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Centurion Blu-ray Disc Review

CENTURION (2010, Blu-ray released November 2, 2010 – MSRP $32.99 CAN, $29.98 US)

Centurion Blu-ray DiscCenturion is a film based in historical fact, that attempts to offer a possible explanation for the disappearance of an entire legion of Roman soldiers in the mists of what would eventually become Scotland more than a millennia ago. At the center of the tale is the son of a gladiator and a small band of unlucky Roman soldiers.

Michael Fassbender (300, Jonah Hex), Dominic West (The Wire) and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) star in this visually stunning, bloody affair of battles and conquest. It’s 117 AD and the Roman Empire is struggling to gain control over northern Britain. Pict (early Celts) warriors, employing the earliest guerrilla warfare tactics, have held them off for some time and everyone is wishing that the vicious business of war would come to an end.

Fassbender is a centurion with a strong survival instinct that vows allegiance to General Virilus (West) for a final attempt at securing northern Britain for the Empire with the aid of Etain (Kurylenko), a mute warrior scout. The Pict warriors are depicted as cunning and barbaric, while the Romans, even with their shinier wardrobe, are by no means any nicer.

While it isn’t always clear who you should root for when watching this film, it is clear that you will be swept away by the awesome 1080p transfer. The breathtaking vistas of the mountain ranges and the beautiful landscapes of Scotland are spectacular. Extra work went into the production just to capture the weather conditions and traverse the terrain, which was often quite difficult, to give that sense of authenticity. The battle scenes, which are quite graphic, are wonderfully filmed and will have you mouth-gaped more than once. The colors are just rich enough without ever jumping out at you and the contrast is well defined, even with a fair amount of the story taking place at night. Blacks are deep without ever crushing any detail.

The audio is the best feature of the film. The sounds of soldiers marching, of hooves clopping, of clanging swords and falling trees all rumble and resound through your sound system with outstanding clarity and power. The dts-HD MA 5.1 surround soundtrack delivers clear center speaker dialogue, but also adds to the atmosphere, offering background ambiance, enriching the entire experience. And, the original music provided by composer Ilan Eshkeri (The Young Victoria) only augments the epic-feel to the soundtrack.

Extras include a commentary track, cast and crew interviews, a short featurette, deleted scenes and production photos. Also, a behind-the-scenes look at Centurion (“Blood, Fire and Fury“) provides background on the myth of the disappearance of the 9th Legion of Rome. The Blu-ray also offers (rarely seen nowadays) outtakes and B-Roll camera footage. I always find this sort of addition fun and interesting—It’s usually raw behind-the-scenes fare and gives better sense of what things were like on-set.

Chases, battles, blood and lore make Centurion an entertaining film to see (and hear!). Neil Marshall (Writer/Director) assembled an outstanding crew and technical team to deliver an exciting look at harsh battles and legends on the front lines of a changing nation.


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