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Actually it does, because the similarity between the two mammoth films (not to mention Mel Gibson is the lead in both films) often hampers The Patriot. I might not be fair, but I sometimes felt I'd seen it all before, only better. It's not that The Patriot is overly flawed - it's really not. It's just that if you're making a movie that has a lot in common with Braveheart, it's probably not a good idea to get the same guy to do it all over again! In cases like this where two films with the same lead are also similar in plot, the film released last tends to lose out (I had this problem with Instinct, for example, and it's casting of Anthony Hopkins in a role so close to the Hannibal Lector character he perfected.)

But there is still much to enjoy and admire in The Patriot. In the director's seat is the unlikely choice of Roland Emmerich, of ID4 and GOD"awful"ZILLA. What Emmerich brings to The Patriot is a production of a massive scale, and it really does rival the epic scope and feel that Gibson managed so well with Braveheart. Emmerich has a talent for making attractive-looking films, but unfortunately he doesn't usually have much of a story to tell along with the impressive visuals.

With The Patriot, he finally has a real story with developed characters (as slightly familiar as it may be), and both he and his "boy wonder" producing partner Dean Devlin should continue to pursue these types of projects in the future. Let's hope that when Independence Day 2 eventually comes around, the duo will have somebody else write the screenplay before they film it!

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented on both the original and the Superbit release in anamorphic video. Much to my surprise, I cannot detect a worthwhile improvement in the video from one release to the other. After comparing these two DVDs on my eight-foot wide 16:9 projection screen, I retreated to the computer for some competitive screencaps. I compared a half dozen scenes, and I'm forced to conclude that this is the first Superbit DVD I've seen that is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor.

Have a look at the side-by-side comparison of a printed page found at 7:29. Notice that within these cropped and magnified images, there is only the slightest opening of the letter "a" and the diameter of the hole on the letter "o" is essentially the same. This would indicate that there is no appreciable improvement on resolution. I confirmed this in comparison after comparison. This is either a tribute to the original work found on the 2000 DVD or an unfortunate example of a great idea not yielding expected results. Is the difference detectable? Yes. Do I prefer the Superbit release? I believe I do. Is the difference enough to make the investment if you already own the original DVD? I can't in good conscience say that it is.

On either disc, this is a splendid transfer. Colors are remarkably vivid and noise free, particularly the red uniforms on the British troops. Shadow detail and luminance dynamic range are beyond criticism. Small object detail is nicely retained, perhaps due to the slightly less intrusive edge halos than are usually found on Columbia TriStar DVDs. Film grain remains visible on occasion, but I've always found grain to contribute to the illusion of film rather than be a detriment.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track found on the original release and reproduced here is near reference quality. Very aggressive surrounds, broad dynamic range, crystal clear dialog, room shaking bass, dramatic sound effects with plenty of kick, and a wonderful realization of John William's fine score made this DVD a sonic delight. As with other Superbit editions, Columbia TriStar has added a DTS track, and after careful amplitude equalization, I once again found that the spoken and musical timbre of the DTS track had the edge. Bass tightens up. Brass has more bite. Well done.

Optional subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai remain. The supplement disc offers optional subtitles in Spanish and Portuguese. English closed captions are also available.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

As a Superbit Deluxe edition, the supplements have been relegated to a companion disc to make room for as many bit as can possibly be budgeted for the video and the two audio tracks. Most, but not all, of the supplements found on the original release are included here. As with the Superbit Deluxe edition of Hollow Man, the commentary track - here with director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin - has been discarded. What remains is essentially intact. Here's what Cliff had to say about the supplements in his original review...

The Visual Effects Interactive Featurette is an interesting look at the creation of five memorable sequences from the film. Each section is shown in three different stages, or "layers" of effects work, each visible either in a big box at the top of the screen or in two smaller boxes beneath. Choosing one of the lower boxes will highlight it into the larger top portion with commentary on the effect by visual effects supervisor Stuart Robertson. This is a great way to look at the work and the complexities of doing these effects shots.

The 10-minute featurette The Art of War is a look behind the scenes at how the massive battles in the film were shot. Included are interviews with stars Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Issacs, director Roland Emmerich, and stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell. Another ten minutes is spent with the featurette True Patriots, which focuses on the historical backdrop behind the film. I personally found The Art Of War more interesting overall, but both have actual informative material that goes beyond the merely promotional.

There are also six deleted scenes [despite the indication on the Superbit keepcase that there is only one] that don't add up to much overall, and would have padded the film's already hefty 2 hour 45 minute running time. The scenes are included in non-anamorphic widescreen with 2.0 surround sound and can be viewed with or without Emmerich and Devlin's commentary explaining their deletion. The Conceptual Art to Film Comparisons are one of the coolest features of the disc showing the painted concept for several sequences. With the touch of a button, the still artwork fades into the final moving film footage and then back again. This is a cool use for DVD and I hope to see it more. There is also a Photo Gallery which provides a bounty of pictures that showcase ten different subjects including the film's stars, locations and behind the scenes stills.

Both the film's early teaser and full-length theatrical trailer are included. On top of that both have been mastered in anamorphic widescreen and bitchin' 5.1 sound! This is how trailers should be done. Finishing off The Patriot are Columbia's standard talent bios for the major talent involved in making The Patriot.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

Disc two includes a little applet that opens a window with hot links to The Patriot website and to the Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment website, but no real exclusive content.

Parting Thoughts