Braveheart
OVERALL:
ASPECT RATIO(S)
16x9 Widescreen (2.35:1)
SOUND MIX
FEATURES
STUDIO
RECOMMENDATION
Dolby Digital 5.1
- Audio Commentary with Director ��Mel�Gibson
- A Filmmaker's Passion: The Making of Braveheart
- 2 Theatrical Trailers
Paramount
Buy it!
GRADING SCALE
Film
Features
Audio
Video
Mel Gibson's biggest, and best film garnered 10 Oscar Nominations, and winning 5 of them, including Director & Picture. From the glorious visuals, to the bloody battles, "Braveheart" is an epic in every sense of the word. The story is very entertaining, and the cast is terrific. This has everything you want for in a film. An event not to be missed.
Features
This film has been on almost everyone's dvd list for years. It's here and it has brought some excellent extras with it. No, it's not loaded down with features, but what it does have is worth a few looks. The documentary, which runs 28 minutes, is very well-produced. They cover just about everything in the film, and it features interviews with cast & crew.
The other feature that everyone has been dying to get to is the audio commentary from Gibson himself. Though there are plenty of pauses (hey, this is his first commentary!), what he has to say is very interesting. And very funny as well. I doubt there's another director out there who would joke around while watching his film as much as Gibson does. This guy says some hilarious stuff, and it's during his pride and joy. An all-around great package.
Audio
The 5.1 track isn't as active as I would have liked, but it's nonetheless strong. The surrounds are kicked into high gear during the battle scenes, but they tend to take a backseat during the rest of the film. The bass gets most of the attention, during battle, and with Horner's powerful score. Not the best mix, but definitely no slouch either.
Video
Some have wined that the video is not up to par. Well, who cares. I think the picture looks great. The film offers deliberately muted colors, showing alot of gray. This has the look of a 13th Century film. I'd rather it look that way than like a film that was made in Hollywood. The blacks are deep, and the detail is excellent. Most of the movie is bright. There's some grain here, but it only adds to the film's realism. Paramount does it again.
Overall
Give this dvd a few months, and it'll be near the top of the best-selling list. Gibson obviously appeals to most people (especially the female crowd), so you know this will be flying off the shelves. If you're not buying for Mel, but it for the great story, superb acting, and some extremely violent battle scenes.