Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The story begins 50 years before the dawn of Christianity, when Rome was the wealthiest city in the world and the epicenter of a sprawling empire. Founded on principles of shared power and personal competition, the Republic was created to prevent any one man from seizing absolute control. But as the ruling class became wealthier, that foundation began to crumble and old values went by the wayside. Along came modern politics with infighting, corruption, and the drawing of party lines.

They say that those who fail to study history are bound to repeat it, and I think most Americans should study ancient Rome because the similarities are chilling. In any event, Rome is a respectable series, but I haven't had the opportunity to watch it in its entirety given the short time I've had the box set. The production value is high with elaborate costumes and sets, but the story tends to venture into the gutter with gratuitous sex and female characters typecast as manipulative bitches with potty mouths—maybe that's how it was, but it comes across as very Melrose Place. I still plan on finishing the series and reserve the right to amend my thoughts.

For the most part, this is a fine-looking VC-1/1080p encode featuring lush colors, beautiful locales, and accurate flesh tones. But there are too many instances of macroblocking, banding, and occasional ringing around bright objects that are distracting and unconscionable, particularly in the interior scenes. Exterior shots do much better with sweeping vistas and ample detail. The occasional soft shot creeps in, especially on longer shots, but close-ups are quite revealing of facial pores and textures in clothing.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack sounds very solid with intelligible dialog and an immersive surround environment. When walking the crowded streets of Rome, it gives the impression of "being there" with the active ambience. Furthermore, when entering battle, the clash of swords sounds frighteningly realistic accompanied by the screams of agony and glory. The front soundstage is wide, and the dynamics are impressive.

Supplements include 13 audio commentaries from cast and crew, four featurettes that examine the history of Rome and some of its famous citizens, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, two additional featurettes on some pivotal scenes, and a brief preview of each episode. Bonus features exclusive to Blu-ray include two interactive onscreen guides titled "All Roads Lead to Rome" and "Bloodlines." The first is a pop-up trivia track prepared by historical consultant Jonathan Stamp, and the second shows biographies of characters and their connections between the soldiers, senate, and families of Rome.

I'm not sure why the show only lasted two seasons on HBO given its high production value, but maybe viewers didn't want to see the parallels between Rome and America—they wanted escapism. Despite the occasionally problematic video encode, I still feel compelled to recommend the set for die-hard fans due to the informative supplements and solid DTS soundtrack.

Release Date: November 17, 2009
Studio: HBO

Movie: 6/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics