Search - Romeo Must Die / Cradle 2 the Grave on DVD

Finally...A Compilation Set With All The Features

Mike Schorn | APO, AE United States | 05/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Generally, these double-, triple-, or otherwise multi-film deals are cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel compilations that only feed the needs of penny-pinchers and starving airmen. However, Warner Bros' "Romeo Must Die"/"Cradle 2 the Grave" set is a formidable double-team that breaks the subpar standard of these collections and delivers the complete package where both of these films are concerned.

Regardless of the contents of the films themselves (you'd have to have been living under a rock not catch Andrej Bartkowiak's 2000 genre-bending Jet Li/Aaliyah vehicle and its indirect sequel co-starring DMX), both include all of the special features found on the individual releases: "Romeo" features 13 making-of featurettes, three music videos, trailers, and DVD-ROM features; "Cradle" includes five featurettes, a DMX music video, the theatrical trailer, and DVD-ROM features. Both films feature English and French language tracks and corresponding subtitles ("Cradle" also has Spanish ones) and, yes, both are featured in 2.4:1 widescreen.

I'm a bit disappointed that the middle act of Bartkowiak's quasi-trilogy (Exit Wounds, starring Steven Seagal) wasn't included on here, but I suppose Warner Bros. figured that Jet Li sells pretty darn well on his own. It's cool to have these two films together on one disc, seeing as their similarities in style make for an excellent comparison opportunity and good companions for a movie night. If it will save you money, there's no reason not to consider this double-feature over buying the two films separate: aside from filling up excess space on your movie shelf, you won't be missing out on anything."