Gladiator II 4K Ultra HD

In "Gladiator II," after his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director Ridley Scott, Pietro Scalia, and John Mathieson (theatrical) and Scott and Actor Russell Crowe (extended); the featurettes "Visions From Elysium: Topic Portal," "Strength And Honor: Creating The World Of Gladiator" (HD 03:16:50) and "Image And Design"; abandoned sequences and deleted scenes; The Aurellian Archives and a Movies Anywhere digital code.

The 2.39:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally in anamorphic Panavision® using the Arri Alexa LF, Arri Alexa Mini LF and Z CAM E2-F6 camera systems and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format.

Picture quality is excellent and exhibits a cinematic filmic presence. The color palette is superb with saturated hues based on earthy tones. The color gamut is wide and finely nuanced in hue shadings and texture, exhibiting natural earthen tones.The backdrops, structures and objects display warm and rich earth tones, The cinematography is wonderful. Lighting is fire based lamps, candles, torches and fire basins. Everything looks perfectly natural and realistic, Flesh tones are accurate, HDR contrast is superb with realistic black levels, revealing shadows, and bright white levels that illuminate the daylight scenes. Daylight scenes exhibit variations from bright sunlight to overcast skies. Night scenes are filled with light by fire and candles. Interiors are revealing of shadow shading contrasted with dramatic spot lighting. The complexity of contrast and resolution is stunning, with textures accentuated. Resolution is impressively detailed and brings realistic life to the intricate production design. Garment and fabric detail is ripely resolved, as are architectural features, props, sets and objects, Facial features are finely detailed, such skin pores, lines hair and beards. Animal features are finely dissolved, This is a remarkable picture that captures what is imagined to be the environment of the ancient time. The picture is reference-quality with vibrant color and superb sharpness and clarity. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding and extremely well crafted, The battle scenes are exciting though truly bloody. Likewise, the hand-to-hand combat in the Coliseum creates the sounds of violence. Atmospherics are effective as an environmental foundation. Sound effects are powerful, especially during battle scenes and fighting in the Coliseum, such as intense fighting between gladiators. Foley sound effects are incredibly realistic and spot on in sync with picture. Bass is often deep and powerful with strong .1 LFE energy. The orchestral/choral score is dynamic with a wide and deep soundstage that aggressively extends to the surrounds. Dialogue is intelligible throughout with excellent spatial integration.

The Immersive Sound element is iimited to an extension of the orchestral/choral score and nothing else. There was so much to work with beyond the music in the height layer that was not developed with all of the battle scenes and combat violence.

Every aspect of the holosonic® surround soundtrack sounds incredibly accurate and delivers emotional impact. (Gary Reber)