mikelowry

Looking for your opinions. Which of the two Gladiator DVD releases should I purchase.

JumpCutz

The Extended Edition.

JumpCutz

The Signature Selection.

mike2

I recall from a Ridley Scott interview, that he said it will be like having a 5 disk Gladiator set. You've got the Signature and the Extended. Extended is loaded with a 3+ hr docu.

The DTS version has a nice doc titled: "Gladiator Games: Roman Blood Sport." I've got the Extended. I feel that's enough. Of course everyone is anticipating an HD release. Even though the Signature is now OOP, you can still find them on ebay relatively cheap. So why not get both?

chris_sc77

Yep you need to get both of them.

peateargryphon

I would agree that, ideally, you would want both releases (I have both). However, if you're only buying one, I would go with the extended set.

The extended set contains both the theatrical and extended cuts of the movie on the first disc (including a commentary by Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe), as well as 2 discs of bonus features. The second disc contains a massive making-of documentary that runs over 3 hours (if you've seen documentaries produced by Charles de Lauzirika on sets such as Kingdom of Heaven, Blade Runner, and the Alien Quadrilogy, you know what to expect), and the third disc contains some nice featurettes as well.

The Signature Edition contains a commentary with Ridley Scott flying solo (which you may prefer to the one on the extended set). As for features not included on the extended set, there is a documentary that mainly focuses on the history of the gladiator games that runs nearly an hour. There's also a nice featurette with Hans Zimmer on scoring the film. Unforunately, the music is one aspect of the fimmaking process that really isn't addressed on the extended set. Other than these two features, I would say the extended set blows the signature set away in terms of bonuses.

If you do decide to go for the Signature Selection, be careful you don't wind up with the single disc version, which has an almost identical cover.

Hope this helps.

Apone

I own the Signature Selection for very obvious reason which is DTS and sharper picture quality. However I ordered the Extended Edition about three days ago and it is on its way because I didn't want to miss out on Charles de Lauzirika's DVD production of Ridley Scott's films (Alien, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven and Blade Runner). Try to get both.

Robert

The theatrical version. It has DTS 6.1 ES whereas the extended edition has plain old 5.1 and the picture quality is a notch above the extended edition

mike2

Does it come in Blu-Ray?

Maxflier

What he said.

vietduckboi

Does any know of any rumors or news regarding a HD DVD release???

argh923

You should get both. Clearly you like things in twos, since you felt the need to make this thread twice.

Dr. Henry Jones, Jr.

you should get the first one, that one says it won a few academy awards, while the second one does not. so the first one is probably better.

TheMovieman

Well, since the extended version also contains the theatrical one, get that one. Even though it doesn't have a DTS track, the Dolby 5.1 is still quite strong and it's loaded with a ton of extras (including a commentary with Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, which the other does not have). But no harm in owning both (as others have suggested).

bluetoast

Does the Extended edition have branching video due to having two cuts on one disc?

mike2

Ya I believe it's branched.

OldBoy

i would check this thread for a definitive answer for the definitive edition http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=523626

fumanstan

I have both, but I doubt i'd go back to the Signature Series one since I prefer the Extended. I didn't really notice any decrease in image quality between the two, but i'm not the keenest at seeing details.

mikelowry

My bad for double posting this thread. A silly mistake really. Thanks, your opinions were really helpful.

Rizor

If you like extras, I'd definitely go for the Extended.

If you'd rather have DTS over the great extras on the Extended set, go for the Signature Series.

Or if you love the movie enough, just get both.

Dr Mabuse

i own both...

i prefer the extended edition of the film itself...

Jacoby Ellsbury

get the 2nd one its autographed

TylerDurden_73

I own both. I am a Ridley and dts enthusiast and love the extras on all of his discs. That said, You'll find little difference in soundtracks when you play the dts on the signature edition and the Dolby Digital on the extended edition. What I mean to say is if you are only 5.1 audio you can't tell the difference

It comes down to preference....Do you need to have everything on all five discs? or can you live with just the 3disc extended edition?

Drexl

Yeah, but how many people own both because they had the original version for years before the extended version came out, eh? It seems a lot easier to keep one version of something you already have than to go out and buy two versions.

mr. b_dvd

I loved this movie so much I bought I think every US release of it. I bought it on VHS when it first came out (I didn't have a DVD player yet), and when I got a dvd player, I picked up the single disc. I had always wanted the Signature Selection one, and I picked it up off EBay when I couldn't find it in stores anymore. And yes, when the Extended Edition came out, I picked that one up too. I've since given away the VHS and Single disc version.

You did not give enough information when you asked the question. What do you like most, picture quality, sound, extras, nice packaging. Do you have a problem with double dipping, or are you dead set on just having one copy of a film.

If picture and sound are more important, then I'd say the Signature Selection. That is of course if you have the hardware to notice the difference. There is a review here on the Extended Edition, and it compares it directly to the Signature Selection. The Signature Selection shows a slightly better picture. The Extended Edition is still a good transfer, but the Signature Selection had a bit more detail; that is of course if you have the hardware though to notice. The Signature Selection also has the much coveted (to some) DTS Track that is missing from the Extended Edition. If DTS is not that important to you, or if 5.1 Digital is just as good to you as DTS, then either one would work for you.

If you are a fan of unique or different packaging, then I guess the Extended Edition would win here because it is a digipack with some great artwork on the packaging, and it is not just a simple two-disc amaray case like the Signature Selection.

As far as extras go, of course the Extended Edition would win hands down because it has two discs of extras compared to one disc of extras on the Signature Selection. If you are a big fan of extras, then you would probably want both copies.

I guess it comes down to what you are looking for or are into, and if you are intent on just having one copy of the movie. I think the reviewer for the Extended Edition suggested renting it to check out the extras, but the Signature Selection was the one to get and the Signature Selection got the highest rating on this website. If you are one that looks at extras only once, and you don't want to double dip, then you could rent/borrow the Extended Edition to look at all the extras on it, see both versions of the film, and then pick up the DTS Signature Selection one to keep in the collection and watch the version that is supposed to have the better picture and sound than the other one. Once this movie goes HD and/or Blue, however, all bets are off.

Thanks for the question, by the way. Like I said, I already have both copies, and I recently (like three or four days ago) put in the Signature Selection in to watch again just because I had been thinking about this movie for the last few weeks. I had also been wondering which of these two was better, so I read the reviews on here to see. I was kind of shocked that the Signature Selection was the version that was recommended over the Extended Edition; I would have thought the newest release with all it's extras would have had the better review. They Extended Edition got a great review, but the Signature Selection was the one that got the win out of the two (according to one reviewer). Interesting reading, you should check 'em out.

And like post #6 said above, if you go with the Signature Selection, make sure you are getting the two disc Signature Selection and not the standard single disc version. They share the same photo and layout on the front and back, but the single disc version is missing the DTS Desgination on top, it does not say Signature Selection, and it is missing the signature. They look identical to the untrained eye. I'd be curious also to see what your final decision is.