Search - In the Zone (+ Bonus CD) on DVD

Britney Still Rules And This DVD Proves It!

Busy Body | London, England | 05/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being the massive Britney Spears fan that I am, I knew straight away that I had to own this DVD. It was just released in the UK two days ago, and I bought it on the day it was released, which was also two days after one of the greatest nights of my life. You see, on Saturday May 1st 2004 I travelled to Manchester in England to see Britney Spears live on part of her Onyx Hotel Tour that is currently sweeping the world! My voice is gradually returning, but losing it (along with my head) was worth it just to see her up close! Currently on a Spears-high, this DVD was my most essential purchase for quite a few weeks, and I am very happy with it, not only because it contains so many brilliant features, but because it is a perfect addition to any true fans' collection!

People have complained that all the material on this DVD has already been on TV countless times before, but not everyone lives in America (I don't), so most of the stuff on here was new to me. The DVD cover is the same as the multi-platinum No.1 album "In The Zone," and this instantly makes the two sort of companions to each other. The first feature on the DVD is probably the best of the lot. It's the ABC Television Special - "Britney Spears: In The Zone" which was broadcast across America on the eve of the release of Britney's fourth album. In an intimate setting Britney performs to some of her biggest fans. She sings "Toxic," "Breathe On Me," "Boys/I'm A Slave 4 U," "(I Got That) Boom Boom," "Everytime," "...Baby One More Time" and "Me Against The Music." Seven great songs there, seven great performances. Woven in-between these performances are some brilliant clips of Britney during the recording process of the album. The best one for me is where Britney is in a Taxi and feeling free for the first time in a while - you can see tears in her eyes too. Very sweet!

After this fantastic feature, we move on to MTV's "Spankin New Music Week On TRL" Times Square Performance. This is yet another brilliant feature because we get to see one of Britney's first public performances of 2003 after her year-long hiatus. She sings "Me Against The Music" and "(I Got That) Boom Boom" featuring Ying Yang Twins Live. Both performances are brilliant and her pants are so cool! And her hat! After this, we move onto the full-length video to "Me Against The Music" featuring Madonna. This really is one of Britney's greatest music videos to date and was very pricey too! Two icons duetting on one spectacular, dance-tastic smash hit is a feast for the eyes! Everyone has seen this video a million times, though!

We then move onto a really cool feature, which is MTV's "Making The Video" for "Toxic." This has been shown before, but it's nice to finally own it for yourself. We see the brilliant production of Britney's true comeback song and we also see a really funny and charismatic superstar at the centre. The best bits are when Britney watches her old "Making The Video" series from years past, and when she breaks the plunger that she uses to climb up the wall, especially when she claims, "I am SO strong!" She's so sweet. Then of course we get the full video to "Toxic," which is absolutely spectacular! If this doesn't win multiple VMA's in August/September later on this year, there's something wrong! This is the song that has rightfully put Britney back on top in 2004 as the world's biggest superstar! A massive No.1 all over the world and one of the biggest radio hits of the past year has made this already an anthemic, classic pop tune. We then get "In The Personal Zone" which is a fantastic documentary in which Britney reveals all on Inspiration, Spirituality, ABC Special, Onyx Hotel Tour, TRL Performance and Toxic. We also get a really sexy photo gallery of Britney!

Also includes along with this DVD is a four-track Bonus CD. I have the UK Region 2 DVD version of this, so the two main songs I have are "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" and "Girls And Boys." However, as an American purchaser you get "The Answer" and "Don't Hang Up," which are two brilliant songs (the former R'n'B, the latter Dance) that feature on my version of the In The Zone album! Very confusing indeed, but there's also two fantastic remixes included! These are "Toxic (Lenny Bertoldo's Radio Mix)" and "Me Against The Music (Bloodshy & Avant's Chix Mix)." I personally prefer the Toxic remix, but the remix of Me Against The Music isn't bad either!

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

In the past we've received some brilliant Britney Spears DVD's. We've had "Time Out With Britney" and "Live And More!" which were both superb. We then had the rather disappointing "Britney: The Videos," followed by the amazing "Britney Spears: Live From Las Vegas" and "Crossroads." Of course, there was the brilliant DVD included with the book Stages that followed Britney around on the Mexican leg of her Dream Within A Dream Tour of 2002. I have to say though, that "In The Zone" is the best DVD/video that Britney has released to date! I suggest that if you're a big Britney fan you buy this straight away, you won't regret it!"

