2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 30, 2019

The Washington Nationals' run to the 2019 World Series was not unexpected. At least not at season's start. Though the club had lost hotshot superstar Bryce Harper in free agency to division rival Philadelphia for a lengthy and lucrative contract, the club maintained a startlingly strong core on the mound and in the middle of the order, including veteran hurlers Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, MVP candidate Anthony Rendon at the hot corner, and young superstar Juan Soto in the outfield. Despite a crowded National League -- the Braves, Phillies, Brewers, and Dodgers all figured to be in the hunt all season long -- the Nationals stood out as a clear-cut favorite to win the National League East and compete for the NL pennant.

But the club's regular season didn't begin auspiciously. The Nats got off to a terribly slow start, at one point sitting at 19-31 in late May, the team's struggles culminating with a four-game sweep at the hands of division rival New York Mets. On May 23, the Nats' season low point, the team found itself mired in fourth place, only games ahead of the lowly Miami Marlins and 10 games out of first place. Despite a talented roster, the season outlook appeared bleak. But then the wins began coming. On June 27, the Nationals defeated the Marlins to even their record at 40-40, reaching that critical .500 threshold. And the club would never again drop below it. Victory after victory became a 93-69 season ending mark, good for an NL Wild Card spot and one of the best second half records in Major League Baseball.

In the National league Wild Card game, the Nationals faced the Milwaukee Brewers at home and won 4-3, coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the second and scoring three in the bottom of the 8th. In the National League Division Series the club faced the daunting Dodgers, losers of the previous two World Series and coming into 2019 as the National League favorite, again, after accumulating 106 regular season wins. The teams traded wins through the first four games, including losses in a game one 6-0 shutout and a 10-4 game three defeat. But the Nationals would force a fifth game after winning game four behind Max Scherzer. That game would go extra innings, but it took only one inning and one swing: the Nationals would score four on a Howie Kendrick grand slam, the veteran showing a penchant for heroics that would carry to game seven of the World Series. In the National League Championship Series, the Nationals quickly dispatched the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game sweep en route to a historic World Series against the juggernaut 107 win Houston Astros.

This review will not recap the World Series games individually -- those can be found in the companion full game set here -- but needless to say the 2019 Fall Classic lived up to the billing, with the home team losing every game of the seven-game series. This program focuses laser-like on the Fall Classic, offering practically nothing in terms of regular season narrative building or National League playoff recaps. In 90 minutes, the seven game series is dramatically directed and dissected in detail, with game action, behind the scenes footage, and interviews all telling the story. Play by play and narration further develop the story of the Nats' run to World Series glory. As with past World Series releases, this is a high quality construct that puts a dramatic flair on a historic Fall Classic.

2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

2019 World Series Champions arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080i presentation framed at a standard 1.78:1 aspect ratio. There are some horribly compressed shots showcasing intense macroblocking and jagged low grade video anomalies here and there, some seen in game footage and some seen during various establishing shots leading up to the games. Take a look at a few such shots prior to game five in D.C. Sporadic noise accompanies various shots too, particularly in darker shots and corners and in slow motion. A handful of shots appear so choppy that they seem on the verge of digital collapse, but by and large the picture quality is fine where and when it needs to be. Game action is generally sharp and crisp, showcasing field and stadium details and player characteristics such as skin details and uniform textures with pleasant, revealing command. Colors are perfectly agreeable, including Washington red and blue, Houston orange, and the green grass across the fields. Colorful LEDs around the ballpark and physical signage both offer clean legibility and proper color reproduction. The picture has its flaws and it's rarely perfect, but for the most part the presentation suits and carries the program to pleasing watchability.

2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2019 World Series Champions features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The program's sonic needs are not extensive, and it rarely engages the surrounds with any meaningful content. The fronts carry the bulk of the material, including music, which stretches nicely along the front and presents with impressive fidelity. Detail through the range is fine and the low end, while never prodigious, does subtly compliment as necessary. Narration is largely front-center but in-game commentary, from a variety of television and radio sources, does sometimes meander out further from middle, seemingly for effect rather than because of engineering fault. Crowd cheering and in game sounds (the train at Astros games, bat on ball) present well but always below any accompanying narration or game calling. As with the video presentation, there's nothing here to be labeled as "remarkable," but everything is in good enough working order to carry the program to sonic satisfaction.

2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

2019 World Series Champions contains five features. This collection is a bit smaller when compared to several past World Series issues. A DVD copy of the program is included with purchase, but a slipcover is not. No digital code is included, either.

• Young Stars: Juan Soto (1080i, 2:39): A short piece highlighting the Nationals' sophomore star.
• Regular Season Highlights (1080i, 9:29): This extra explores a few of the best moments from the Nats' 2019 regular season including four consecutive home runs against the Padres, Max Scherzer's broken nose and black eye game, Trea Turner's Cycle, and a comeback win against the Mets in a 10-4 game in the bottom of the ninth.
• How They Got There: Nationals (1080i, 5:53): A montage featuring the team's stars in the spotlight.
• Clinching Moments (1080i, 8:02): A highlight reel featuring the moments the team clinched a playoff appearance, followed by highlights from the team's wild card win over the Brewers and series victories over the Dodgers in the NLDS and the Cardinals in the NLCS.
• World Series Parade (1080i, 2:41): Not the entire parade but rather a rapid highlight reel from it.

2019 World Series Champions: Washington Nationals Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

2019 World Series Champions doesn't offer much depth beyond the World Series itself -- there's no season or National League playoff recap -- but the content is well produced, exhilarating, and entertaining. Nats fans will fall in love with the program, and baseball fans should find it satisfying, too. The audio and video presentations are fine but do struggle at times. The extras are light but worthwhile. Recommended.