Gladiator Blu-ray delivers stunningly beautiful video and superb audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
In the final days of Marcus Aurelius' reign, the aging emperor angers his son Commodus by
making it known that he wants Maximus, a fearsome and respected Roman general, to be his
successor. Power-hungry Commodus kills his father and orders the death of Maximus. But the
latter flees, only to discover that his wife and child have been murdered by Commodus.
Captured, Maximus is forced into slavery, where he is sold to Proximo, a former gladiator who
serves as both mentor and slavemaster. Maximus trains as a gladiator in the arena, where his
fame grows. He goes to Rome, intent on avenging the murder of his wife and son by killing the
new emperor Commodus. Maximus has learned that the one power stronger than that of the
emperor is the will of the people, and he knows he can only attain his revenge by becoming the
greatest hero in all the empire.
It was a time unparalleled in human history. One of the great Empires of modern
civilization ruled much of the globe, and despite a landscape littered with primitive
technology and a knowledge base far less impressive than that of today, the same ideas,
emotions, deceptions, loves, and hates influenced every decision, every waking hour, every
breath, every moment of life and, ultimately, death. With such lesser knowledge and lesser
understanding came heightened dangers for those less fortunate than others; it was a place
where the well-to-do preyed on the weak and saw fit to buy and sell them not only for labor but
for
pleasure. Assembled from all corners of the Empire came the Gladiators -- often those of a
"lesser"
heritage, the poor, or even fallen heros -- men tasked with fighting to the death not for God,
country,
honor, or love, but for the enjoyment of others and the hope of seeing another day. It was a
time when sport took on a
life-and-death importance for the competitors. A time before contracts, memorabilia, product
endorsements, and statistics on the back of trading cards, these athletes were bought and sold
and fought and died unceremoniously, painfully, and with no remorse from those that would
profit from their demise either financially or emotionally through the rush of the sport and the
excitement of the kill. As witnessed in Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning epic Gladiator, it was
brutal, bloody, unforgiving -- and the stuff of legend.
Maximus hovers over the corpse of his old copy of 'Gladiator.'
In the year 180 A.D., the Roman Empire is winding down a war with the stubborn Barbarian
Tribes
of Germania. Leading the final assault and capping another victory for the Empire was General
Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe, State of Play). He's
proven his valor in battle yet again and is hailed as the Rome's finest general. His prowess on
the
battlefield and his humbleness off of it has earned him the respect of Rome's Emperor, Marcus
Aurelius (Richard Harris). In fact, an ailing Aurelius, who loves Maximus as a son, begs of him
one
final assignment before the hero returns home to live the simple life with his wife and son he so
craves: to serve the Empire as the protector of Rome, rid her of the corruption that has begun
even
influencing his son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix, Signs), and prevent
the Empire's inevitable decay. Maximus declines, his humble rejection sited by Aurelius as the
reason why
the General is exactly what the Empire needs to not only survive, but once again thrive.
Commodus receives word of his father's decision to turn the Empire over to Maximus. In a
jealous rage, the power-hungry Commodus murders his father and, before his father's wishes can
be known, he declares himself heir to the throne and orders the execution of not only Maximus,
but
of his innocent wife and son. Sent to die a dishonorable death, Maximus barely escapes with his
life but returns home to find his wife and son murdered. Giving up on life, Maximus collapses but
later awakens as part of a slave caravan. He's sold to a former Gladiator named Proximo (Oliver
Reed), and despite Maximus' initial refusal to demonstrate his skills as a fighter, his abilities
become well-known once he's forced to defend himself from sharpened blades in the hands of
determined foes inside the ring. Winning match after match, Maximus becomes a folk hero
known as "The Spaniard," vanquishing his every foe with ease. When Commodus expresses a
desire to meet the people's champion, he becomes visibly shaken as he learns the Gladiator's true
identity and his ravenous thirst for revenge.
Gladiator is a good old-fashioned tale of revenge framed in a hard-hitting and grisly
Action picture that took the 2001 Academy Awards by storm, ending the evening with five wins,
one each
for Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Actor (Russell Crowe), and Best
Picture of the year. Certainly a worthy nominee, Gladiator found itself at the top of the
heap in a year with minimal competition; certainly there was no movie in the same class as The Godfather or
No Country for Old
Men for it to contend with, though Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon did make for a formidable and deserving-of-the-award entrant.
