Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 2.0
Gladiator Blu-ray
I rented the early released copies of Gladiator and Braveheart on Blu-ray from my local video store and while Braveheart received top notch treatment in its transfer to Blu-ray, Gladiator did not. It looks like the studio applied a bit too much processing to the film. The film looks a tad bit to bright at times. Also, I immediately noticed very visible halos around the heads of the actors and edges of buildings in the film, indicating that the studio used a bit too much digital sharpening, i.e. edge enhancement, to make the picture look sharper than it probably was in the first place. I further noticed flashes of unnatural color here and there in the film. If there is an upside to the HD transfer of Gladiator it is the HD audio which is very good. Gladiator is a film deserving of a dynamic visual presentation in High Definition. It is a shame the studio did not produce a beautiful transfer, like they did for Braveheart, being that Gladiator is such a great film. It deserves better than this release. I would seriously recommend you rent this version of Gladiator before you decide to buy it.