Film
Braveheart this film is not, but The Patriot is still a decent Mel Gibson offering. This film, along with Hollow Man, has had the pleasure of being one of the first Superbit Deluxe DVD release. For me, this film will be remembered by one, and only one great sequence. That sequence (if you have seen this film you will know this scene) is when Mel Gibson goes loco with his hatchet. This scene is worth the price of admission (or cost of the DVD) alone.
“In the emotionally…charged adventure The Patriot, Academy Award-winner Mel Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin, a reluctant hero who is swept into the American Revolution when the war reaches his home and threatens his family.” – CTHE
Audio
Like the initial DVD release of The Patriot, the Superbit Deluxe version sound amazing. But this DVD even goes one step further then the original disc… to include a great DTS audio track. Similarly to Hollow Man, the commentary track was substituted for this DTS track; and in this case, the DTS track is worth it. This disc sounds as good as any I have heard. The soundstage is full of action… bullets whizzing around your head and horses hooves pounding all around you. If you like being in the center of the action, this disc is for you. The dialog is all clear and focused, and the sound movement is accurate and powerful. You really should take a listen to this disc.
Video
You could not ask for a better looking DVD. As to be expected, this Superbit Deluxe release looks perfect. The colors are all extremely vibrant yet natural, and the darks are all very solid and clean. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is flawless, and is a treat to experience.
Special Features
Finally, Columbia-Tristar has done Superbit right. Trashing the featureless Superbit line in favor for the Superbit Deluxe series, these amazing DVD’s now have a bunch of special features to enjoy. This disc features the same features that were include on the original DVD release of The Patriot… and these features are quite comprehensive.
My favorite of the special features included on this disc is the visual effects interactive featurette. In this featurette, you get to see, through split screen and commentaries, how many sequences were shot. You can interactively select with of the split-screens to feature… allowing you to feature either the pre or post effect visual to view in the main screen. There are also tow very interview based featurettes – The Art of War and The True Patriots. These featurettes are also good, but not as entertaining as the visual effects featurette
This disc also features 6 deleted scenes (all with optional commentaries), conceptual art-to-film comparisons, photo galleries, trailers, and filmographies. If you liked this film, you will love these features.
Final Thoughts
This film looks great as a Superbit Deluxe release. The video and audio are flawless, and the special features are very enjoyable and complete. This is not the best of films, but this sure is a fabulous DVD.
Special Features List
- Visual Effects Interactive Featurette
- Featurette: “The Art Of War”
- “The True Patriots” Featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- Conceptual Art-to-Film Comparisons
- Photo Gallery
- Trailers
- Filmographies