Gladiator hearkens back to several other sword-and-sandal pictures, chief among them
Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus. Of course, the two films vary widely in style. Though both
epics
in terms of scope and runtime, Gladiator plays out with a frenetic visual pace that's
more akin to Scott's Oscar-worthy follow-up Black Hawk Down
than it is the masterpieces that defined the earlier part of his career, namely the slow and
deliberate but nevertheless extremely effective Alien and Blade Runner.
Gladiator's
frenzied style sometimes hinders the film's innate beauty and storytelling abilities, and it often
feels like the strong thematic elements are in competition with, rather than expertly integrated
into, the action. Nevertheless, Gladiator works on several levels, chief among them as
an epic Action piece with memorable characters and several top-notch performances that
overcome the visual style and solidify the emotional core.
Indeed, Gladiator's best attribute is Russell Crowe. Coming off a pair of strong
performances in L.A. Confidential and
The Insider (for which he earned his first of three Best Actor nominations), he shows
another gear here, himself splendidly mixing action with emotion, even if the film as a whole
seems to have a bit of trouble in doing so. His effort is sincere; the sense of loss is palpable, his
humbleness at his accomplishments on the battlefield genuine, and his thirst for revenge driven
by good intentions and a sense of honor that makes him easy to cheer for. Also delivering
outstanding performances are actors Richard Harris and the late Oliver Reed, who passed away
during the shoot. Harris' effort as Aurelius nearly matches Crowe's for depth and the palpable
sense of honesty and goodwill that his character emotes with every line. The few scenes the two
share together easily represent the best
dramatic elements to be found in the picture, and there's a chemistry that's brought on by the
well-scripted love for country and deeply-rooted respect for one another that the actors embrace
wholeheartedly and capture effortlessly. Reed's effort, too, impresses, and his character
represents perhaps the most interesting throughout the picture, providing him the opportunity to
channel a broad range of emotion as he comes to be involved in Maximus' life. Also delivering
solid efforts are Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen as Commodus' sister Lucilla, and Djimon
Hounsou (Blood Diamond) as
Maximus'
fellow Gladiator, Juba. Director Ridley Scott certainly gets the most out of his actors, and while
Gladiator's script isn't quite as deep, meaningful, and emotional as Braveheart's, it
withstands the test of time and provides to its characters and, by extension, the actors that
portray
them, the opportunity to show some depth and range across a broad spectrum that proves to be
the film's main
attraction.
Better late than never. After much ado about Paramount's first Blu-ray release of Gladiator -- one littered
with
unsightly edge enhancement and digital scrubbing that left the image flat (not to mention with arrows and fireballs
that magically disappeared mid-flight); absent a natural grain structure; and
generally unattractive beside many other Blu-rays, including some of Paramount's other first-class offerings like Transformers, Iron Man, and fellow Sapphire Series
release
Braveheart -- the studio has re-issued
Director Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning picture in a proper, beautifully filmic 1080p, 2.35:1 transfer that's sure win back
fans to the film, the studio, and the Sapphire Series label. Best to leave the past where it belongs and not question
why
such a subpar transfer was used in the first place when the results with this fresh release are so positively striking, but
the important thing is that Gladiator is now available to be seen as it was intended, and its sparkling "new"
transfer does what Blu-ray does best: it yields a breathtaking image that seems straight off the theater screen,
allowing
viewers to see Gladiator in a state that more closely approximates the cinema experience and the innate
quality of film versus the
lessened quality of lower-resolution formats and, yes, harmfully scrubbed and digitally "enhanced" Blu-ray
presentations.
Viewers familiar with Paramount's previous release will notice an immediate difference when this release of
Gladiator begins. Aside from the absence of heavy digital scrubbing and overzealous edge enhancement run
rampant, viewers may notice that this version of Gladiator takes on a much warmer tone; contrast has been
altered a great deal between releases, and no longer does the film look quite as cold and uninviting as it did in the
previous release, even in those harshly bright and sandy outdoor sequences. Even the picture's opening minutes
during the
battle in the cold, gray, war-torn forrest against the Germanic barbarians don't look quite as inhospitably cold as they
did in the previous release. Even considering the differing contrast levels, the other changes between releases are
readily
identified. The egregious edge enhancement is gone; note the absence of thick halos around the circle of
guards in the "Final Words" screenshot in this review versus its counterpart in the original release's review. Better yet, no longer
does Gladiator look artificially smoothed over and, by extension, absent fine detail. This release enjoys
superior texturing and depth to an almost unfathomable degree over the previous release; the differences are striking
to say the least, and viewers will now note the finest nuanced scratches and dirt on armor; the natural texture of
faces, pores, and wrinkles; and even the minute detailing on the golden wheat over which Maximus walks and grazes
his hand in one
scene.
