Theatrically speaking, 2005 didn’t offer a lot of quality choices for moviegoers. But for those who enjoy watching DVDs at home, it was a very good year. As more and more homes made the DVD format their choice for home video viewing, the studios involved kept trying to outdo one other with multi-disc packages that offered a plethora of bonus features. For the reviewer, like those here at DVD Empire, it was a pure nightmare - as many titles took whole weekends just to watch...to say nothing of writing up the reviews. But for the home consumer, it was movie nirvana - as viewers got so much information about their favorite films and television shows that once they finished viewing the related DVDs they almost felt they were part of the production themselves.

With so many great releases in 2005, it was hard to whittle our list down to just ten. But we did so, nevertheless...and without further ado, here are DVD Empire’s picks for “The Top 10 DVDs of 2005”!

1) Titanic: Special Collector’s Edition - When 1997’s winner for Best Picture was first released on DVD back in 1999, it was bare-bones only...with little more than the theatrical trailer on the DVD. Finally, after a long wait, Paramount and Director James Cameron collaborated on this impressive 3-disc set that will make viewers fall in love with the movie all over again. Not only is the all-new transfer of the film pristine and anamorphically enhanced, but the 6.1 DTS ES audio is incredible - easily the best sounding DVD of any released in 2005. The bonus material spread across the DVDs is nothing to shake a stick at either - as Cameron offers up the best director’s commentary track you’ll find on any disc, plus deleted scenes; behind the scenes footage; making of featurettes; photo galleries; and even a few hidden “Easter Eggs”. Top to bottom, Titanic: Special Collector’s Edition is as massive and as majestic as the great ship featured in the movie.

2) The Wizard Of Oz - 3-Disc Collector’s Edition - When The Wizard Of Oz was given a special edition release back in 1999, fans of the Yellow Brick Road probably thought that would be the definitive release, since it was packed with a decent number of goodies and not a bad DVD transfer. But that release was nothing to the new Collector’s Edition that came out in 2005. Not only had the movie been fully restored for a presentation that was not only better, but nearly pristine - but the new DVD release included all new bonus materials, including full length versions of previous Wizard Of Oz movies and shorts that had never been available on the DVD format before.

3) Sin City: Recut & Extended - Like some of the other movies on our Top Ten list, this wasn’t the first DVD release of Sin City, even though the movie hit theaters in 2005. Back in August, a bare-bones version of the movie was released...although most “in the know” DVD buyers were aware that Disney and Director Robert Rodriguez were already planning a more elaborate version. But even those fans couldn’t have expected what they’d get with Sin City: Recut & Extended, which not only offers the original theatrical version of the film, but a newly edited, extended and unrated version which is just as enjoyable as the version theater-goers got to see. The set also includes a ton of bonus goodies - including two commentary tracks; a track where you get to hear a live audience’s reaction to watching the movie (which may just be a DVD-first); behind the scenes featurettes; and even a limited edition comic book as an insert!

4) King Kong: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition - Before you see the Peter Jackson’s jaw-dropping epic (or even after you’ve seen it), be sure to catch the original, now finally available on DVD. Restored to its original running time for the first time ever on home video, the original action blockbuster looks better than ever, with a newly restored picture and sound that barely ages it a day. A commentary track by visual effects legends (and Kong enthusiasts) Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston accompanies the film nicely, and the two feature-length documentaries on the making of the film and its legendary director are worth the price of admission alone. Add to that the top-notch tin packaging, the reprint of the original Souvenir Program and postcards, and you got a Collector’s Edition that lives up to its name.

5) Lost: The Complete First Season - By far the most original, exciting and coolest show on TV, this mysterious action-drama that has America hooked is worthy of all the hype it gets. And there’s no better way for new viewers to jump in than with this great first season collection. Study every intricacy and subtle detail of every episode and then explore the massive amounts of deleted scenes, extra footage and commentary for more clues as to what the mysterious island holds for its plane-wrecked inhabitants. And even if you’ve already seen the show, you probably haven’t seen it look or sound this good, with both an anamorphically enhanced picture and 5.1 Dolby sound for each episode.

6) Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology - The Batman movies from the late 80s/early 90s were one of the first-ever title releases by Warner Bros., and in desperate need of a DVD upgrade. But who could have guessed we’d get editions this spectacular - with all-new anamorphic transfers, 5.1 DTS sound (a true rarity for Warners DVDs), and impressive bonus features that included commentary tracks from the respective directors and brand-new featurettes created exclusively for these DVDs. Sure, Batman & Robin is still pretty awful to sit through, but virtually everything else contained in this 8-disc boxed set is bat-tastic!

7) The Incredibles - Pixar’s movie about a family of superheroes wasn’t just good, it was…incredible. With a surprisingly emotional story, amazing computer animation and top-notch voice acting (even from Craig T. Nelson!), The Incredibles goes down as one of Pixar’s best ever, right next to the Toy Story films and Monsters, Inc. The DVD is also one of Pixar’s best, featuring a boatload of special features geared both towards the young and old - including a great commentary track; all-new animated shorts; and much more...not to mention an “incredible”-looking picture (straight from the digital source and anamorphically enhanced) and great 5.1 Dolby Surround.

8) Oldboy - First it was John Woo, then it was Takashi Miike, now the hottest director is Asia is Korea’s Park Chanwook, who stunned audiences worldwide with this deeply disturbing tale of revenge. After being imprisoned for 15 years in a mysterious ‘jail’ a businessman is released and given the task of finding out who sent him to his bizarre holding pen...and why. Just when you think this movie isn’t going to get any sicker, it does, right up to a shocker of an ending that will leave you dazed for weeks. One of the best DVD releases of a foreign film to date, Tartan did a bang-up job with this release, which includes commentary by Chanwook and his cinematographer; deleted scenes; and a great Q&A session with the director. They even managed to flawlessly transfer the very unique look of the film to DVD and deliver in the sound department with flawless DD EX 5.1 and DTS audio tracks.

9) No Direction Home - What do you get when you combine the greatness of a director like Martin Scorsese with the greatness of a musician/songwriter like Bob Dylan? You get No Direction Home, arguably the best musically-themed documentaries ever filmed. Covering Dylan’s formative years and with seemingly unlimited access to archival footage, Scorsese’s film is a masterpiece from the master director - a movie that solidifies Dylan’s place in the pantheon of great musicians without trying to deify him in the process. With bonus material that includes a number of Dylan’s most memorable live performances, No Direction Home stands out as the best documentary released on DVD in 2005.

10) Kung Fu Hustle - Move over Jackie Chan, there’s a new clown prince of kung-fu in town. Director/Writer/Actor Stephen Chow redefined both the comedy and kung-fu genres with his hilarious and loving homage. Filled with cartoon-like fight scenes, hilarious one-liners and some of the most unusual characters ever to grace a kung-fu movie, Chow managed to take everything that was good about his breakthrough hit Shaolin Soccer, and make an even better movie. It took a while for it to hit the states, but Sony’s release of Kung Fu Hustle proved well worth the wait - with deleted scenes; bloopers; a great interview with Stephen Chow; and a fully-subtitled cast and crew commentary track included. In a year of sub-par Asian import releases, Sony Pictures showed everyone else how it should be done.