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I hope to upgrade my Braveheart DVD to the Blu-ray eventually, but for now I'll tell you what I can about what I know.

There are a couple of DVD versions, and mine is the oldest since I grabbed it up as soon as it was released. So, sadly, my buying guide is going to be lacking on this one. The original DVD offers very little beyond the movie. The other DVD is a 2 disc “Special Collector's Edition” and appears to have the same movie presentation with several additional extras.

The Blu is a 2 disc package as well. And if you're a Gladiator fan you can pick up a 2 Blu pack. There are other multi-packs out there, but I won't try to go through them all.

The original Widescreen Collection DVD is out of print according to what I read so they may be harder to come by as time goes on.

Video:

2.35: This looked great back when I was upgrading from VHS. Now it looks rough. It's not as sharp as it could be, the colors look flat and dull, it's rather pixelated, and there is minor but noticeable trash.

Audio:

5.1 Dolby: The sound is clear with just enough bass to appreciate it. The surround sound immersion is not bad.

Packaging:

The case is standard plastic.

It has an insert that contains several images, some brief plot notes, and a chapters list.

The interface is simple with a static image and basic menu.

Extras:

-Commentary: It offers a commentary by Mel Gibson that is surprisingly interesting. I mean how great can one guy talking for 3 hours be? It’s slow at times, but he offers some insight into the true history of Wallace as well as various aspects of the movie-making experience. I’ve listened to it twice and enjoyed it both times. I haven't seen the commentary listed in the features for the other releases. I don't know why they would exclude it, but I've seen that done before with other movie releases.

-A Filmmaker's Passion: (28:07) The behind the scenes video starts out with a lot of just telling the story but finally gets into some good, original material. The other releases have behind the scenes features listed, but they don't appear to be the same one.

-Trailers: There are also 2 trailers if you get excited about such things.

Other Editions:

2 disc DVD:

The 2 disc version lists a feature called “A Writer's Journey,” “Tales of William Wallace,” archival interviews with the cast, and a photos montage. Other than the extra extras it looks like this is mostly the same as the one I have. It does not list the “Filmmaker's Passion” feature or the commentary from the older DVD though that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't included.

Blu:

The HD video is 2.35 widescreen at 1080p with 5.1 Dolby HD surround sound. The presentation gets nearly perfect marks from reviewers I've check out so count on great quality. Exact details on the extras have been sketchy, but there is definitely a good bit here. It offers some “interactive timelines” which appear to essentially be behind the scenes features that take advantage of Blu's advanced technology. One is said to deal with the movie production, one covers the historical story, and the last looks at the fictional story. There's a new set of cast interviews and a couple of features that appear to visit some of the historical locations we see in the movie. Gibson's commentary is here, and at least some (maybe all) of the DVD extras are present. There is a steelbook case variation available as well.

Combo Packs:

The listing says this is a 4 disc set so it should have everything that buying the 2 disc version of either movie on its own would have.

The DVD version of it has the older release of Braveheart so the extras will be the same as what I outlined above. Gladiator also has some extras included.

The Blu 2 pack with Alexander Revisited sounds like it will be the same as the Gladiator pack (with the except of the movie pairing, of course).

The Blu 3 pack may offer less since the extra disc is not included. You might miss out on some of the extras by going with this one.

Final Thoughts:

I've thought this move worth owning purely on its own merits so that I can watch it whenever the mood strikes me. I'm intrigued by the historical features offered on the Blu and hope to be revisiting my guide with more info about them eventually. I'll be passing on the 3 pack since I would rather make sure I get the full compliment of extras, but the Gladiator 2 pack looks like it could be a good buy.