As 2018 comes to a close I thought it would be a good time to share my favorite physical releases of the year. I am a big supporter of physical media and will continue to support it. I like owning my movies that I can hold, not in some cloud somewhere. I love box art. This year was a great year for exclusive Steelbooks at Best Buy. Some of them will make my list. In deciding the number I fell on the most obvious one, 18.

Number 11 is the 4K Ultra HD release of the war epic, The Patriot!

The Patriot is an epic film that takes place during the American Revolution. Mel Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin, a farmer who has given up his past life as a war hero and focused on raising his children after the death of his wife. But when the war literally comes to his front door, tragedy strikes and Benjamin is forced to pick up his gun and hatchet to turn the tide of war in South Carolina.

The Patriot is one of my favorite war films. It is extremely loosey-goosey with the facts of the American Revolution, but it is one entertaining movie. Gibson does a great job of playing a man burdened by his past and fearful of a future that includes his sons going off to battle. Heath Ledger co-stars as Benjamin’s ambitious and patriotic son Gabriel, who is also terrific. Although the film clocks in at nearly three hours, director Roland Emmerich keeps the film moving and it doesn’t feel like a long film at all. The battle scenes are amazing, they give you a true sense of what warfare was like during the American Revolution.

What makes The Patriot a must buy is the incredible upgrade the 4K UHD is over the previous blu-ray. Colors are striking. The detail is astounding. Different times during the day reveal different colors, dusk paints the sky blues and pinks, and daylight is bright and blue. This is the kind of movie that 4K is made for, and to show off to your friends. I have seen The Patriot many times, seeing it 4K was like watching The Patriot for the first time.

The sound is also thumping. The sounds of muskets and cannons is scary and loud. The Atmos track again is an upgrade from the previous blu-ray. Dialogue is crisp and clear. The sounds of war have never sounded better.

In an amazing move, Sony includes all extras including some new ones (to blu-ray anyways) on the UHD. The UHD only includes the theatrical cut, the accompanying blu-ray does include the ten minute longer extended cut. You will find four featurettes that total about 35 minutes. There are about 13 minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary. Lastly my favorite extra is the audio commentary with Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin. On a film as long as The Patriot the commentary needs to be engaging, Devlin and Emmerich deliver on that, from filmmaking insights to some real history, it’s a fun listen.

One of my favorite war movies gets a stunning 4K upgrade. The UHD sports some remarkable video and audio. It also brings over all the old features and adds two extra featurettes. Well worth a $15 price tag even if you own the previous blu-ray.

Film: A

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras: A-

Overall: A