Gladiator released on Blu-ray
Gladiator released on Blu-ray
Posted by
TheBlackKnight
110 days ago
Vanishing arrows! Fireballs that phase in-and-out of the space-time continuum! No, it's not The Prestige or the latest Star Trek; it's the pre-release buzz surrounding Paramount's highly-anticipated Gladiator, the first of two films, alongside Braveheart, to be released under the brand-bew "Sapphire Series" label. After weeks of speculation, back-and-forth bickering, and plenty of rounds of "the blame game," the disc is finally on store shelves and ready for all the world to scrutinize. Far from the worst transfer in this history of home video but certainly lacking in several key areas, Gladiator fails to capture the same film-like, nearly-pristine presentation that accompanies Braveheart.
As to the first point in this paragraph, the disappearing act of 1900-year-old weapons: it's nearly impossible to notice in real-time on the 1080p presentation, viewing on a 65" screen. There are 100 other things going on in-frame during these scenes, each vying for viewers' attention, and it's not like Russell Crow uses the later battle scenes in Gladiator as an extended audition for the latest adaptation of The Invisible Man.
On to what's actually visible on the disc. Gladiator does indeed feature some scrubbing and edge enhancement. Fine detail can look acceptably good throughout despite the problems, but it never looks completely natural or film-like. Maximus' armor and fur collar as seen during the opening battle scene (home of the wayward arrows and missing fireballs) look decent enough, but the entire scene isn't helped by the fact that it's meant to look virtually lifeless. It takes place on the edge of a dank, dreary, cold, and dead forest with overcast gray skies that suck the life and color out of the entire sequence.
It's not something that's going to positively sparkle even under ideal 1080p conditions, but there is a palpable absence of grain that further removes any sense of life from the action. The scrubbing renders these and most other backgrounds throughout the film sterile, and while faces retain a decent level of detail, there are patches where foreheads and cheeks look like they've been airbrushed and are certainly not up to the same standards as the most finely-detailed Blu-ray discs, for example The Interntaional or Paramount's own Iron Man and Transformers.
As to the first point in this paragraph, the disappearing act of 1900-year-old weapons: it's nearly impossible to notice in real-time on the 1080p presentation, viewing on a 65" screen. There are 100 other things going on in-frame during these scenes, each vying for viewers' attention, and it's not like Russell Crow uses the later battle scenes in Gladiator as an extended audition for the latest adaptation of The Invisible Man.
On to what's actually visible on the disc. Gladiator does indeed feature some scrubbing and edge enhancement. Fine detail can look acceptably good throughout despite the problems, but it never looks completely natural or film-like. Maximus' armor and fur collar as seen during the opening battle scene (home of the wayward arrows and missing fireballs) look decent enough, but the entire scene isn't helped by the fact that it's meant to look virtually lifeless. It takes place on the edge of a dank, dreary, cold, and dead forest with overcast gray skies that suck the life and color out of the entire sequence.
It's not something that's going to positively sparkle even under ideal 1080p conditions, but there is a palpable absence of grain that further removes any sense of life from the action. The scrubbing renders these and most other backgrounds throughout the film sterile, and while faces retain a decent level of detail, there are patches where foreheads and cheeks look like they've been airbrushed and are certainly not up to the same standards as the most finely-detailed Blu-ray discs, for example The Interntaional or Paramount's own Iron Man and Transformers.
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