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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 2.35:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX
  Subtitles
    English, Dutch, English - Hearing Impaired, Hindi
  Extras
  • DTS trailer

Gladiator (Superbit)

Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 149 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

I recently reviewed a film that featured an Italian man who played a new Australian. It was made in 1966 and starred a leading Italian actor in the lead role.

Gladiator, however, features an Australian playing an Italian (or Roman if you like). The Italian man brought his accent to Australia just like Russell Crowe brings his ocker accent to the arena. Yeah, bloody oath he does, mate.

I need barely explain the plot of this film, because unless you were living underground for the last five years you haven’t been able to avoid the publicity and such with which this movie has swamped us poor consumers. However, for those subterraneans among us, it goes a little like this: Maximus 31 Flavious is a great General, loyal to his Caesar, Marcus Aurelius. When Caesar, dying of too much ice-cream, passes his torch to Maximus, Commodus (the evil son of Caesar) gets mad and kills Marcus, making himself the new Roman leader before Maximus can take the reins. He has Maximus killed (badly, naturally) and smites his family so that when he gets home he has to bury them and then fall asleep on the grave. Due to an infection, he oversleeps and wakes up in a slave camp where he is trained to be a gladiator. Of course, his prowess shocks everyone and he becomes the newest thing in cool in ancient Rome (which is actually modern to them). After some rather messy killing scenes and more armour than a thing that uses lots of armour, the new Caesar and Maximus must finally collide in the Grudge Match of the Century (that century including 180 AD).

"At my signal, unleash Hell"

It’s an oh so gentle tale of lurid events that frankly, I’m not sure are so historically accurate. I mean, who’s ever heard of Germania? It just sounds so made up!

  Video
Contract

Holy Crap. This is the most amazingly clear picture I’ve ever had the jaw-dropping of seeing on my long-suffering television. Superbit means Superbit and no lie. If you thought it looked good on DVD already you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. Absolute crystal clear definition puts you firmly in ancient Rome (or northern Africa somewhere when the story demands). Unfortunately, there are still a couple or three artefacts that have made the transition alongside the great picture. I kept checking with my 4x zoom function and was blown away by the incredible picture and chose to ignore the artefacts. They’re only black specks for the most part anyway, but I guess you could zoom in on them too if you were so inclined. And picky.

There are only the tiniest appearances of compression issues in fades and there are a couple of issues with greenism in the black shadows of the underground dungeon beneath the Colliseum. Nothing is an exact science, except of course, Exact Science in high school, but I played Hangman through most of that 'cos it was so boring.

  Audio
Contract

Massive DTS sound gets the speakers smoking by film’s end as it processes the perfect sound levels of this film. Every krang of swordplay, every bone clanging off metal and the massive cheers of the crowd come to breathtaking life right there in your living room.

The dialogue is nice and clear with nearly every accent on Earth well represented in the multitude of characters throughout the film. The sound effects are all spectacular and if there is any use of stock sound effects I either didn’t hear them or didn’t care because it sounds so amazing. The music is also delivered with perfect clarity and the levels are all well balanced, filling all the gaps nicely. This is an all round massive sound package that will impress; major.

  Extras
Contract

How could there be room for extras on a Superbit DVD? I wouldna thought it neither, but they’ve managed to cram in the crappest of all the DTS sound Trailers they’ve ever had: ‘The Digital Experience’ one played in cinemas like, ten years ago. It even states that ‘This Theatre Features DTS’. Woo. Thanks for that.

  Overall  
Contract

This is the one for fans of the film or just fans of excellent filmmaking in amazingly clear delivery. It's bound to impress and will look absolutely stunning the bigger the TV set. Forget the double disc edition – if you don’t have Gladiator yet and you want it, grab this one instead. You will not be disappointed in the vision, the audio or the quality of the film. Your only disappointment will lie in the lamearse DTS trailer I would say. As far as improving on the near perfection of the original release, I say: Better just got even better.


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      And I quote...
    "Do The Evolution. Superbit is HERE!"
    - Jules Faber
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nintaus DVD-N9901
    • TV:
          Sony 51cm
    • Receiver:
          Diamond
    • Speakers:
          Diamond
    • Surrounds:
          No Name
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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