Plot: What’s it about?
Unless you’ve been in a cave for the last 5 or so years, odds are that you’ve heard about or even had the chance to see this movie. Featuring the talents of one Mel Gibson, who just happens to be one of the top Hollywood stars for the past…20 years, both behind and in front of the camera. Now it’s almost a given fact that all men who are stars in front of the camera, don’t fare as well as a director. Ron Howard is certainly an exception, as is Rob Reiner who both started out as actors but have really made their mark on Hollywood on the “other” side of the camera. Braveheart marked the directorial debut of Mel Gibson, who most of us know for his “Lethal Weapon” and “Mad Max” trilogies. But it was this movie about the “savior of Scotland”, William Wallace (Mel Gibson), that walked away with Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture among others. While clocking in at just under three hours, hundreds of slain bodies with various appendages cut off and an ending scene that will leave you with your mouth wide open. Braveheart is all of these, yet one of the most popular movies to come around in some time. It blends the right mix of love and action to make those hours fly by and leave you wanting more…Lastly, I’m sure this movie draws parallels between recent blockbuster “Gladiator” directed by Ridley Scott, and a movie I personally liked better than this, but make no mistake…Braveheart has all the elements of any great picture and will remain a classic for years to come.
We first meet William Wallace as a young boy, with friend Hamish. Hamish and Wallace grow up together and share many adventures as well. We also are introduced to Murron, who the story mainly centers around. Flash forward some 20 odd years and we see the same trio and Mel Gibson as William Wallace. He has just returned to his home town to become a farmer, raise crops “…and God-willin’, raise a family”. While off, he has been to places far and near, Paris, Rome…and has been a student learning different languages. He’s educated. While time has passed, his love for Murron (has done nothing but grow stronger and he wants her to be his wife. Against the wishes of her father, Murron and William start seeing more and more of each other until he finally proposes. So the die is cast, but under the English rule of the small Scottish villiage, a guard decides to have his way (or try) with Murron. Being very angered, of course, she strikes him and has her neck slit in the town square. Wallace, being upset and terribly angered by the news, makes it his mission to defeat the British. In thier small town, they had supposedly come to an understanding, but it was little events like this that made the Scots hate the British. After a very gruesome and memorable attack, the Scots take back the town. However, Wallace’s thirst for victory is still not yet quenched. Vowing to lead the Scots to victory over the English, the rebellion grows and it’s not long before the local politicians get invovled. Ultimately, this is a rival between two families. The English Plantagenets with King Edward I and his son; and the Scottish Bruces, who have no throne to actually claim, yet they fight for Scotland.
Through thick and thin, the army led by Wallace continues to grow and become more and more powerful. As Wallace’s power continues to rise against the English, so does the desire to have his head on a stick! In some ways, this resemebles “Spartacus”, yet the underlying theme is revenge fueled by a bloodthirsty William Wallace. Amid the many battle scenes, Gibson manages to portray his character as a human who is still fighting for love, though it’s much more than that. Braveheart is a spectacle of filmmaking, and with all of it’s controversy, violence and contrived themes, it’s one of the best movies that has come around in several years. Gibson proves that he can not only act, but direct as well and by not seeing this movie, you’re cheating yourself out of three hours of sheer pleasure.
Video: How does it look?
Braveheart is shown in it’s original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is enhanced for widescreen TV’s. While the presentation is near perfect, it’s not. Near is the word that keeps it from getting perfect marks. A few specs and artifacts detract very little from the movie (and if you’re watching for the image quality, you need to pay attention to the plot..as it’s too good to miss), but these are not the marks of a perfect picture. Just for kicks, I took out my old Widescreen VHS copy of this and put it in the VCR and I can say that the difference is literally night and day. Colors are bright and vivid and edge enhancement is minimal. The Scottish landscape has never looked better and it’s by mere specs that this isn’t a perfect image.
Audio: How does it sound?
If the LFE doesn’t activate during this movie, then nothing wil make it work. From the sound of horses galloping to the sound of swords clanging, the active audio is second to none on this soundtrack. Of course, Braveheart is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and the dynamic audio is a main reason that this movie has the impact that it does. As mentioned before the “.1” channel is by far the most active, but the surrounds are used with very good timing. Most noticeably during the batle scenes that rival movies like “The Messenger”. Top notch audio.
Supplements: What are the extras?
One sign of Paramount’s increased devotion to the DVD format has got to be the extras included. Whereas with “Titanic” they presented it in a non-anamorphic transfer with no extras, counting on the movie’s popularity to make it sell. It worked. With this movie, I’m sure they could have done the same thing. The audio commentary with director Mel Gibson is not only informative, it’s more like a Godsend! Only kidding…There are some serious gaps in the commentary, which suprised me as Mel Gibson tends to give the vibe that he’s sort of hyperactive. Nevertheless, he provides insight that an actor/director can give and I’m glad to have it on this disc, as I would want one otherwise. Also included is a 30 minute special on the making of Braveheart which is also very informative and nice to have. Add to it a theatrical trailer and you have a pretty good disc. Kudos Paramount, you’re going in the right direction and Braveheart is one of your best efforts to date.
