Teen idol Orlando Bloom has the weight of the world on his shoulders as well as a budget of $130m (and the rest) in Crusades epic Kingdom Of Heaven. With Ridley Scott at the helm, expectations were high for this spiritually minded knight's tale, but the end result was "disappointing". And it wasn't just the critics who gave it the thumbs down; audiences stayed away in their droves, perhaps weary of watching Christians and Muslims killing each other in the name of God.

Ruling The Realm

Although this is a deeply flawed film, anything involving Ridley Scott and a sack of studio cash is bound to make a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary. This Special Edition DVD certainly delivers in that respect with 83 minutes of absorbing on-set footage and interviews - Scott, as always, articulate and insightful on the matter of moviemaking.

It's all sorted into a nifty 'production grid' that allows you to select any phase in the making of the film from the point of view of either director, cast or crew. The director begins by asserting, "I'm a moviemaker, not a documentarian," but at the same time, "everyone in the story is historically correct". We're made privy to script meetings with William Monaghan before shooting takes us to far-flung locations across Morocco and Spain where cast and crew were assaulted by desert winds and snowstorms. Unwavering in his vision, Scott calmly herds a cast of thousands, but his meticulous attention to detail is best exemplified as he neatly rearranges plates of food on a banquet table.

From the crew's point of view we explore the putting together of lavish sets, costumes and weaponry and there's a revealing window on the process of editing. The first assistant director reveals that (despite Scott's cool exterior), "It may have been a slightly tenser film that we've experienced before." Predictably, the actors' strand is a little less compelling despite commentary on the parallels of 'then and now' from the likes of Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons. However, Bloom takes the prize for fluff-balling with his earnest declaration that, "Human life is so valuable and peace is so incredibly important." Right on...

War Is Hell

Four 'internet featurettes' amount to less than 10 minutes by just cobbling together soundbites we've already heard. That's fine for the MTV crowd, but those with longer concentration spans will appreciate two documentaries that attempt to sort the fact from the fiction. Both History Vs Hollywood and A & E Movie Real feature interviews with Scott and his cast and combine these with the testimony of historians and military experts. Reference to modern day conflict is inevitable and - despite artistic licence taken with Bloom’s character - provides a sobering reflection on the events depicted in the film.

Disappointingly, Scott does not give a commentary for the main feature. Perhaps, like most critics, his bum grew numb at the thought of a second viewing. In any case, a historical trivia track is thrown in to compensate and there's an Inside Look at upcoming swashbuckling romance Tristan & Isolde (starring Spider-Man nemesis James Franco). It's throwaway stuff for the single disc release, but film buffs will relish a wealth of information available on disc two - specifically the production grid, which is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown of this Special Edition package.

EXTRA FEATURES

DISC ONE

DISC TWO (ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF THE SPECIAL EDITION)