In addition to the superior texture, detailing, and lack of obtrusive edge enhancement, Gladiator also
sports fabulous blacks -- some of the richest, deepest, and most honest ever seen on a Blu-ray release -- and the
accompanying shadow detail, too, is breathtakingly gorgeous. A scene between Maximus and Commodus in chapter
four is a fantastic example of the transfer's exquisite blacks and rich shadowing. Detail in this dimly-lit sequence
remains incredibly strong, too,
with every pore on both characters' faces revealed almost to a fault. Almost any scene in a rather long stretch inside
the shadowy, candle-lit interiors in the film's first act look marvelous and, even in the absence of better lighting,
contend for the prize as the transfer's finest-looking stretch. The only real problem here is the presence of a handful
of white
speckles that pop up on occasion, but suffice it to say, this release of Gladiator is worthy of both the Sapphire
Series label and the Blu-ray format; suddenly, Gladiator is reference material through-and-through, and this
remastered release is easily one of 2010's finest.
Though
not
the most earth-shattering, record-breaking, eardrum-busting mix out there, Gladiator's DTS-HD MA 5.1
lossless soundtrack is well above
average
across the board. The opening battle sequence sets the stage nicely. Arrows that fly through the soundstage during
the picture's intense opening action sequence are accompanied by a continuous whoosh as they fly through the air
towards their
targets. Explosions pack a good wallop, and the general mayhem of the battle, which
includes
screaming soldiers and clanking swords, does well to place the listener in the midst of the
carnage. Much like Braveheart, Gladiator reveals a superbly-nuanced
presentation during the quieter segments. A brief scene taking place inside a carriage in chapter
three features a fine sensation of being in the cart, with the wheels churning on a rough road
outside, the carriage rattling about, and the sound of the horse galloping directly ahead. In
chapter six, a breeze blows through Caesar's room and the structure seems to ever-so-slightly
sway and creak as a result. As with most any action-heavy soundtrack, it's the little things
during the less-intense moments that truly define the quality of the listen, and in that regard
Gladiator doesn't disappoint. Still, the action segments feature a full-blown surround
presence that places listeners in the arena and may even have them ducking for cover as
weapons whirl and fighters maneuver in a virtually seamless 360-degree sound field that's the
norm for every fight throughout. Rounded out by pitch-perfect dialogue reproduction,
Gladiator sounds fantastic on Blu-ray.
Gladiator arrives on Blu-ray as a two-disc "Sapphire Series" special edition. Disc one
sports
a pair of commentary tracks, one for each cut of the film. The extended cut track features
Director
Ridley Scott and Actor Russell Crowe in a solid and straightforward effort that begins with a
discussion revolving around the sets and shooting locations and moves on to cover the
characters and their motivations, the performances, the rigors of the shoot, shooting the action
scenes, the themes of the film, and more. The theatrical cut commentary features Scott
accompanied by Editor Pietro Scalia and Cinematographer John Mathieson. A drier and more
technical offering, each participant shares a wealth of knowledge on their particular areas of
expertise
but tie many of the observations together and in the process reveal how their work intertwines to
make a final product.
A collection of 13 deleted scenes are to be found on the theatrical cut main menu, presented in
1080p, and
most
available with optional director commentary. The Scrolls of Knowledge (available on both
cuts of the film) allows viewers to select items from a "history" scroll and leave the movie to view
the selected piece (each presented in 480p standard definition). Additional content, marked
"Visions from Elysium," are found under the "production" scroll, and may be added to a queue,
and
later
viewed upon inserting disc two.
Disc two begins with the option to view the "Visions of Elysium" material carried over from disc
one. The pieces are presented in 480p standard definition. Strength and Honor: Creating the
World of 'Gladiator' (480p, 3:16:50) is a massive seven-part documentary that covers an
extensive range of topics, including Tale of the Scribes: Story Development (34:04),
The Tools of War: Weapons (12:56), Attire of the Realm: Costume Design
(19:41), The Heat of the Battle: Production Journals (1:05:55), Shadows and Dust:
Resurrecting Proximo (24:32), The Glory of Rome: Visual Effects (20:12), and
Echoes in Eternity: Release and Impact (18:26). This documentary is also available in
an "enhanced viewing mode" that allows viewers to select additional material created exclusively
for the Gladiator Blu-ray release.
