B/B+/A+)
I also flip-flopped on where to place Spider-Man 2 in my Top Ten. On one hand, the movie is excellent and has only grown in stature with each time I've viewed it. The set also includes a truly terrific set of extras. A lack of quality supplements made the first Spider-Man release from 2002 one of the year's big disappointments, but no such fate befalls the sequel. On the other hand, quality isn't as good as it should be, a fact proven by the superior visuals and slightly stronger audio of the Superbit edition. I put Spidey 2 this high on the Top Ten simply because it's a great movie with a wonderful roster of extras; the movie presentation isn't superb, but it's also fine for the most part. (A release that combined the quality of the Superbit with the supplements of this set probably would have challenged Hellboy for my #2 slot, however.)

6. CLERKS - 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION (C+/C+/A+)
As always, my Top Ten isn't about the DVDs that simply provide the absolute highest quality ratings. If that were the case, I'd just look over the various letter grades and pick the "best" based on that. I also need to look at the quality of the main program and the set's potential. Did those involved do all that they could do with the material? In the case of this splendid 10th anniversary release for Clerks, the answer comes back as a resounding "yes". The movie still looks and sounds weak, but unless they reshoot the whole thing, that's inevitable. The package displays a remarkable level of care and includes pretty much everything you could ever want to know about the movie. It's not Kevin Smith's best film, but it's his best DVD, and given the excellent prior releases of his flicks, that says something.

7. GONE WITH THE WIND - COLLECTOR'S EDITION (A/B+/A+)
Objectively, I probably should place this spectacular special edition of Gone With the Wind higher on my list. It's probably the best-ever DVD release of an older title. The package provides extremely good picture and audio with gobs of interesting extras. It seems unlikely we'll ever get another special edition for a flick of this vintage that surpasses this set. Unfortunately, I can't get past my general dislike of the movie to place it higher on my Top Ten. It's a well-crafted flick with many reasons for me to dislike it. Nonetheless, it's an excellent DVD that raises the bar for what can be done with old movies.

8. PANIC ROOM - SPECIAL EDITION (B+/A-/A+)
Ever since this fantastic three-disc special edition for Panic Room first appeared on my Top Ten in April, I predicted it might be the only title from early 2004 to make my final list. That wasn't correct, since another March release - Texas Chainsaw Massacre - also snuck onto the chart. However, that doesn't diminish the high quality of this set. While not David Fincher's best flick, it offers a satisfying take on Hitchcock. Both picture and audio seem solid, and the extras provide a very rich look at its creation. Chalk this one up as a truly terrific DVD.

9. DAWN OF THE DEAD - ULTIMATE EDITION (B+/C/A+)
Go back to my mention of Clerks for a justification of how a movie with moderately lackluster technical grades makes my Top Ten. Unlike Clerks, however, I must acknowledge a lack of enthusiasm for the film itself. Dawn is a good horror flick but not something that really rocks my world; I prefer the 2004 remake. Nonetheless, I have to give this set a lot of credit for making the movie look and sound as good as it does, and fans will certainly drool over its exhaustive roster of supplements. It's a terrific release that would have been 2004's best "archival" set were it not for Gone With the Wind.

10. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - PLATINUM SERIES EDITION (A-/B+/A)
Die-hard fans will disagree, but I think this 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre offers the superior flick when compared to the 1974 original. Even if one doesn't go along with that sentiment, no one should argue that the newer flick gets the better treatment on DVD. New Line provides a great package for the modern iteration, with excellent picture and sound plus a broad and entertaining package of extras. This one seems like a great choice for horror fans.