Buy District 13: Ultimatum on DVD

District 13: Ultimatum

DVD More Info Region Code: 1 UPC: 876964002868 Catalog #: DV3032002 Languages: French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary), English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles, Spanish subtitles	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$13.99 (6% off) List Price: ~~$14.99~~
Blu-ray More Info Region Code: 1 UPC: 876964002875 Catalog #: DB3032003 Languages: French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary), English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles, Spanish subtitles	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$20.99 (8% off) List Price: ~~$22.99~~
Blu-ray 2-film set More Info 2-film set Region Code: 1 UPC: 876964002998 Catalog #: DB3032004 Languages: French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary), English Dolby Digital 5.1, English subtitles, Spanish subtitles	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$26.99 (10% off) List Price: ~~$29.99~~

When new special editions or price reductions are announced.

From the liner notes

Two years have passed since elite police officer Damien Tomasso teamed up with reformed vigilante Leito to save the notorious District 13, a racially charged ghetto populated by violent drug dealing gangs and vicious killers. Despite government promises to maintain order, the state of the district has deteriorated and is causing civil unrest. A group of corrupt cops and elected officials begin conspiring to cash in on the district’s redevelopment. Damian and Leito must join forces again, using their mastery of martial arts and their unique physical skills, to bring peace to the neighborhood by any means necessary.

Special 2-disc set on blu-ray available: contains District 13: Ultimatum and the original best selling District B13, which features the Parkour skills of Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle as a mix-matched undercover cop and anti-drug street vigilante who join forces to combat crime and corruption in their home burrough.

Review

The bane of the genre movie- especially the action genre- is the sequel. The formula for the original is always what the sequels will be judged on and inevitably beaten over the head with in the end. Movies such as the Matrix, The Terminator, and Predator series all suffered greatly from this problem. Either they tow the line too tightly and create a remake of the original or float away and make a sequel in name only. The problem occurs because action sequels are always limited by the direction and scope of the story that has been laid out by the original with very few exceptions. It leaves little room for new turns and therefore creates a kind of tunnel vision that takes away from a films ability to tell an interesting story through the use of visceral action.

It seems as though the French are not immune to this issue- which of course provokes a little smile in this reviewer— District 13: Ultimatum trudges down the same road traveled by the original, but without the aid of the new (to America at least) and spectacular art of Parkour that took D13 from being a discount bin casualty to a respectable French action movie. With a visionary like Luc Besson reprising his screen writing duties for the sequel, one would think that a fresh take on the original concept would be forthcoming. Alas it does not occur. Without the spark that original created, D13: Ultimatum falls short of invoking the same thrills as the original. The story is a vague rehash of the original with stilted acting and a predictable plot that left me check my email half way through. In other words, if you’ve seen the original, you’ve seen the sequel.

-- Sean McCallum

Product Format Information

DVD : $13.99

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Region Code: 1
UPC: 876964002868
Catalog #: DV3032002

Studio : Magnet Releasing

Languages: French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary) , English Dolby Digital 5.1 , English Subtitles , Spanish Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen

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Blu-ray : $20.99

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Region Code: 1
UPC: 876964002875
Catalog #: DB3032003

Studio : Magnet Releasing

Languages: French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary) , English Dolby Digital 5.1 , English Subtitles , Spanish Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen

---------------------------------------------------

Blu-ray : $26.99 (2-film set)

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Region Code: 1
UPC: 876964002998
Catalog #: DB3032004

Studio : Magnet Releasing

Languages: French Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary) , English Dolby Digital 5.1 , English Subtitles , Spanish Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
Features:
Bonus film: District B13