Even after hundreds of DVD reviews, I'm not sure that I've ever typed these words - you should rent this DVD just for a special feature. The short film, "Hotel Chevalier," which is billed as "Part One of The Darjeeling Limited" and is technically a prequel to the movie is the best thing that writer/director Wes Anderson has done (outside of his excellent Amex commercial) since The Royal Tenenbaums. It's a brilliant 13-minute short film that features Anderson's tightest, least-contrived, least "Andersonian" direction in years. (And, we don't mean to be pervs, but Natalie Portman nudity never hurt a movie.) "Hotel Chevalier" introduces us to Jason Schwartzman's character, Jack Whitman, as he spends a long time at the title location, a gorgeous Parisian hotel. He gets a call from a woman, played by Natalie Portman, learns that she's in town and she's coming to his hotel room now. Who is she? Is she coming to make-up for a broken relationship? To officially end one? Jack prepares the room for her arrival and when she gets there, Anderson brilliantly plays up the mystery. She brushes her teeth, orders a drink, looks at the drawn bath, and Anderson finds a way to draw us into this unusual relationship with just a few shots and little dialogue. And the best part is that he leaves questions (like the unexplained bruises on Portman's arm) unanswered. He finds the mystery in this little reunion in a romantic town. He blows absolute perfection with an indulgent slo-mo shot at the end, but it's a minor complaint for one of the best short films of 2007.

Sadly, that slo-mo indulgence that ends "Hotel Chevalier" carries over into The Darjeeling Limited, a film that would have been promising a decade ago but now feels just like a talented director spinning his wheels. Jack meets up with his brothers played by Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody and the three head off on a cross-India journey to find their mother. They haven't seen each other in years and on the journey the boys learn that they all have similar demons to fight (usually with the women in their lives) and they hope that this spiritual trek will help them win the war. Despite some impressive visual flourishes, good performances, and excellent art direction, The Darjeeling Limited is simply a lazy screenplay. It's Anderson doing material he's done before and done better. Sure, it's still better than a lot of films released in 2007, but it's like hearing a great band record basically the same album. You'll still tap your feet but you'll wish they'd write a new song.

Anderson's last three films have been given gorgeous, extras-laden treatments from Criterion (The Royal Tenenbaums is one of the best DVDs on the market), so one can assume that the wealth of special features regarding The Darjeeling Limited are being held for just such a release. As for the Fox release, all fans will find is the aforementioned, excellent short film and a featurette about the making of the movie. The featurette runs only 20 minutes and is very 'on-the-scene', practically a walking tour of the set. It would have been nice to hear Anderson or the cast talk about the making of The Darjeeling Limited or "Hotel Chevalier," but that will probably happen on a future edition. For now, Anderson fans can just be happy to see that Anderson still has the talent to produce something like "Hotel Chevalier." Wouldn't it be great if he could do it for a whole movie again?