7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
More than 10 games out of the postseason in late August, the St. Louis Cardinals battled back into contention and claimed a playoff berth on the final day of the regular season. They overcame the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies and prevailed against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers. Facing off against the Texas Rangers in the 107th World Series, the Cardinals fell behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Returning to Busch Stadium for Game 6, the Redbirds rallied from two runs down and one strike away from elimination in both the ninth and 10th innings, when hometown hero David Freese crushed a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to force a Game 7. Then, in the deciding game, a gutsy start by ace Chris Carpenter and a clutch two-run double from World Series MVP David Freese delivered the franchise’s 11th World Series Championship.
Starring: St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, Tony La Russa, Rafael Furcal, Allen CraigSport | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There’s that old running joke that goes something like: “If you look up the word [insert any word here] in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of [insert name of related subject the word describes here].” More often than not, this joke is used for pejorative purposes, but in the case of the word “comeback” and the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, it’s nothing less than an heroic acknowledgement that this team which had so much stacked against it was able to rise to unimaginable heights. And not just once. What’s so immediately apparent from this official 2011 World Series film released by Major League Baseball is how consistently the Cardinals overcame a number of issues to repeatedly step back from the brink of disaster and, against all odds, triumph again and again. This brisk hour and a half feature whisks the viewer quickly through both the regular season and the incredibly eventful post-season, intercutting a lot of game play and color commentary with brief interview snippets from both members of the Cardinals as well as a few guys from opposing teams. The entire outing is held together with enjoyable, albeit a kind of rah-rah cheerleader feeling, narration voiced by Jon Hamm (Mad Men), as it recounts a series of improbabilities which ultimately led to the St. Louis Cardinals holding a record number of World Series title championships for a National League team.
2011 World Series Champions: St. Louis Cardinals is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of A + E Networks Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. For the most part this is an extremely sharp and appealing looking high definition presentation that benefits from excellent clarity, robust and well saturated color and some really amazing fine detail, especially in the copious close-ups of various players. Despite the interlaced presentation, there are few combing artifacts, and in fact about the only artifact of any notice is some pretty bad alias and shimmer on a couple of establishing shots of St. Louis, which may in fact be stock footage. Otherwise, this is a crisp and colorful presentation which boasts excellent contrast despite a variety of lighting conditions, with solid and consistent black levels.
If you've ever wondered what it might sound like to stand at center field in any major league ball park, 2011 World Series Champions: St. Louis Cardinal's astoundingly effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix gives a pretty amazing simulation. Crowd sounds roar in from the side and rear channels, while the crack of a bat meeting ball suddenly pans overhead. This is a really well rendered track that ably supports the bombast of tens of thousands of screaming fans and then just as easily captures a quiet moment with one of the players at a neighborhood diner. Dynamic range is exceptional on this track, and fidelity is similarly great, so much so that individual catcalls or cheers from the huge crowds can be heard easily. The surround channels really kick into high gear in the game sequences, otherwise narration and interview segments remain anchored in the front channels.
The 2011 season was one of several improbabilities for the Cards, probably not the least of which was any hint that they might take the pennant, or indeed even have a chance at making it to any championship game at all. This excellent official film of the season gives a great overview of a really epic year in the Cardinals' iconic history. With great snippets of game play interspersed with some equally great commentary by the various teams, this is a fitting wrap up to one of the most incredible seasons in recent memory. As an added bonus, it helps fill in dunderheads like yours truly who forget to set their DVR for what is arguably the greatest Series game of all time. Recommended.
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