The Patriot: Special Edition
OVERALL:
ASPECT RATIO(S)
16x9 Widescreen (2.35:1)
SOUND MIX
FEATURES
STUDIO
RECOMMENDATION
Dolby Digital 5.1
- Audio Commentary with Roland ��Emmerich and Dean Devlin
- 6 Deleted Scenes
- Visual Effects Featurette
- The Art of War Featurette
- True Patriots Featurette
- Conceptual Art to Film ��Comparisons
- Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
- Production Notes
- Talent Files
Columbia
Buy it!
GRADING SCALE
Film 
Features
Audio
Video
I must admit, going into this picture, I didn't have high hopes. After knowing it wasn't the huge hit Sony was expecting, and how it got crushed on opening weekend by "The Perfect Storm", I didn't think this would be much of a film. Boy, was I wrong.
There are minor flaws, mostly coming from the aforementioned speechy script. Seems like everyone in the film is making a speech about freedom (we get the idea after #1), and a heroic score is playing in the background. Sometimes the film is a little too patriotic.
Nonetheless, this film is just great. Authentic as it gets. Some of the cry babies will gripe that the accuracy isn't 100%, but what war movie is? This is still Hollywood, people, and let's remember, no matter how real it looks, it is still only a movie.
Features
"The Patriot" has been given the special edition treatment. Films of this nature and quality should be treated as such. We get an audio commentary from the sometimes dynamic duo, Emmerich and Devlin. There's also mildly interesting deleted scenes and 3 short, but interesting featurettes, ranging from the historical sense of the film to the production, to the battles scenes. All in all, a nice set of features.
Audio
If you've watched any other dvds of Roland Emmerich, you know the man's use of sound. This 5.1 track is very active, almost all the time. The bass explodes during the battles scenes and the surround channels really stand out. You'll be hearing every passing bullet, and on several occasions, you'll hear the British army's soldiers yelling from left to right. Reference quality.
Video
Another...another great transfer from Columbia. There is one instance of a speck on the print, but that's it. Everything else is 100%. The film's brightness isn't too bright, and the dark scenes aren't too dark. Detail is strong throughout. You couldn't ask for a better transfer.
Overall
"The Patriot" is definitely a film to own on dvd. Not only is the story interesting, but the dvd's technical aspects match the film quality. There's plenty of features for the extras junky and the audio/video quality will please the home theater buff. Highly recommended.