Braveheart 4K offers viewers an upgraded look at a modern epic that more that deserves it.
Braveheart has to go down as one of the best films of the 1990’s. Its plot is well known by now, as it serves as a heavily dramatized account of the first war for Scottish independence from England, and more specifically a dramatized account of real-life Scottish patriot William Wallace. Wallace who in the film is born into complex times of medieval Europe sees his father and brother go off to fight the English in revenge for the murder of Scottish landowners. They promptly end up dead and William is transferred to the care of his uncle. He comes back a grown man with no taste for rebellion and wants only to start a family. He begins to do this and finds a wife. However, life isn’t so simple in English controlled Scotland. Williams wife ends up dead at the hands of British troops and what follows is William going on a revenge tour that sees him fight so no future Scottish civilian must feel the pain he has felt at the hands of the English, and specifically King Edward Longshanks.
What transpires in the second and third act are some great scenes. Everything from battles, to epic speeches, to even a second love story. It can’t help but be thought that they could have done without the second William love story but it’s nothing that burns a big hole in the film from a dramatic eye. Maybe there are some historians who don’t like it, but this is a movie, not a history paper. Also weighing in on the conflict of the film is the relation of the Scottish nobles amongst themselves as they fight or scheme to give birth to their independent country. All this adds up to a thoroughly entertaining piece of Drama.
This is a film that deserves to be added to a growing 4K collection. It’s been said on here that 4K shouldn’t be used as the only trick that a film has and that there is a wide swathe of movies that no one needed or more importantly wanted in 4K. The people were done with those films when they first came out. Films like Braveheart do not belong in that statement. The film looks beautiful and most importantly the 4K quality is not the only thing that it has going for it. The plot, music, and upgraded picture all go together to make a piece worthy to add to a growing collection.
Overall, Braveheart in 4K gives everyone a good reason to go back and look at it. Is it perfect? No, no visual upgrade will fix anything plot related, but with that said the issues with this film were not that bad in the first place. This new wave of 4K upgrades of older films has given us reasons to go back to old films and reasons for those who missed old films the first time around to finally see something that they should, and Braveheart is an example of this in one of it’s best cases.
