Face/Off + Next (Paramount Blu-rays)

 

Picture: B+/B     Sound: B+/B-     Extras: C+/C-     Film: C+/C-

 

 

Now that Paramount is back to Blu-ray for good, there will beg a few titles that need to be issued in the format that only came out in HD-DVD and even regular DVD at the same time, including two Nicolas Cage films they continue to push on home video.  Here are our previous reviews for Face/Off:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6165/Face/Off+(HD-DVD+++DVD-Video)

 

and Next:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5977/Next+(2007/HD-DVD+++DVD)

 

 

In both cases, DVDs were also released and with now out-of-print HD-DVDs versus the new Blu-rays, the features, playback, extras and everything else are pretty identical in these cases, though Face/Off may have slightly less dynamic sound and Next in a PCM 5.1 mix that differs little, but a future edition of Face/Off should get DTS MA or Dolby TrueHD treatment, something Next does not need.

 

I believe both were due to come out at the same time as their counterparts as Paramount was supporting both and both cases have 2007 copyrights despite being May 2008 releases.  At least now, fans and the curious can see both in the best playback possible to date.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo