Braveheart: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
William Wallace is the medieval Scottish patriot who is spurred into revolt against the English when the love of his life is slaughtered. Leading his army into battles that become a war, his advance into England threatens King Edward I’s throne before he is captured and executed, but not before becoming a symbol for a free Scotland.
I remember seeing this movie for the first time in 1997 on VHS and the one thing that made me want to see it was the fact that it was a double VHS release with two tapes included. That aspect usually meant you were in for a long, epic film and this didn’t disappoint. The story is a fantastic example of the human spirit overcoming insane odds but at the same time there is a beautiful love story woven in as well. Gibson gave such a powerful performance and gave it with so much conviction. You literally could believe every single word that came out of his mouth. The cinematography in the film is truly amazing and seeing the lush environments and backgrounds is really a sight to be seen. This a film that will forever be seen as a part of cinematic history and with it being one of Gibson’s first films as a director, it makes it even that much more special. 10/10
4K Presentation:
Paramount has a pretty good track record at their 4K releases and this one continues that trend. The colors in the film looks so great and vibrant with the most noticeable moments coming when you see landscapes within. There’s a great amount of clarity throughout the film as well but there is still some film grain present here and there to keep the original cinematic feel. This definitely one of the best versions of this film that I’ve seen and it’s without a doubt the best way to watch it.
Special Features:
Braveheart Timelines – An interesting feature that shows timelines across history, production and fiction.
Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion – This is a pretty cool feature that has an interactive map that shows the real life battles.
Braveheart: A Look Back – This feature looks at memories of the production from the cast and crew.
Smithfield: Medieval Killing Fields – A look at where William Wallace was executed.
Tales of William Wallace – This feature focuses strictly on Wallace and what is fact or fiction.
A Writer’s Journey – Writer Randall Wallace discusses his intro to the story of William Wallace and his experience in writing the script.
Audio Commentary By Mel Gibson
