Review of Braveheart

Introduction

When I went to the cinema to see Mel Gibson`s Braveheart I didn`t know what to expect. I`m a huge fan of Gibson in the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films, but was unsure how he`d cope as a director in a major historical epic, and how he`d cope starring as one of Scotland`s historic heroes.

There was no need to worry, Gibson`s three hour film was a rousing masterpiece, critically acclaimed and ended up winning five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.

For those ignorant of Scottish history, Braveheart follows the life of William Wallace, and to an extent Robert The Bruce, who fought against the English for an independent Scotland, winning historic battles which are remembered today by the Wallace Monument and Bannockburn Visitor Centre, both near Stirling and both well worth a visit if you`re in the area.

Video

There were a lot of negative comments about the picture quality of this Region 1 edition of Braveheart when it was released, with many observers complaining about grain, dirt and a general lack of detail on the print.

I`ve now watched this DVD twice and would describe the video as good, but not as good as other major DVD releases of a similar age. Other regions got a Braveheart release split over two discs, with the film on one, and the documentary etc on the other, but Region 1 editions cram the whole thing onto one disc. Braveheart runs for 177 minutes, and therefore has to be compressed a little more than most other films, therefore the image quality obviously suffers.

I`ve no complaint about dirt or grain on the print, but the image isn`t quite as sharp as it could – although to be honest it`s so far ahead of laserdisc or VHS that it`s a very small complaint.

Visually this film is superb, with the beautiful Scottish scenery, huge battles and well-recreated settlements all wonderfully reproduced on screen.

Audio

The soundtrack comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is good throughout the movie, especially in the battle scenes, with excellent use made of all the channels which helps to reposition your living room right in the heart of the action. However at other times, the soundstage is a bit quiet, with the action centred on the centre channel and front stereo pair. Again, like the picture some other films from the same era are presented better on DVD.

The dialogue is always clear and understandable, although some of the Scots accents are almost hilarious at times.

Features

Extras include an excellent audio commentary from Mel Gibson, a very good documentary entitled "A Filmmakers Passion: The Making Of Braveheart" and two trailers.

The disc is packaged in a black Amaray case which contains a four page colour leaflet detailing the 22 chapter breaks.

Conclusion

Overall, Braveheart is an epic movie which fully deserves the Best Picture and Best Director accolades, but isn`t perfect by any means. One problem is that the first hour or so is very slow at times, which puts some viewers off before they get to the last two hours, which are quite superb. Some better editing could have chopped down some of the long lingering shots and slow scenes to speed things up slightly at times. The film is perhaps 30 minutes too long at 177 minutes.

Having said that, make no mistake that Braveheart is a SUPERB movie, which is fantastically made, well acted and which contains some very spectacular (and brutal) large scale battles whilst telling the story of this important period of Scotland`s history.

The sound and video on the disc aren`t perfect, but they are a great deal better than any other format available, and the quality of the film is so high that the niggles about the detail of the image are easily forgotten.

A good commentary track and documentary round off the package.