Rating: 
Summary: Poorly Compiled
Review: NBC has received criticism for its delayed and fragmented coverage of the Olympic Games in the past. Unfortunately, this compilation of brief and biased footage exacerbates the flaws of the broadcast coverage.The worst part was really the commentary: the sound editing as well as the writing. Not only did the creators use synthesized music throughout and for the figure skating performances, the actual footage is edited poorly. The atheletes' mouths move slightly behind their words. As for the poor writing, "cheesy" is the appropriate word. The writer(s) try to use poetic devices such as alliteration and rhyme to liven the relentless narration (read by Bob Costas). What you hope will be original Olympic commentary (complete with tension, emotion and audience reaction) ends up sounding more akin to flashy news shows like "Hard Copy." The other worst part was the brevity. Not only did the creators take away original commentary, they took away most of the action as well. Each section is extremely fragmented, broken and completely interpreted for you. The bonus footage involves complete runs of Jim Shea's bobsled, and the women's U.S. gold medalists in bobsled. Otherwise, you may see brief shots of the faces of U.S. and (if you're lucky) non-American medalits. The original Olympic commentary is just as brief: maybe one phrase or sentence on occasion. The best part was the music (as the sound didn't have to match any moving mouths) and some nice shots of beautiful mountains. But I recommend buying a John Williams CD and looking for pictures online before making this purchase. The idea of compiling such highlights onto DVD, with different chapters for each sport, is a good one. But only Americans need buy. And only people who do not care for original commentary and spontaneous moments need bother. Unfortunately, this compilation is put together too poorly and most likely hastily for me to recommend its quality.
Rating:
Summary: Pathethic
Review: The 1998 set didn't have enough complete performances, this is one tenth as good as the 1998 set. Do not buy this disc, it is a waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as complete as hoped
Review: The problem with this video is the incomplete footage throughout the video. I was hoping there would be the complete opening ceremony, but only got a two minute highlight. Each event highlight segment is too short to really appreciate what was accomplished. Also missing is the editorials about the athletes and countries. The video just seems really incomplete and I wished there was more.
Rating:
Summary: 16 Days in 90 Minutes
Review: This could have been a pleasant enough souvenir of the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is not surprising that each sport is given a miniscule amount of time, with only a few seconds each devoted to the opening and closing ceremonies. It is not surprising that, whenever possible, the producers acted as if only Americans were competing in each sport. What IS surprising is that the producers chose to underscore almost every second of the documentary (even the figure skating!) with cheesy synthesizer music. Go ahead and get it, but be forewarned. And the bonus footage IS well-done.
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