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The HD DVD war with Blu-ray — and with consumer skepticism about both of the next-generation, high-definition formats — is heating up.
Paramount Pictures, which is backing the HD DVD format, has finally come around with its initial wave of titles. Paramount had been delaying — not that there is really any rush for consumers, willing to see how the war plays out before committing to either HD or Blu-ray.
The Paramount vaults are now emptying slowly yet effectively. New tomorrow is Aeon Flux, the slick (if absurdly empty) sci-fi thriller starring Charlize Theron as the title character.
It is her most stylized and sexualized role. She dresses in skin-tight black vinyl and leather. The world she inhabits is fantastical. This is the kind of special effects-driven fantasy film that lends itself to showing off high-def clarity.
The HD disc is an HD spinoff of the Special Collector’s Edition, meaning that, in addition to the movie in the higher resolution format, you get exactly the same extras that were available on the conventional DVD.
That includes two commentaries, one of them teaming Theron with producer Gale Anne Hurd, and five featurettes, including a doc that focuses on the elaborate stunts.
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The packages for HD are smaller but discs are the same size as conventional DVDs. However, they will not play in your old machine (although the new HD and Blu-ray machines are both backwards compatible, meaning they will each play your conventional discs). The reduced size of the packaging means that it is difficult to read the fine print on some releases, Aeon Flux among them.
In addition to Aeon Flux, Paramount is releasing the HD DVDs of The Italian Job and U2: Rattle And Hum tomorrow. They join Four Brothers, We Were Soldiers and The Manchurian Candidate (the 2004 version), which were out last week. On July 25, Paramount came up with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, with Angelina Jolie in a stylized, sexualized role in which she wears skin-tight black garments. Also out that week were Sahara, Sky Captain And The World of Tomorrow and Sleepy Hollow.