Image and Design (480p/1080p) is a five-part feature that covers an additional but more
finely-detailed
set of topics. First up is Production Design, itself divided into three segments.
Production Design Primer: Arthur Max (480p, 9:34) offers viewers the chance to learn
the basics of exactly what "Production Design" entails. Also included here are two galleries with a
host material for perusal, presented in 1080p high definition. Storyboarding is another
piece divided into three sections. Storyboard Demonstration: Sylvain Despretz (480p,
13:37) provides viewers with the opportunity to witness the construction of a storyboard.
Multi-Angle
Comparisons (480p) allows viewers to see three comparison pieces, each with multiple
angles and audio streams and optional commentary with Sylvian Despretz. The available
pieces include Germania Battlefront, Chain Fight, and The Battle of
Carthage. Next up in Image and Design is Costume Design Gallery
(1080p), a collection of stills that reveal the wardrobe design for Maximus, Commodus, Lucilla,
Proximo, Gladiators, and Marcus Aurelius, Senators, and Citizens. Photo Galleries is
simply a pair of groupings with varied subject materials. Finally, Weapons Primer: Simon
Atherton (480p, 5:03) looks at the work of creating the thousands of weapons used
throughout the production.
Abandoned Sequences & Deleted Scenes is a collection of five additional scenes, most of
which feature their own subset of options, including director commentary and featurettes.
Scenes available include Alternate Title Design, Blood Vision, Rhino
Fight, Choose Your Weapon, and Treasure Chest. The Aurelian
Archives is another massive collection of extras. Things begin with The Making of
'Gladiator' (480p, 25:03), a solid yet somewhat (at this point) superfluous piece that looks at
the production of several of the movie's major segments, complete with behind-the-scenes
footage, clips from the film, and cast and crew interview snippets. Gladiator Games: The
Roman Bloodsport (480p, 50:04) is an extended piece that features a glimpse into the world
of Gladiator fighting in ancient Rome. Hans Zimmer: Scoring 'Gladiator' (480p, 20:42)
looks at the process of complementing the movie through music. An Evening With Russell
Crowe (480p, 27:15) features the actor at an audience Q&A session. Maximus Uncut:
Between Takes with Russell Crowe (480p, 8:00) contains a collection of candid and
lighthearted moments from the set. My 'Gladiator' Journal by Spencer Treat Clark allows
viewers to peruse the young actor's written memories from his experience while making
Gladiator. Next up is VFX Explorations: Germania & Rome (480p, 23:50), a look
at the creation of the intricate special effects that bring the movie to vivid life. Rounding out this
massive collection of extras is the film's teaser (1080p, 1:15) and theatrical (1080p, 1:35)
trailers and 20 TV spots (480p, 8:55 combined runtime).
Gladiator presents a rather simply story -- one man's quest for revenge -- but adds
plenty of combat,
several intriguing political layers, and a romantic subtext along the way. Revenge is a tale as old
as time, a staple of fiction -- and history -- that seems to bring with it an everlasting allure that,
in the right hands, and with the right script, and the right backdrop, makes for some of the best
movies out there. Gladiator is no exception. A Best Picture winner and a good watch on
several levels, it overcomes a hyperkinetic style that sometimes distracts from the action thanks
to a good story and better performances that make it a fan favorite now and, no doubt, for
decades to come. Paramount' remastered Sapphire Series Blu-ray release of Gladiator still features the same
awe-inspiring lossless soundtrack and wealth of extra content as its predecessor, but it now also delivers on the
format's
capabilities with a stunning 1080p transfer that's easily one of the best out there. Owners of the original will want to
receive this updated version free of charge (details here) and those who are holding out for a superior
transfer
will
want to pick up this release. However, new copies aren't easily identified from older pressings at-a-glance.
Buyers will need to look at the back cover's bottom right-hand corner for a Paramount logo, and if the words "2-DISC
SET"
are present, that's the old copy; the new versions do not contain the "2-DISC SET" lettering. Please see
screenshot 20 (click the "Screenshots" tab above) for a photograph of the difference, with the new release on top and
the old release on the bottom. Also please note that some buyers are reporting that Paramount has changed the UPC
code on the back of the box to a yellow color with the latest pressing of the new release.
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