Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Movie Review

Count to Ten . . .

Reviewed by Michael Reuben January 28, 2014

For the tenth anniversary of Clint Eastwood's multi-Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby, Warner Home Video is reissuing the title on Blu-ray, having previously released it in November 2006, in the format's early days. However, Blu-ray fans will be disappointed to learn that, despite over seven years of advances in the technology and craft of high definition transfer and mastering, the video presentation on this 10th Anniversary Edition is identical to the previous disc, right down to the bitrate. All that's been added is a lossless soundtrack and two new extras.

This review is limited to the new extras. For a discussion of the film, the video image and the previous extras, please refer to Martin Liebman's review of the earlier release (from which the scores for this review have been copied, except where noted).

Please refer to the review of the previous release for further discussion of the film.

Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Please refer to the review of the previous release for further discussion of the video reproduction, which is identical in this edition.

Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Please refer to the previous review for a discussion of the film's sound mix. The new disc replaces the DD 5.1 track with a lossless track encoded as DTS-HD MA 5.1. Whether the lossless presentation significantly changes the viewer's experience will largely depend on individual equipment, room acoustics and personal perception. I can certainly attest that the lossless presentation beautifully reproduces the subtle ambiant noises at Frankie's gym, the cheers and excitement of Maggie's numerous bouts and the deep, ominous rumble that accompanies the entrance of Maggie's formidable German opponent in the Las Vegas match. I have raised the audio score by one point in recognition of the change in audio format.

Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the supplements from the previous Blu-ray are included. They were covered in the previous review. Only the new ones are discussed below:

• Commentary with Producer Albert Ruddy: After some initial words on the difficulty of getting the film made (a subject addressed in more detail in the "On the Ropes" documentary), Ruddy settles into an enthusiastic explication of the film's action. He is the film's ultimate fan, analyzing the characters' motivations, discussing the world of boxing, and praising the quality of the performances and the general excellence of the work.



• Million Dollar Baby: On the Ropes (1080p; 1.78:1; 26:04): In this retrospective documentary, Ruddy, screenwriter Paul Haggis, Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman and producer Tom Rosenberg recall the experience of making Million Dollar Baby.

I have increased the extras score by one point to account for these additions.

Million Dollar Baby Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For a first-time purchaser of Million Dollar Baby, this 10th Anniversary Edition is the clear winner, because of the new extras and lossless sound. For anyone who already owns the disc, it's up to you whether those additions are enough to justify an upgrade. The video presentation holds up remarkably well, but it no doubt could have been improved with remastering (perhaps with AVC and a higher bitrate). Down the line, we may see a new transfer, and current owners may decide to hold out for that possibility.