I'VE GOT YOUR BACK, BRITNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Busy Body | 12/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sick and tired of everyone hating on Ms. Britney Spears. She deserves a lot of credit. Nobody really understands what it is like to be her. Think about it: having everyone follow you around all the time, having every tabloid in the world over-reacting to every little thing you do, dealing with the loss of your first love, and not being able to grow up because of the annoying pressure the public puts on her. Britney does not have to listen to what everybody else says about her. So why bother writing all these mean reviews?? How far is it really getting you? If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Okay, now to the DVD. I was very pleased to see the ABC special released on here. It features some killer live performances of all the hits from the IN THE ZONE album, like: "Toxic", "Everytime", "Breathe On Me", and "Me Against The Music". It also includes some great behind-the-scenes footage from the IN THE ZONE era. Like photo shoots, recording sessions, the video shoot for "Me Against The Music" (featuring Madonna), and some of Brit's most memorable red carpet moments!!! And Spears' Times Square performance from TRL's "Spankin' New Music Week" rocked!!! She is one of the best live performers I've ever seen!! The video for "Me Against The Music (featuring Madonna)" is also on here too. Britney and Madonna have best on-screen chemistry I've seen in a long time. MTV's "Making The Video: Toxic" is on this wonderful DVD also. The beautiful music video for the song is on here as well. This episode also features clips from Spears' previous "Making The Video" specials (i.e.: "Crazy", "Oops!...I Did It Again", and "Lucky"). Some of the bonus features on this DVD includes an exclusive interview with Ms. Spears where she discusses topics like where she gets her insparation, her relationship with spirituality, her ABC special, her performance for TRL in Times Square, and "The Onyx Hotel Tour" (the meaning of "onyx" and why she revolved the show around a hotel). There is also a fabulous photo gallery with photos form the IN THE ZONE era.

There is also a bonus exclusive music CD featured in this incredible package!! There are two unreleased songs ("Don't Hang Up" and "The Answer") and two remixes ("Toxic" and "Me Against The Music"). In the UK, the CD's unreleased songs are replaced with "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" (which can now be found on her brand new "GREATEST HITS" package!) and "Girls and Boys" (written with song-writing legend Linda Perry).

Buy this DVD\CD package now while you still have the chance!! Don't listen to what everyone else says, this is the best DVD Britney has ever made!!!!"

MTV`s making the video "toxic" was best!

Busy Body | 10/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"hi! uhm...
ok i'll begin:
it is a bit like live and more...
she sings a song in a concert after that there comes something very irritating (i'm not from england so i'm not sure if it's all spelled right).... something like "taking control" and stuff like that. it's about that she's just a normal girl and "i need to make mistakes/just to learn/who i am(overprotected), witch we have already heard in the book "stages" . the only REALLY good performance is "...baby one more time(cabaret version)"

The tracklisting on the bonus cd here in denmark was like this:
1. i just begun having my fun
2. girls and boys
3. toxic (lenny bertaldo mix)
4. me against the music(bloodshy & Avant's remix)

a. i just begun was almost like a copy of "NO DOUBT"'s "hella good" but since i'm a fan of them it's o.k. cuz it really sounds good! i'll give the dvd 1 star for that...

b. girls and boys is a really bad try to make a "sexy" song with linda perry and by the way... the choir singers are singing the wrong tones in it..

c. the toxic remix is really good! (exept it sounds like they slowed the melody down) a half star for that

d. me against the music is almost "The Best" remix i have ever heard! and in the middle of the song there comes a female rapper wich sound like lil'kim and raps one star for that:D

e. Baby one more time sounds really good! exept from the last ten lines when the only thing she sings is "baby baby hit me one more tiiime baby baby hit me one more tiiiiiiiiiiime" one star for that

f. not much to say... exept that britney will get a half star for mixing "boys" and "slave 4 u" together

g. making the video "toxic" is one of the funniest "making the video" i have seen! one star for that

and uhm... bot much more to say that it iss quite much a mess but hey... i would recomend it for true britney fans who doesn't seem to care if it's a mess or not... If it's just about Britney then it's o.k.

"

...better than I expected!

Stef | VA, USA | 08/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I actually purchased the Korean version of this DVD(which is slightly different from but _is_ basically the same as the U.S. version), and I was so impressed with it that I just had to write a review on it here. I initially purchased the Korean version because the Bonus CD includes "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)" and "Girls And Boys" instead of "Don't Hang Up" and "The Answer" as on the U.S. version. (There is no other way to get an _official_, _authorized_ copy of "Girls And Boys.") However, when I watched the DVD, I was pleasantly surprised and felt like I actually got my money's worth. Here are what I thought were the highlights of the DVD:

1) The ABC Special: I really liked this because all 8 songs are also included in the 16 songs Britney performs on the Onyx Hotel Tour, so you're kind of getting to see a half-version of the "Onyx" concert. The main difference is that the costumes are not the same, but very nice nevertheless. However, I thought there was actually more and better dancing than in the "Onyx" Showtime Special, where Britney surprisingly kind of just stands around swaying her hips a little too often(e.g. "Toxic"). The ABC Special also has an overall better mood, as it is performed in a more intimate setting. The only scenes I really missed that were on the Showtime Special were the "bathtub" scene("Touch Of My Hand") and the "swing" scene("Shadow"). However, the only thing that really would have made the ABC Special better is less lip-synching. Otherwise, good show.

2)The performances of "Me Against The Music" and "(I Got That)Boom Boom" live on TRL are great! Britney looks like she's really having fun onstage and she's really singing and it sounds good! (And, of course, her dancing is great as usual.)

3) On the "Love & Heartbreak" segment of the ABC Special, we get to hear Britney again(albeit briefly) really singing _and_ playing the piano! I wish she would do more of this in her concerts and do it in as relaxed a state of mind as this - she could really impress.

4) The videos of "Me Against The Music" and "Toxic" are a great addition, and the "Making The Video" segment for "Toxic" didn't hurt, either.

The only thing I didn't really like about the DVD was the interview titled "In The Personal Zone." Britney's answers to the interview questions are too vague and thus uninteresting. However, the interstitial segments on the ABC Special definitely make up for this.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by this DVD. I would definitely watch it again and recommend it."