The History Channel Presents: The Crusades - Crescent & the Cross [Blu-ray]

Although George W. Bush may have viewed (and publicly referred to) his "War on Terror" as a crusade, historians (and most of us with at least a middle-school education) know that the word - not to mention the actual events - is much too powerful to simply throw around as a scare tactic. Thankfully the History Channel understands this concept as well; The Crusades: Crescent & The Cross presents the story of these wars, which included some of the most bloody and religiously charged battles of history.

Although the story is set in the past, the similarities to current conflicts are clear. For while the techniques and technologies have certainly changed, unfortunately the underlying fears and philosophies have not. The Crusades explores the conflicts between two Middle Age superpowers - Christians and Muslims - fought over a period of two-centuries. The aftermath of the conflict decided the fate of the Holy Land - at least for a while - but left in its path the continuing struggles and conflict we have today.

Unlike some documentaries that are often full of bad re-enactments and laden with tedious interviews with historians and academics, the History Channel's presentation is alive with excellent cinematography and high quality production value. The modern-day historians who are included provide excellent and engaging insight into the battles and beliefs of the Crusades, and the ancient locations where it all took place. The re-enactments are impressive, the acting solid, and the use of CGI excellent. This is an engaging, enlightening and entertaining documentary that can be appreciated by young and old alike.

The Crusades is presented in two-parts, for a total of three-hours. As a television documentary, Bonus Features are not part of the production process.

History Channel did a great job with this series my only complaint was it lacked battle strategies and tactical overview maps of the warring parties,which would of been sweet! but as it stands they did do a great job none the less.

Comprehensive of the 200-year 3-crusades. Filming is acceptable, though not up to par with HD Bluray on all the scenes. Too bad there is no English subtitle,especially when Arab-names and terms are used, or English spoken by arabs with accent.