There is a bit of controversy with one of today's releases, so I'm just going to get this out of the way as quickly as possible to avoid any further distraction. While not a horrible presentation, the Blu-ray release of ‘
Gladiator' does not live up to the promise of Paramount's Sapphire Series to “present each cinematic gem in the highest quality.” The studio used a clearly outdated master for this release, a mistake that readers may recall from a few early Blu-ray releases (specifically, the initial release of ‘
The Fifth Element'). One can only hope that the studio will recognize that mistake, and offer replacement discs to those who are purchasing the film today (again, similar to how Sony handled their TFE issue).
However flawed, the disc does represent an upgrade from the previous DVD release. The audio quality benefits greatly from the lossless encoding, and viewers will definitely notice increase fidelity and clarity. Even the video represents an upgrade, though not on the scale usually seen on Blu-ray releases. So while you may hesitate to pick up a copy today, you can make a purchase with the knowledge that the Blu-ray release represents the best home video presentation of ‘Gladiator'. Hopefully, Paramount will soon come out with an official statement announcing a trade-in program for owners, but that may take some time as they first have to figure out what went wrong.
Beyond that, we do have some great Blu-ray titles being released today, including a title that does represent what Paramount's new Sapphire Series is all about: ‘
Braveheart'. Staff Reviewer Martin Liebman concludes in his review of the title, "With pitch-perfect pacing, fabulous acting, well-written characters, exciting action sequences, and an unwavering emotional core, Braveheart may be found on a rather short list amongst the best of the best films in cinema history. Parmaount's Blu-ray and flagship "Sapphire Series" release is, in a word, superb. Boasting a high quality film-like 1080p transfer, a wondrous lossless soundtrack, and plenty of extras, Braveheart is one of the year's must-own titles and earns my highest recommendation."
Fox releases the film ‘
M*A*S*H' today on Blu-ray, which served as inspiration for the long-running television series of the same name. Starring Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould, the film tells the story of three Army surgeons who keep their sanity by living leisurely and staging practical jokes on their uptight commanders. Beyond that, Fox is also releasing the catalog titles ‘
The Girl Next Door' and ‘
High Crimes'.
Anyone who has seen the animated version of ‘The Lord of the Rings' will immediately recognize and connect with the look and feel of the Blue Underground Blu-ray release of ‘
Fire and Ice'. While not as universally known, the film represents a time in animation where fantasy themes could thrive without the burdens of reality. As staff reviewer Martin Liebman summarizes, “Blue Underground's Blu-ray release of Fire and Ice impresses. Featuring a solid 1080p image, an incredibly robust lossless soundtrack, and a decent array of extras, Fire and Ice comes recommended as a rental for casual viewers and as a purchase for genre aficionados and longtime fans of the film.”
After the success of the BBC series ‘
Planet Earth', Disney decided to use some of the award-winning footage, combine it with some additional footage, to tell the story of three animal families in '
Earth'. While ‘Planet Earth' isn't necessarily inappropriate for younger viewers, there are some scenes that may be questionable. Disney does what they do best, and delivers a family-centric film with a heart-felt story that younger viewers are sure to enjoy.
TV fans get another boost this week with release of ‘
Heroes: Season 3' and ‘
Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season'.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.