Product: Gladiator [VHS] (2000)
Rating: 1.0
DO NOT BUY THIS BLU-RAY!!!
What a disappointment for such a heralded and popular film.This disc is a retread of the 2000 transfer, made for the DVD. What this means is that considerable edge enhancement (EE), or false sharpness, remains in place. Universal, in prepping the old, outdated transfer for release, smeared what is called "digital noise reduction," or DNR, all over the picture, to remove both the natural film grain that provides facial detail and other wonderful Blu-ray things, as well as cover up the nasty results of EE, which include white halos around most edges.The result? A terrible picture:1. The detail that justifies a Blu-ray upgrade, namely clear backgrounds and great facial detail, is GONE. It does NOT look like film, and barely upgrades the detail on the DVD. Yes, it's slightly better, but only because of the increased resolution. It's a barely noticeable upgrade.2. Some elements are actually missing! Like arrows and catapult ammunition. Gone. Erased. Some spears have been magically segmented due to the errors.In short, DO NOT BUY THIS BLU-RAY. It is a mere marginal upgrade from the DVD, and you should send a message to Paramount with your wallet. This is not worthy of the Sapphire label, and is not worthy of your purchase.