We Are Marshall (DVD)
APPROX. 131 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2006 - MPA RATING: PG
" Despite its best intentions, there is much in We Are Marshall that holds it back from being the best it can be.
Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.
On the plus side of the acting ledger, though, we have Matthew Fox as the Marshall assistant coach, Red Dawson. Fox brings to his character the kind of realism that McConaughey's portrayal lacks. Fox seems more like a flesh-and-blood human being, whereas McConaughey seems more like a movie star. Then, there is Ian McShane, good as Paul Griffen, the chairman of the school board, a man who lost his son in the plane crash and takes a long time to recover. Also good are Anthony Mackie as Nate Ruffin, one of older players not on the plane when it crashed and one of the people responsible for carrying on the school's tradition; Kate Mara as Annie Cantrell, a waitress engaged to one of the young men who died in the plane; and Robert Patrick as the Marshall head coach lost in the crash.
But, most important, there is David Strathairn as Dr. Donald Dedmon, the president of the university. Has Strathairn ever given a bad performance ("Good Night, and Good Luck," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "L.A. Confidential")? If he has, I haven't seen it. In 2006 and 2007 he played two entirely opposite personalities on screen--the kindly, mild-mannered, well-meaning academic we see here and the ruthless, cold-blooded spy chief in "The Bourne Ultimatum." And he made us believe in both characters without question.
Anyway, with a story line we know in advance, a main character who isn't very interesting or very appealing, and a boatload of trite, overused sports-movie sentiments, "We Are Marshall" comes off as rather routine. The film has its moments, to be sure, and it will not disappoint every viewer; it just seems like it could have been so much more.
Video:
The picture looks good, WB's video engineers maintaining the movie's original 2.40:1 theatrical screen size (measuring about 2.26:1 across my television, given a small degree of overscan), with the only grain in sight no doubt a product of the original print and very little additional noise. The grain actually gives the image a realistic texture, so it's nothing we would want to see eliminated in any case. With a decent bit rate, anamorphic transfer we get some good, deep colors and intense black levels. The colors can be a little too intense, but it is fairly realistic, except in facial tones, which I found a trifle dark. Object delineation is also good, so, all in all, there is little to complain about.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound does its job in commendable fashion. Certainly, it is quite robust, with an efficient use of the surrounds. It is a pleasant, full sound, acceptably smooth and dynamic when necessary. It uses the surrounds to excellent effect, too, creating a decent 360-degree sound field, Bass, while subtle, is deep and powerful, if not quite in the same league with Dolby TrueHD. There is a very slight degree of soft fuzziness to the sound as well, but it is hardly noticeable except, again, in comparison to a TrueHD track.
Extras:
The primary bonus item on the disc is a thirty-six-minute documentary called "Legendary Coaches: How Coaches Overcome Adversity," hosted by the film's director and highlighting the careers of Bobby Bowden, Pat Summit, Lute Olsen, George Horton, and John Wooden. In addition, there is a one-minute tribute to the college, "Marshall Now," and a five-minute promotional for the state of West Virginia. The disc also contains thirty-one scene selections but no chapter insert; a widescreen theatrical trailer; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired.
Parting Shots:
"We Are Marshall" seems to me a genuine attempt to retell the story of the Marshall University tragedy and the subsequent rebuilding of its community spirit. Unfortunately, as dramatic as the true story is and as sympathetic as audiences are to the situation, the movie itself seldom rises above the mediocre and the sentimental. It relies far too much on our preexisting compassion and does little to generate any new interest in things we didn't already know or feel. In other words, in trotting out all of the anticipated stereotypes and clichés, it looks and feels ultimately like any other inspirational, true-life sports movie, just with a grimmer reality behind it. If you like such movies, you'll love this one. If you don't, this one probably won't matter.
Connect to Facebook/Twitter, recommend via email and much more.
Learn more about our rating system »
