7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
A man travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan GleesonAction | 100% |
Epic | 62% |
Adventure | 59% |
War | 49% |
History | 48% |
Drama | 25% |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
If this is the Kingdom of Heaven, let God do with it what he wills.
I've become a really big fan of Ridley Scott's work. He's the talent behind some of the best and
most cherished films in contemporary cinema history, including Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. I
enjoyed his recent Matchstick Men a great deal. It proved to be one of the more unique
films I've seen with a very good plot twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud. Black Hawk Down is one
of
my favorite movies, ever. I have yet to see American Gangster (I'm waiting for the
Blu-ray) but from everything I have read, it's a winner. Then there is Kingdom of
Heaven.
This
is a film that should be right up my alley. It's got lots of swordplay and political and religious
overtones, all of which interest me a great deal. As a history buff, but one with little knowledge
of
the Crusades, I was eager to really eat this one up and hopefully come out of it hungry to learn
more about this turbulent era of world history. Alas, I found Kingdom of Heaven to be
overly long, pretentious, and lacking in spirit. Resulting in a snooze-fest of a movie where
even the action, while excellent, is nothing we haven't seen before. It lacked the energy and
spirit I've
come to expect from Scott's work.
I'm just a blacksmith.
Fans of Kingdom of Heaven should be very pleased with the transfer found on this disc. Presented in 1080p high definition in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Kingdom of Heaven looks marvelous. The first thing you will notice is that the film sports a mostly gray, drab, and "steely" look about it. Even in daylight scenes, a hint of gray is still ever present. What color is present in the film is vibrant. Black levels are deep and accurate. The detail to be found from scene to scene is high, although it can be slightly difficult to make out sometimes underneath the dreary look of the movie. Generally, however, it's magnificent. Anytime a character is wearing chainmail, check it out. It looks very realistic. Each individual piece of the armor is clearly distinguishable one to another. Small chinks and scratches on shields and other armor are amazingly reproduced. The more ornate of King Baldwin IV's masks, as seen in the picture beside this section of the review, is amazing in visible detail. Another scene shows a close-up of a hand; I paused the image and was amazed at the fine detail. Each line in the hand is visible and clear. Because of the drab look of the film it might make the viewer think twice about the quality of this image, but taken on the whole, accepting its overall look and feel as it relates to the film, this one's a real winner. Another wonderful job by Fox.
Once again Fox issues a disc utilizing DTS-HD MA lossless audio. No other track is available on this disc. This high definition soundtrack is very good. It offers excellent ambience in quieter scenes with the chirping and cawing of birds and the blowing of the wind, for example. Dialogue sounds good, but I was a little underwhelmed by it. It at times sounded hushed with a slightly unnatural feel to it. This is more of an observation than a complaint. It's not constant or terribly reproduced, just not exactly what I expected. Of course, the combat scenes are where a track such as this should truly shine, and it does not disappoint. Arrows will whoosh all around your room. Bass is ever present and most noticeable when stampedes of horses charge across battlefields. The clangs of swords and shields and armor can be heard all around. The screams of combat come from every direction, and you'll swear you are in the middle of some of the fiercest and most brutal combat you'll ever witness. This is an excellent soundtrack. I've only had access to DTS-HD MA for a few days. This marks the third title I have screened that uses this sound encode, and I am most satisfied with the results. Again, kudos to Fox.
The only extra to be found on this disc is a 1080p theatrical trailer for this movie. I do not own the DVD, but apparently there is a wealth of extras on the special edition release. I would have liked a commentary that might have explained some of the choices made in this film and the decisions behind releasing the extended cut of the film. I've no doubt there is plenty to be said about this film and it's a shame owners of the Blu-ray only don't have access to any worthwhile extras.
I was hoping to enjoy Kingdom of Heaven more than I did. I guess it's unfair to assume that I am going to enjoy everything even a director with the pedigree of Ridley Scott puts out. Who knows, this might be a film I'll enjoy more should I give it another chance somewhere down the road, but as it stands now, Kingdom of Heaven is, for me, the weak link in Scott's recent chain of success. From a technical standpoint, this disc is almost as good as it gets. Fans of the film won't be disappointed with either the audio or video. Unfortunately, fans will be disappointed with the lack of extras. If you have the special edition DVD and will want to see the extras again, it's currently the only way to see them. Despite the superior picture and sound, I cannot recommend buying this movie without first renting it. If this is one of your favorites, you probably already have the DVD. I'd recommend hanging onto that and upgrading only if you can decode the fine DTS-HD MA track and take full advantage of the 1080p image.
Director's Cut
2004
Director's Cut
2004
The Ultimate Cut
2004
2010
2003
1995
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2006
2011
2001
2017
Commemorative 20th Anniversary Edition
1998
2010
2010
2000
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2018
2012
2010-2013