Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!!!
Review: Wow what a movie! Without a doubt one of the top 3 epic movies of all time (I rate it as #1 but arguements can be presented for other epics as well) For me, and many others, no film has captivated and been as successful in encompassing so many different movie elements and aspects. Action, adventure, comedy, romance, suspense, and drama are all embroiled into one to make the movie the most gripping ever to hit the big screen. I don't understand the flames from people who say the movie drags at times... nor do I understand the flames from people who say the movie is too fast paced... what parts are you talking about?? Every scene in the movie has its place and helps develop a character a little more. By the end of the movie you are so engrossed in the story line and attached to the characters you feel ashamed that you are watching it and not off conducting your own campaign for liberty! Bad directing??? WHAT?? Yet another flame I don't agree with. Mel Gibson not only delivers a SPECTACULAR performance as actor, but an unprecedented performance as a director. HOw many things in that movie were successfully accomplished that no other movie has even dared to think about trying??? The directing was superb! Bad acting?? BAH!!! This movie is so rich and dynamic in acting its sick! The characters are extremely well developed and much credit must be given to Randall Wallace (the script) and of course Mel. The history??? BAH!!! Yet another flame that goes unwarrantted. Any newcomer (or veteran for that matter) to the movie should understand two things before viewing. 1.) William Wallace was a real-life person and is heralded as Scotland's greatest hero. 2.) There is just as much legend about William Wallace as there is known facts! This is a movie directers dream-come-true!! I have read several books on what is known about William Wallace, and recommend that if you like the movie, you read the books ("Blind Harry's Wallace", Nigel Trantor's "The Wallace", Ross's "On the Trail of William Wallace"). The point is this.... the movie is from Hollywood, and hence, will have some areas that are implemented purely for the entertainment aspect. When are these areas cast into the story?? When the history ISN'T known. People forget that not a lot is known about the true Wallace, and there are so many TALES of his accomplishments/acts that a some points its hard to separate the facts from the fiction. At a lot of points, the truth being unknown, historians have no choice but to rely on undocumented facts passed from generation to generation or that were writting in the 1400s by Blind Harry. The main points of the film, Falkirk, Bannockburn, Stirling, the characters (Steven, Faudon, Wallace, Bruce, Longshanks), the plot, the scenes, and the recreation are very very well done. And that is what the viewer needs to take away from the film. It is not a documentary, and should not be viewed as such. Details might be missed here and there, but they are few and far between. Overall I give this movie 5 stars. Acting is superb, directing is even better, Tull's camera work is nothing short of phenominal, Horner is on the soundtrack (Need I say more about that), and perhaps the most important, the story very entertaining and is (as I have stated 2 times before) the most gripping I have yet to see... ever. On the DVD Mel offers a commentary... sort of a "watch the movie with Mel" idea. This rocks. He comments on how certain scenes were done, the difficulty of doing certain aspects of the movie, parts he really does and does not like, things he would have done differently had he the chance to do it again, and most importantly, he has the ability to look at the movie and poke fun of himself as a director. It's highly entertaining. There is also the option to watch the making of the movie,which is also very good. And of course the option to watch the movie with no commentary.. just the movie. The only possible downfall of Braveheart is that it is no longer playing in theaters... have a good day.
Rating:
Summary: Mel G as Patriot Spice
Review: I thought I was a macho man. I am not. Tears came into my eyes at the end of this movie. No other film had ever done that before. I thought Mel Gibson is in same category as Sly Stallone because of Lethal weapons. Man I was wrong. Mel really is an actor with a huge A. Everything in Braveheart is marvelous. I mean EVERYTHING. So... Loan it, buy it, steal it... Do anything to get it.
Rating: 
Summary: Coulda been better...
Review: The picture quality kind of stinks, but the sound is great, especially if you've got Dolby 5.1 running. Mel's commentary is fair, you won't learn a whole lot about the film by watching it with his commentary. The 30 minute "how we made the film" sequence is pretty good and typical with what you see on most DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, disappointing features
Review: If you're going to buy this DVD, buy it for the movie, not for the extra features. The 28-minute "making of" documentary was moderately interesting. The greater disappointment was Mel Gibson's feature commentary soundtrack. Not only were there large gaps of silence (you'll sometimes wonder if you've got the right audio channel selected!), but even when he did speak, he doesn't provide any great insight to how he approached a scene. His explanations of some of the technical aspects fall short, too. Frankly, he sounds bored through most of it.
Rating:
Summary: What a crime!
