Moneyball - Blu-ray Review

4.1 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

An all-star cast brings to life the true story of Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), a former jock turned general manager who uses unconventional methods to bring the best players to the Oakland A's, a major league baseball team struggling against financial hardship. (Buy Now $19.99)

Listen to the review

Starring:

Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Stephen Bishop, Reed Diamond, Brent Jennings, Ken Medlock, Tammy Blanchard, Glenn Morshower, Kathryn Morris

Director:

Bennett Miller

Blu-ray Release Date:

January 10, 2012

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 3.6 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

• Subwoofer – 2.0 Stars
• Dialog – 5.0 Stars
• Surround Effects – 3.5 Stars
• Dynamic Range – 4.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Moneyball only makes it to first base in the audio department. There was hardly any subwoofer activity. The musical score did feature a few songs that brought some bass to the ballpark, but for the most part the subwoofer didn’t even come up to bat. Surround effects were helpful by enveloping the room with roars and cheers of crowds and help resonate the crisp sharp sound of the bat hitting the ball. Sports talk radio chatter also used rear speakers to make you realize that everyone’s talking, and there’s no escaping the rumors. The dialog performance was impeccable, and no lines were left in the dugout.

Video  4.9 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

• Color Accuracy  -  5.0 Stars
• Shadow detail – 4.5 Stars
• Clarity – 5.0 Stars
• Skin tones – 5.0 Stars
• Compression – 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

This Blu-ray hits a home run for great video performance. The clean sharpness of this film is beautiful. Every wrinkle on Brad Pitt’s face is easily visible, thread patterns on clothing are seen, and even beard stubble on the closest shaves are viewable. Hardly any film grain was noticed, and colors are natural and true to life. The only mark against the video is in dark scenes and shadows a few details are lost.

Bonus Features 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

• Blooper -- Brad Loses It (1080p, 3:11).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 12:05): 3 deleted scenes
• Billy Beane: Re-Inventing the Game (1080p, 16:02): Author Michael Lewis, Director Bennett Miller, Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, Beane himself, and others chat about the methods of creating the team.
• Drafting the Team (1080p, 20:51): A featurette about casting the movie.
• Moneyball: Playing the Game (1080p, 19:28): Discusses the authenticity and attention to detail that gave the film a creditable look.
• Adapting "Moneyball" (1080p, 16:33) Discussion about translating the book to the screen.
• MLB 12 The Show Preview Trailer (1080p, 1:21).
• Previews
• BD-Live.

Movie – 3.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Like any other sports related films, Moneyball is about an underdog facing unbeatable odds. However, this film offers more than the basics. It’s about second chances, redemption, most importantly thinking out of the box. It’s interesting to watch a sports film that isn’t focused on the players. Instead, this film follows the general manager of the Oakland A’s and sheds light on the stresses and difficulties of creating a winning baseball team.

I felt like I was supposed to like this movie more than I did. It had the finest pedigree of actors, direction, and writing, but yet it seemed like this movie lacked heart. All the actors gave a great performances, and you cared about team winning, but no one seamed to care about each other and nothing was at stake. Maybe it’s because the movie was based on a true story and it lacked more drama than I expected. It could also be that I’m not a big baseball fan, and the pitches they threw my way never connected with me. Whatever the case, Moneyball is a well made movie, but it never grabbed me the way most classic sports films do.