Rating summary
| Movie |  | 5.0 |
| Video |  | 0.0 |
| Audio |  | 3.0 |
| Extras | | 3.0 |
| Overall |  | 4.0 |
Major League 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 3, 2024
To coincide with the start of the 2024 Major League Baseball season, Paramount has released the fan-favorite 1989 Comedy 'Major League,'
written and directed by David S. Ward and starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, James Gammon, and Rene Russo, to the UHD
format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. The disc carries over the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the original
Blu-ray, which is not included here (in facto, no Blu-ray copy is
included; only the UHD and the digital code). Additionally, the UHD disc contains all of the same extras from the original Blu-ray, including a filmmaker
commentary and a few featurettes. Packaging collectors should note that an attractive UHD SteelBook is also available, released concurrently with this standard
packaging release.
For a full film review, please click
here to read my baseball analogy-laden review of the original
Blu-ray.
Major League 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.
Paramount has released Major League to the UHD format with a wonderful new 2160p/Doby Vision transfer, replacing the acceptable, but
certainly in no way memorable, Blu-ray of yesteryear. This is a significant upgrade over the Blu-ray in every way. The picture is dramatically improved,
beginning with a wonderfully stout grain structure that is consistently even in visibility and density, presenting a hearty film-quality image that dazzles
and delights for its faithfulness to the source and authenticity to the film format. The result is a wonderfully and naturally sharp picture, bringing high
end clarity to the frame, especially in well-lit scenes, which are frequent. While a classy low light restaurant sequence around the 30-minute mark might
not jump off the screen, ballfields are incredibly detailed, with infield dirt, outfield grass, and roughhewn textures around the dugout offering delightful
sharpness and perfectly accurate representations that see the material pushed as far as the UHD format and film will allow. Clarity to faces is terrific in
close-up, well beyond the ancient Blu-ray, while uniform and street clothes lines and fabric elements are as sharp as they have ever been.
The Dolby Vision color grading brings newfound life to the film. Look around the sparsely attended Indians ballpark during the first home game. The red
seats and blue outfield wall offer dazzling color richness and depth while the Tribe's (now defunct) logo offers brilliant red accents, especially against the
vividly bright and very crisp white jerseys. The film is very colorful with all of the Major League teams and colors, and even some of the blander tones,
like the Yankees' gray away jerseys, are solidly defined and richly deep, offering the most accurate color reproduction possible. Black level depth is
first-rate as well. There are no obvious print failures, such as pops and speckles, and there are no immediately obvious encode anomalies, either. This is
Major League presented at the highest level of play, an all-star on the UHD format to be sure.
Major League 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
For this UHD release of Major League, Paramount has simply repurposed the existing Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the original
Blu-ray. It's a shame that the studio did not offer an Atmos remix, but the existing track is perfectly serviceable, and this is in-line with what is now
fairly well stablished
Paramount standard practices for its catalogue UHD releases. A French 2.0 soundtrack is also included, as are English, English SDH, and French
subtitles. For a full
audio review, please click here.
Major League 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
This new UHD release of Major League contains all of the same extras from the original Blu-ray. Below is a list of what's included. Please click
here for a detailed breakdown. A digital copy code is included with
purchase.
- Audio Commentary: Director/Screenwriter David S. Ward and Producer Chris Chesser.
- My Kinda Team: Making Major League
- A Major League Look at Major League
- Bob Uecker: Just a Bit Outside
- Alternate Ending with Filmmaker Introduction
- A Tour of Cerrano's Locker
Major League 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Break out the peanuts and Cracker Jacks, because it's time to celebrate America's National Pastime with the long-anticipated release of Major
League on the UHD format. It's a pennant-winning release, even if the only thing here that is different from the very old Blu-ray is the new
2160p/Dolby Vision
video presentation, but it's more than enough to give it the win. It's a home run of an image, excellent in every way. The carryover audio and
supplements are just fine,
though fans might have rightly wished for more. Still, it's at least in-line with established Paramount norms. For fans of the film, the video upgrade
makes this a must-buy. I can't imagine anyone not being pleased with this wonderfully filmic UHD. Highly recommended!
