Real Review - SeaBiscuit HD DVD

Seabiscuit is a prime example of what Hollywood is capable of when all the pieces fit together. Starting with an excellent screenplay and fine direction by Gary Ross, and paired with a noteworthy cast, Seabiscuit charges to the finish line and leaves us thoroughly entertained.

Seabiscuit is a story about overcoming long odds, second chances in life, and making good on potential. Concluding with the legendary match race in 1938 between War Admiral, one of the finest race horses in history, and the underdog upstart horse, Seabiscuit, the film traces the path of our ragtag team of broken down outcasts as they rebuilt their lives and their destinies together with the rising fortunes of Seabiscuit.

Jeff Bridges plays Mr. Howard, the owner of Seabiscuit, and the man who has faith in the jockey and trainer that no one else believes in. Tobey Maguire plays Red Pollard, the jockey who is down on his luck and willing to give his all for Mr. Howard and for Seabiscuit. Chris Cooper rounds out the cast as the ridiculed ex-trainer, Sam, who has a special intuition about Seabiscuit and helps rebuild his racing form.

The story line is the big key to the success of Seabiscuit. There is really only one plot to the film, yet we still get to know our main characters with scenes building up to the main plot-line. As such, our characters are made fully human, identifiable, and we root for them to overcome their obstacles as Seabiscuit heads to the big race.

A close second to the characterization in the film is the cinematography, as I was wowed on several occasions. The horse race scenes were simply outstanding and riveting to watch. Exciting is the only way I can describe these scenes.

I watched Seabiscuit on HD DVD and the PQ was stellar. The colors and lighting effects simply made everything pop with that HD effect. The race scenes were by far the most spectacular and I was amazed by how beautiful they looked. The PQ was impressive.

The audio track was the ubiquitous Dolby Digital Plus and it was good. It should be apparent that I’m a big fan of lossless audio, and I would have loved to have heard Seabiscuit with this type of audio track. Nevertheless, the sound design was good, my surrounds were used throughout the movie, so it’s hard to complain.

The disc includes a ton of extras, all in SD though. There is a commentary track, several making-of documentaries, the actual footage of the 1938 race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, an HBO First Look clip, and the full-length A&E special about the “real” Seabiscuit. Without a doubt, the HD DVD version of Seabiscuit is a must-buy.

Rating: 8.5

Source Chuck’s Movie Reviews

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