Russell Crowe Movie:

		List Price: $39.99		Label: Paramount Salesrank: 274 Released: September 1, 2009
		Our Price: $19.98
		Used Price: $27.02
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Director Ridley Scott’s triumphant Gladiator is an unparalleled combination of vivid action and extraordinary storytelling that earned five Oscars® including Best Picture. The Blu-ray presentation will include both the original theatrical version of the film as well as the extended version in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, as well as English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Korean subtitles. The two-disc set also will feature over four hours of bonus material.

Description of Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray]:
A big-budget summer epic with money to burn and a scale worthy of its golden Hollywood predecessors, Ridley Scott's Gladiator is a rousing, grisly, action-packed epic that takes moviemaking back to the Roman Empire via computer-generated visual effects. While not as fluid as the computer work done for, say, Titanic, it's an impressive achievement that will leave you marveling at the glory that was Rome, when you're not marveling at the glory that is Russell Crowe. Starring as the heroic general Maximus, Crowe firmly cements his star status both in terms of screen presence and acting chops, carrying the film on his decidedly non-computer-generated shoulders as he goes from brave general to wounded fugitive to stoic slave to gladiator hero. Gladiator's plot is a whirlwind of faux-Shakespearean machinations of death, betrayal, power plays, and secret identities (with lots of faux-Shakespearean dialogue ladled on to keep the proceedings appropriately "classical"), but it's all briskly shot, edited, and paced with a contemporary sensibility. Even the action scenes, somewhat muted but graphic in terms of implied violence and liberal bloodletting, are shot with a veracity that brings to mind--believe it or not--Saving Private Ryan, even if everyone is wearing a toga. As Crowe's nemesis, the evil emperor Commodus, Joaquin Phoenix chews scenery with authority, whether he's damning Maximus's popularity with the Roman mobs or lusting after his sister Lucilla (beautiful but distant Connie Nielsen); Oliver Reed, in his last role, hits the perfect notes of camp and gravitas as the slave owner who rescues Maximus from death and turns him into a coliseum star. Director Scott's visual flair is abundantly in evidence, with breathtaking shots and beautiful (albeit digital) landscapes, but it's Crowe's star power that will keep you in thrall--he's a true gladiator, worthy of his legendary status. Hail the conquering hero! --Mark Englehart

Gladiator (Sapphire Series) [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Awesome!
2009-12-31 - I have seen this movie several times in-theater, DVD and now BluRay. I can definitely say that watching it @ 1080p was a totally awesome feeling. Crisp picture quality and detailed sound with dts-HD.

Much has been said about the movie and the quality/attention to detail of this classic so I will refrain from boring you with the awesomeness. Definitely recommend this awesome movie on high definition.

Gladiator Review
2009-12-30 - Great movie as almost everybody knows but picture quality wasn't as good as I thought it should be. Don't get me wrong, def looks better then the SD version but not the best PQ in BD i've ever seen. Sound Quality was decent, definitely cleaner if your setup decodes the new HD audio formats but even then, its not as good as some other sound tracks I've heard before. I don't think anybody will doubt how great of a movie it is, just PQ/SQ thought could be better!

Great movie, terrible blu-ray conversion.....
2009-12-30 - No argument that this is a great movie. Unfortunately, the blu-ray (sapphire series) quality is a horrible end product to watch in comparison to other blu-ray movies on the market. This needs to be fixed. A shame, waste of money for the quality you expect to get from blu-ray video.

Nice Transfer
2009-12-29 - The video transfer will blow you away vs DVD. There is no comparison. In addition, the audio is incredible. The uncompressed audio will make you feel you are in big theater. Yes, there are a lot of dark scenes in the movie and the video can be noisy sometimes. This is normal. The movie is a must purchase. Best Picture.

Wait for it to be done right
2009-12-28 - I watched and compared the Blu-ray to my DTS DVD. Don't support this kind of crap transfers. I will wait for this to be done right. I gave it two stars only for the audio. The video is really annoying!