CASSHERN makes its long-awaited DVD debut this week from DreamWorks Home Ent. ($26.99) in a brand new director's cut and a gorgeous widescreen transfer. However, this version is nearly a half-hour shorter than the Japanese original, which will either infuriate or please you.

Set in a dystopian future in which the planet has been ravaged by a catastrophic Third World War, CASSHERN follows a young man imbued with superhuman strength who emerges as humanity's last hope in an epic battle against powerful mutant neo-humans and their army of robots.

With a definite nod to BLADE RUNNER and THE MATRIX, Kazuaki Kiriya (who hails from music videos) has created a vfx feast that, despite its narrative shortcomings, is worth a look for its technical virtuosity. CASSERHN is a next-gen film made entirely on the digital backlot a la 300 or SKY CAPTAIN. Toshiyuki Kimura and Kôji Nozaki serve as vfx supervisors and Haruhiko Shono is the CG supervisor. There's plenty to marvel at from the CG robots with flamethrowers and missiles to the stunning war-torn landscapes and a variety of looks.

Paramount Home Ent. (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corp., a unit of Viacom, a global entertainment company that produces and distributes filmed entertainment through the Paramount Motion Picture Group. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties, including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Ent.