Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		1.0

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 Blu-ray Movie Review

A pointless release.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 24, 2017

If this release were worth anything at all, it would come at a good time for Cubs fans. While the team is hovering near the top of the National League central standings, at time of writing half a game behind the upstart and surprising Milwaukee Brewers, it's been something of a disappointing season. After all, coming off a World Series win, the first since 1908 and the team seemingly a dynasty in the making, the North Siders have sort of just floundered around the .500 mark, good enough to likely win the division when it's all said-and-done but not running away with it, as was expected. But who knows. Maybe the Brewers are for real. The Cardinals have a miserable record, but they're the Cardinals and always an annual threat. The Pirates would likely be in first place were it not for a horrendous bullpen, a steroid user, and a drunk. The Reds are still a couple of years away. So it is indeed good timing for Cubs fans who might need a little jolt in the middle of a middling season. That said, Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 doesn't offer much that the combined forces of the two previous releases -- 2016 World Series Collector's Edition and 2016 World Series Champions -- have to offer already. And the more one digs through it, the more repetitive it proves to be and disappointing it becomes.

The last time the World Series went seven, Madison Bumgarner pitched a gem in 2014. In 2012 the excitement of game seven came in game six, and who can forget some other classics: Luis Gonzales in 2001, Edgar Renteria in 1997 (sorry, Cleveland), and Bill Mazeroski in 1960. The all-hands-on-deck game seven featured a pitching matchup of Kyle Hendricks and Corey Kluber, though both would be on a short leash. The Cubs scored another first-inning run thanks to a Dexter Folwer leadoff homer. The Tribe tied things up in the third, but the Cubs would jump out to a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. The Indians scored a pair to bring the game with within two. Chicago tacked on another run in the sixth, but the resilient Indians would force three runs across in the bottom of the eighth, which included a Rajai Davis home run off the unhittable Aroldis Chapman, to tie the game at six. Then the rains came. In a surreal moment, the majors' two teams trapped in the longest championship droughts saw the cleansing rains come, interrupting the game but seemingly preparing the way for one of the clubs to wash away the pain. The Cubs plated a pair of runs in the top of the tenth off hits from Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero. The Indians didn't go away, but could only score one in the bottom of the inning, sending the Cubs storming onto the field, a city into frenzy, and a team into the record books. Final Score: Cubs 8, Indians 7.

To be clear, the "5.0" score for the movie is reflective of the quality of the game. Game seven is a true baseball classic, one of the great games, World Series or otherwise, in the sport's illustrious history. The overall "1.0" score is reflective of this release, a cash-in if there ever was one, needlessly repetitive -- even with a few new supplements that amount to nothing more than a pair of glorified highlight reels -- and offering even the Cubs super fan little of value. The main disc with game seven is in every way identical to that found in the aforementioned eight-disc set, except for a change in disc artwork, which is actually a little less interesting here. That's really all this set offers: a repeat game with nothing new added and two new extras that might run around 90 minutes but offer little of substantive value.

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Because the video quality is identical to the other Cubs release, below is simply a reprint of that collection's video review:

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 features a 720p transfer framed at the broadcast 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The image is fine, reflecting the TV broadcast as it was, and fairly precisely. Macroblocking in backgrounds is occasionally visible, sometimes severely, and aliasing is also prevalent and usually around letters on jerseys, but at-a-glance the presentation satisfies. Uniform details are adequately revealing of finer material and stitching both on the fabric and various letters, numbers, and patches on jerseys and ball caps alike. Facial definition isn't movie level complex, but basic pores and flaws, as well as some thick facial hairs, are well defined. Dirt and grass on the field can look a bit flat; there's not a lot of nuance. Colors are impressive with good basic saturation on the bright Cub blue, Indians red and navy, and green grasses. Background details in the dugouts, signage around the ballpark, and fans in the stands aren't too terribly exciting, but basic sharpness is fine. Expect this to look about the same as the TV broadcasts. Note that all of the World Series games are from FOX broadcasts while the NLCS game is from FS1, but there's no perceptible differences in quality, unsurprising since they're two branches of the same outfit.

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Because the audio quality is identical to the other Cubs release, below is simply a reprint of that collection's audio review:

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 contains four audio options, three English language tracks and one Spanish track, all presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless audio. The tracks include the FOX TV broadcast, Cubs and Indians radio, as well as a Spanish language call. The tracks are fine, with the radio presentations a bit better. The TV broadcast isn't particularly great. Dialogue struggles to push to the middle, sounding like it's dual-flowing from the sides and stuck somewhere between the front left and right speakers and the middle of the stage. Background crowd chants are a bit muffled, as is stadium music and other ambience. Bats on balls and balls into the catcher's mit are identifiable, but not particularly realistic. The radio broadcasts fare a little better. Background ambience is more muted in comparison, and play-by-play is a little more clear and conscience with a slight bit better push to the middle.

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For fans who already own game seven in the multi-disc box set with all seven games, the real attraction here can only be the two, but lengthy, supplements, both of which may be found on disc two. The packaging does include an inner-print with game seven's boxscore.

• Postseason Victories (720p): A compilation piece that offers highlights from the Cubs' victories across all three rounds of the playoffs: NLDS (16:54), NLCS (29:12), and World Series (30:56). These amount to little more than extend highlights from the games: home runs and critical hits, key outs on the bases, that sort of thing. It's network broadcast highlights with no options to switch audio away from the TV commentators, as is possible with the game on disc one. This is essentially a brief recap of big moments for fans who want to relive the postseason run without re-watching all of the games in their entirety. But at this point, it would have been nice to just plop all of these games into another collection (at least the NLDS and NLCS); with the Cubs' rabid fan base, they would have certainly sold. The video quality is nothing to write home about. Jagged edges abound and it's a clear, and large, step down from the main game's 720p transfer.
• World Series Parade Highlights (720p, 15:54): As the title suggests, this is a highlight reel of Cubs parade clips. Audio largely consists of screaming fans. It's not particularly well shot or edited, very shaky handheld and not very well composed. It eventually transitions away from the parade route to show the team taking photos on the field at Wrigley, then it randomly switches back to the parade route. The second half or so offers Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo, and David Ross at the microphone addressing the crowd. It's a shame that Shout and MLB couldn't just offer the entire thing as it aired on television rather than highlights.

Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Who is this release for? Likely budget-minded Cubs fans who want to own the complete game seven but who didn't want to shell out the extra money for the rest of the series. It's also for die-hards, but truth be told the release feels uninspired and, to be blunt, pointless. The added supplements are nothing to write home about. The parade footage is fine but could be much better (why not just offer the entire thing as it was aired on television?) and the condensed playoff highlights are fine but choppy and of poor video quality (why not packages with all of the games in their entirety?). The release seems built to capitalize on Cubs fever, right down to just recycling disc seven of the other release as the main attraction. Yes it's the Cubs, yes they won the World Series, but this release, unlike the other two, should not enjoy a spot in any Cubs fan's collection. For those who already own the big eight-disc release: skip it. For those who don't, look for a sale and buy that eight-disc set instead, or pick it up right now; at time of writing, it's only a bit more than twice the cost of this set, and it's a treasure for fans.