NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots Blu-ray Movie Review

Oops! They did it again! But did anyone watch?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 7, 2019

Wait...there was a Super Bowl this year? It was widely reported that this year's Super Bowl could very well be the poster child for the derogatory nickname "Super Bore." Low ratings and a low score will etch this game in history as one of the lesser of the past few decades, and whether that's because there's a general malaise around the NFL right now, whether it's Patriots fatigue and the apparent lack of parity (at least in the AFC), or some other reason, the NFL has to be back on its heels a bit at this point, and league officials might even be hoping that the ageless Tom Brady will finally age and that the league can move on from this era of Patriots dominance both on the field and in the headlines, the former for winning and the latter for controversy (which is still a thing this offseason). Regardless, the Pats have one for the other thumb now, all six coming in the Belichick/Brady era and two, now, coming against the Rams.

The Patriots started the season 1-0 with a 27-20 win over the Texans at home, but the club would drop the next two games on the road to Jaguars, whom the Pats defeated in last year's AFC title game, and the Lions, who would compile a 6-10 record in the 2018 regular season. But coming from behind is where the Patriots shine. A losing record after three weeks means little to a franchise with so much history of success, and indeed, Belichik and Brady would lead the team to six straight wins before dropping a game to Tennessee and, in weeks 14 and 15, two more back-to-back loses to the Dolphins and Steelers. The Pats would finish the regular season with an 11-5 mark, which was still good enough for a first-round bye in the AFC, despite only sharing the third-best record in the conference. A home win against the Chargers in the divisional round and a 37-31 overtime victory over the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game propelled the team to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row.

The Super Bowl game was scoreless after the first quarter, and only by way of a Patriots 42-yard field goal in the second quarter could either team put points on the board. At halftime, the score was 3-0 Patriots; the game featured the lowest-scoring first half since the Steelers entered the half up 2-0 on the Vikings in Super Bowl IX. The low scoring, defensive-minded trend would continue deep into the third quarter; the Rams would tie the game 3-3 with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Patriots would finally break into the end zone on a Sony Michel rush about halfway through the fourth quarter, and a Stephen Gostkowski field goal with just over a minute remaining would cement the victory for the Patriots, securing the team's sixth Super Bowl win and second over the (now L.A.) Rams.

Fans enjoying a longstanding relationship with NFL Films won't be surprised by what they see and hear on this disc. At its foundation, it's not at all different from previous Super Bowl recaps that have come to Blu-ray; neither the format nor the presentation style have changed all that much from year to year. Faces and uniforms and venues and scoring plays, yes, but NFL Films has been unsurprisingly consistent with the core technical output of these releases, which are always superb. The program recaps the Patriots' season on a game-by-game basis. There's not enough time to reveal the minutia of all 16 regular season clashes, and even the team's two AFC playoff games are not covered in depth, but there's enough information shared and highlights seen to paint a fairly comprehensive macro picture of the season's overreaching ebbs and flows. The program's meat-and-potatoes comes in the form of Super Bowl coverage, where the program offers a somewhat more in-depth reveal of the game's biggest plays (or lack thereof). Just to give an idea, the regular season highlights run from about program start to the 35-minute mark. Super Bowl coverage begins at the 54-minute mark and runs to program's end at 74 minutes. As always, it's very well done, thrillingly edited with balanced narration, exciting music, and of course terrific on-field action highlights.

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NFL Films and Cinedigm present NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots on Blu-ray with a 1080i, 1.78:1-framed presentation. The image reflects the typical Blu-ray presentation as seen in other, similar releases from years past. Colors are a highlight, boasting quality depth to Patriot blue, Chiefs red, Rams yellow, and the green fields. Contrast is dialed in to a pleasantly bold neutrality. Textural complexities are evident throughout, with the image capturing players, grasses, stadiums, and other large-scale elements with impressive command. Certainly close-ups fare extremely well, with the image capable of revealing intimate skin details, meshy uniform textures, and the leathery football with firm command and unwavering sharpness; slow-motion shots are a particular joy, allowing the viewer to soak in the finer visual wonders the game has to offer. No major complaints here.

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There is a variety of spoken word presentation: narration, radio and television commentary, sideline banter, on-field barking, and so on, all of which plays with steady clarity and firm front-center location. Surrounds are not engaged with regularity, but the back channels do support music and lightly envelop the listener in crowd ambience during games when narration gives way to on-field action. Music engages with fine fundamental command of the basics. It offers invigorating front-side width and quality instrumental detailing. Various on-field sounds are occasionally amplified for effect, but the track finds impressive balance and detail to all elements, notably in-game hits.

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots contains a large number of extras that are divided between two tabs: "The Team" and "The Season." The first seven supplements are found under "Team," the final seven under "Season." A DVD copy of the program is included with purchase. This release does not appear to ship with a slipcover. No digital copy is included, either.

• Belichick the Great (1080i, 4:35): Andrea Kramer interviews three legendary managers/coaches -- Joe Torre (MLB), Mike Krzyzewski (NCAAM), and Doc Rivers (NBA) -- who dissect what makes the Pats' head coach so good at what he does.
• Football PHD (1080i, 2:02): Kramer interviews Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien who sheds further light on what makes Belichick a great head coach.
• Brady Legacy (1080i, 2:55): Several familiar faces from around the NFL talk up TB12.
• Gronkowski and Parker (1080i, 3:04): A look at how the team rallied to cheer for a young cancer-stricken Pats fan in Texas.
• Julian Edelman (1080i, 3:01): Kramer interviews the wideout about his history with Jerry Rice and his work as a star wideout.
• Patrick Chung (1080i, 0:48): A quick intro to the team's strong safety, in his own words.
• Chris Hogan (1080i, 0:46): Hogan introduces himself to fans.
• Super Bowl Opening Night (1080i, 11:12): Key members from the Pats and Rams sit down to discuss the big game six days out.
• Post-Game Ceremonies (1080i, 8:05): The Patriots receive the Lombardi Trophy after winning the game.
• 2018 NFL Shots of the Year (1080i, 4:04): A league wide video highlight compilation.
• 2018 NFL Sounds of the Year - It's a Funny Game (1080i, 7:16): Sound bytes from mic'd up players and coaches.
• 2018 NFL Sounds of the Year - Game Day (1080i, 6:11): More sounds from the field.
• 2018 NFL Sounds of the Year - Speed of Sound (1080i, 4:31): On-field sounds during play.
• 2018 NFL Sounds of the Year - QB Club (1080i, 7:17): QBs rally the troops and talk it up on the sidelines.

NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Football fans may be tired of seeing the Patriots in these Super Bowl victory Blu-ray releases, but football fans shouldn't be tired of the consistently high quality productions NFL Films is putting together. NFL Super Bowl LIII Champions: New England Patriots is an engaging program, not unlike any previous releases on Blu-ray, and that's a good thing. Patriot fans should obviously pick this up, and anyone hungry for football during the offseason could find a worse way to spend 74 minutes.