Review: Without a doubt, this is a classic movie. Love, revenge, twists, and, of course, Mel Gibson. The crime committed was the poor transfer to DVD -- I felt robbed by the lack of extras, and the extras that were there were quite disappointing. No cast bios? Barely any commentary in the commentary? What's up with that? When the inevitable limited edition 2-disc set comes out, I'm sorely tempted not to buy it. I'm really tired of the movie companies doing these multiple-edition releases.
Rating:
Summary: Best movie ever made!!!
Review: Braveheart is without a doubt one of the best movies ever made. Mel Gibson is an amazing director and an amazing actor. I was so moved my this film. Words can't even describe how excellent this movie really is. Buy it buy it buy it!!!
Rating:
Summary: unforgettable
Review: I couldn't resist doing a brief review of Braveheart, a perpetual favourite of mine that always leaves me inspired, regardless of how many times I've watched it. Most importantly, it leaves me pondering its messages, characters and storyline well after James Horner's intense, final score fades to silence.
Rating:
Summary: The best epic ever - period!
Review: Braveheart is simply one of the best fims ever made. It's as simple as that. Anyone who does not love this movie is seriously screwed up! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story it takes place in 14th century Scotland. Mel Gibson, who gives the preformance of a lifetime, stars as the Scottish commoner who leads his fellow men in a revolt against the exceedingly evil Edward the Longshanks when his wife is murdered. This film is superior to many many many other films for several reasons. One it is incredibly thirilling. The film's pace never lets up, even when Gibson isn't leading his men into battle. Which brings me to my second point. Its battle scenes are the best ever done. The are filled with blood and gore, but never at any moment seem glorified or stylized. It is also very historically accurate, I don't care what the reviewer Steve Henderson said below, he's out of his mind. Gibson didn't set out to make a documentry, so their will be a few minor inaccuracies. If Steve would have done any sort of research into the movie he would have known the Gibson did extensive research into the conditions, battles and other common practices of that time era. I have absolutly no complaints about this movie. I believe it is as close to perfect as something can get. Between the battles, the acting, cinematography and script Braveheart is nothing short of the best movie ever made. I recommend it highly and insist anyone who hasn't seen it to see it.
Rating:
Summary: Here it is!
Review: The long-awaited DVD edition of Braveheart is finally on store shelves, and now you can experience all the splendor and magic of this movie in a totally new and innovative way. The viewer is almost immediately immersed in the true colors of the beautiful vistas (not to mention all the blood), which is nothing short of a victory over the older VHS versions of the film. Although most of the scenes are crisp and clear, there are a few in which the image quality does tend to exhibit a rather grainy appearance, but again, these instances are few. Sound quality on the DVD is superb, measuring far above that of VHS. Bass extension is much deeper, and much more clean and natural sounding. The surround channels are used with vivid detail, mostly in the battle scenes and when the musical score wraps into the story. Paramount has done a fine job displaying one of its finest films in the best possible viewing method, and I recommend the DVD to all who enjoy this movie and wish to treasure it forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Mel in a kilt
Review: This was a good movie, I will not deny that by any means. The cinematography is, to unfortunately use a cliche, breathtaking, the costumes and sets equally so in their utter starkness and accuracy. I found this movie to be riveting even on the small screen, an emotional experience for the hardest-hearted of audience members. But I have a few criticisms to make. I know this first one is not the fault of Mel Gibson, but I still feel compelled to say it. Watching this movie is like watching Mel Gibson ride a horse, kiss a woman, yell 'Freedom!' and kill people. It is not like watching William Wallace. I found it difficult to actually feel involved in the movie--I am an emotional person and so it is not difficult for me to laugh or cry in movies, but I never felt as if this movie was an all-consuming passion of mine, as if Scotland was STILL an ill-treated country, as if Wallace had truly died. I never mourned for him, because Mel Gibson 'died' and then got up after the camera stopped rolled. I feel that it is important for the viewer to feel involved in the movie, mind, body and soul. A second criticism I have to make is concerning Mel Gibson's anachronisms. I'm not proposing to be any kind of Scottish history professor, but the kilt-lifting was ridiculous as was the love story concerning the princess. Maybe Mel found Marceau to be too attractive to resist, but the issue irks me still that such a glaring anachronism was passed for the sake of plot. Plot is part of the key to a beautiful movie, and the plot of this movie was a little ridiculous. Was this Gibson trying to truly win the freedom of the Scots? Or was he killing off every Englishman in sight to rid himself of the rage he felt for Murron's death? At least he could have stopped sounding like an American and stopped spouting Scottish cliches. Overall, I felt this movie had no depth and no dimensions. It was worth watching the first time for the popularity is achieved, the second time for soaking up the hundreds of things one misses so easily in a historical film, and the third time if one is a great fan of Mel. Then, let it gather dust for a couple years.
|
