Extended Edition 'Free Enterprise' Frees Filmmakers' Best Work

The special "Five Year Mission Extended Edition" of Free Enterprise was released on DVD yesterday, featuring deleted scenes, a music video of William Shatner (Kirk) performing a rap version of Julius Caesar and new commentary tracks with Shatner and co-stars Eric McCormack and Rafer Weigel, plus another commentary track by the producers.

"Video and audio qualities are top-notch, and even though the first edition of the film on DVD had lovely bonus features, this one trumps it with definitive quality," wrote Mike Restaino of DVD File of the new two-disc set. "This transfer is a big step up from the film’s previous release....finely grained detail is also staggering." He found the audio greatly improved as well and praised the audio tracks by the actors and by creators Mark Altman and Robert Burnett, "both worth their weight in Tribbles."

The Washington Post's Jen Chaney felt that the second track almost contained too much information. "What's actually embarrassing is how closely the movie hews to the real lives of the two filmmakers behind it," she noted. "As McCormack puts it when recalling his initial reaction to the screenplay, 'You guys didn't even change your [expletive] names?'" She felt that the characters did not ring true but said that the scene in which Shatner performed his rap solo "that alone may be worth the price of a trip on this 'Enterprise.'"

However, over at UGO, the new set was given an overall grade of A by Brian Tallerico. "You've probably already seen the cult classic Free Enterprise, but the new two-disc edition should send you into fanboy hyperspace," he said. "Free Enterprise succeeded by creating funny, believable characters and never dumbing down its material...the film itself looks great, particularly for one made on such a shoestring budget", but what he liked best was that the film "taps the dreamer in all sci-fi fans because it's essentially a film about two Star Trek fans made by two Star Trek fans starring the king of Star Trek."

Free Enterprise is now available for order from Amazon.com.

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