- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 108op/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
- Region: A
- Rating: R
- Discs: 2
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Blu-ray Release Date: June 8, 2010
- List Price: $39.99
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase From Paris with Love on Blu-ray+Digital Copy at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
When a film has Luc Besson’s name attached to it you pretty much know what to expect — slick visuals, lots of action, and a whole lot of violence. From Paris with Love, based on a treatment by Besson and directed by Pierre Morel (Taken) with a screenplay by Adi Hasak, hits all the themes we’ve come to expect from Besson.
It’s a high octane, testosterone driven spy romp through the streets of Paris and not much thinking is required. John Travolta plays Charlie Wax, an out-of-control special ops agent and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) is his newly assigned partner James Reece. The two are tasked to follow the trail of cocaine and terror suspects in France and uncover an as yet unknown conspiracy.
Travolta unleashes a “wildman” character we’ve seen from him many times before and it works, while Meyers plays the green straight man; new to special ops and just getting his feet wet in the violent game.
From Paris with Love is nonstop action with not much time for exposition, but you won’t need it. It’s not classic and its filled with absurdities and plot holes, but for an adrenalin rush it gets the job done quite nicely.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
From Paris with Love is a gritty and grainy film with a muted color palette. The 2.35:1 AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encoding from Lionsgate captures the textured look of the film while maintaining its film-like quality. Flesh tones are good and shadow detail is strong. There are no signs of macroblocking or other compression artifacts.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The release is given an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless mix. There isn’t much use made of the rear speakers so, in this instance at least, a 5.1 mix probably would have sufficed. That being said, the mix is big and dynamic with deep bass and clean, clear dialogue.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Lionsgate continues to push the boundaries of the Blu-ray format’s capabilities with their supplemental materials. 1080p video supplements, BonusView picture-in-picture commentaries, and interactive BD-J features mean a value-added package with lots of replay appeal.
The supplements provided on this release are:
- BonusView Audio Commentary with Director Pierre Morel — A picture-in-picture commentary with director Pierre Morel.
- From Paris with Love — Making-Of (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:26.42)
- Spies, Spooks and Special Ops: Life Under Cover (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:16.06)
- Secrets of Spy Craft: Inside the International Spy Museum (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:04.26)
- Friend or Foe Trivia Game — Answer trivia questions while watching the film.
- Charlie Wax’s Gun Locker Featurette — An interactive BD-J feature that allows viewers to handle, inspect, and get the specifications on Charlie Wax’s weapons.
- Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
- LG Live — LG Gagdets, Twitter and Facebook Integration, Ringtones, Wallpapers
- Digital Copy
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
From Paris with Love is another Besson film that is all flare with little substance that somehow manages to satisfy nonetheless. The Blu-ray from Lionsgate provides a solid way to watch it, but I’d recommend for this flick perhaps renting it first.
Additional Screen Captures:
BestBuy.com:
Purchase From Paris with Love on Blu-ray+Digital Copy at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
