Gladiator

"Gladiator", "Blade Runner", "Black Hawk Down", and "Alien" are the 4 essential Ridley Scott-directed films that film lovers should have in their collection for the sheer mastery that Scott and his filmmaking collaborators are able to achieve. (Others you might consider include "The Duelists", "American Gangster", "White Squall", and "Kingdom of Heaven"). The color, detail, sets, the digital reconstruction of the Coliseum and other parts of Rome, the costumes, Hans Zimmer score, and impressive performances by Russell Crowe, the late Oliver Reed, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, the other supporting cast, but especially Joaquin Phoenix - make "Gladiator" a film that is enjoyable to watch repeatedly and have in your permanent collection. In case, you may be wondering - the Roman Emperor Commodus was indeed murdered by a gladiator (or wrestler, really) who was part of plot to do away with him...so, yes, the historical circumstances may have been embellished a bit (and other aspects of the film) to make Russell Crowe's character, a Roman general, more heroic than actual fact, but hey...it's the movies. Go with it. The commentary track featuring Scott and Crowe is also quite interesting and occasional insightful even as Crowe points out a few minor flaws in the film. The digital stream of the film (shown in Dolby Vision for those with an Apple TV set top box) is also quite impressive and shows little difference between the 4K UHD disc viewing in HDR for detail or richness of color. I've viewed the streaming version on my Sony 4k TV, a Samsung 1080p TV, and an older Philips 720p TV and the image is equally crisp and rich in color on each. If you want to test this out, check out the close-up of Russell Crowe's hand as he picks up the metal arrowhead from the dirt in the Coliseum. One of the best films ever made. A wise purchase.

Great quality. One of my favorite movies

I’ve collected a lot of catalog 4K discs over the years, and not all of them deliver when it comes to the audio mix. Some, like Carlito’s Way and The Big Lebowski, carry a DTS:X logo but feel flat, restrained, and don’t really wake up a full 7.2.4 home theater system. Gladiator is the complete opposite — this is one of those rare finds where the DTS:X track elevates the entire experience to near movie theater quality! The audio here isn’t just “good for its age.” It’s reference-level. My AVR reported bitrate spikes up to 8.8 Mbps (as pictured) during the battle sequences — nearly double what Dolby Atmos TrueHD tracks usually hit (those often top out around 4–5 Mbps). That’s because DTS-HD MA, the carrier for DTS:X, uses less compression and allows higher instantaneous bitrates. The result? Explosive dynamics, crystal-clear dialogue, thunderous bass, and surround effects that make your room feel like the Colosseum itself. At reference level (0.0 dB), the soundtrack truly comes alive. The opening battle, the roar of the crowd, even the subtle echoes in the corridors — every detail is rendered with precision and power. It’s a masterclass in how a classic film should be remixed for modern home theaters. If you want to show off your system, or if you’ve been disappointed by underwhelming DTS:X tracks on other catalog titles, this disc will restore your faith. Gladiator in 4K HDR with DTS:X is nothing short of spectacular.

Great movie

It's perfect, the only thing I would have preferred is a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. DTS X is fine, but it is missing a lot of Front Presence audio, it's just really not there. But he rest of the surround track was impressive and super dynamic, scared the hair off my kitties during the battle scenes, the mix was involving and masterful. I could make out individual characters in the battle scenes with their cries and shouts subtly in the mix. It definitely felt like I was on the battlefield with Maximus. The resounding thundering roar of the pitch pots exploding in the woods during the battle were some of the best dynamics I've heard in a soundtrack. The video mastering is wonderful. For the price of a single ticket admission you get the 4K version, a Blu-Ray version and bonus features disc (three in all), plus you get a coupon for a free digital download to any device of your choosing. A venerable good deal! Anyone should he happy to have this 4K copy in their collection. I will be going back and watching all the bonus materials and director's comments, etc. There's quite a bit of bonus material, plus you can see the unexpurgated version that wasn't shown in the theater (as a menu option for playback, it will play the restored material in the movie). I did see this movie in the theater, and on my 4K set at home with a 4K player, this disc looked every bit as good as the theater, as best my memory could recall. Get it, you'll be watching this classic for years to come!

I was hoping for major upgrade from 1080p to 4K would be huge, but this was not the case. The movie and soundtrack will always be amazing.

Good

Finally, they have released a version that captures the movie's amazing visuals as they should be. The 4K HDR format allows for the colors to come through as intended. Vibrant without being artificial. My player doesn't currently support Dolby Vision, but the HDR10 format was fantastic. And my Sony A1E OLED avoided issues with "banding" (or "artificial contouring") that I've had in the past with Blu-Ray and DVD copies on other sets. I'll need to try my standard Blu-Ray copy to see if the banding goes away because of the TV or the format of the movie. The sound was also fantastic. I did not play it on a system capable of handling the overhead sound. But what I got was incredibly engaging, and better balanced with the dialogue than I recall from other copies. I've watched this film many times, but never since the first time I saw it has it been so engaging. My heart was actually beating pretty fast a number of times when viewing this copy tonight! I don't know if it was the improved visuals or the sound that made it so incredibly visceral this time out. Whatever it was, they've clearly finally addressed all the complaints over the years from reviewers saying they took a lazy approach with previous versions. This one seems really cleaned up, as if a lot of time and attention was given. But that's only fitting for such a popular film, and one so meticulously crafted.