Ultimate Jordan Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Ultimate Jordan Blu-ray Movie Review

Blu-ray slam-dunk or re-issue double dribble?

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater February 22, 2011

Few would dispute the claim that Michael Jordan is—and, for the foreseeable future, will be—the greatest basketball player to ever trot down the court. The accolades and stats certainly back this up—Jordan netted a 30.12 point regular season career scoring average, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and fourteen All-Star Game appearances—but what’s more, he became the kind of game-changing superstar/role model that only comes around once a generation. If you grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, there’s a strong chance you begged your parents for a pair of Nike Air Jordans, chomped down Wheaties for breakfast, and guzzled ridiculous amounts of Gatorade so that you could “be like Mike.” (I vividly remember a junior high friend and I lowering the rim of his basketball hoop to six feet so we could stage Jordan-aping slam-dunk contests.) It’s easy to be cynical in retrospect about all the merchandising and endless marketing, but Jordan is one of the few players who lived up to the hype and earned his endorsements. As proof, we have the Ultimate Jordan collection, which gathers together five classic highlight films, five of Jordan’s best games—presented in their entirety—and a slew of additional material, from musical tributes and Nike commercials to Jordan’s tearful NBA Hall of Fame induction speech.

"His Airness"

Disc One

Above and Beyond (53:40)
The set starts off with Above and Beyond, a documentary that, though highlight clips and interviews, covers Jordan's career between 1993 and 1995, arguably the most tumultuous years of his life. Coming off three straight wins at the NBA finals, Jordan unexpectedly announced his retirement in October of '93, a decision informed by his weariness of celebrity and the recent death of his father, who was murdered by two teenagers earlier in the year. Even more surprising, Jordan then blew everyone's minds by embarking on a brief career in minor league baseball. Of course, this was all just a diversion. In March of '95, Jordan sent out his famed two-word comeback notice: "I’m back." More than just a collection of clips, the film explores the psychological side of the sport, where motivation is just as important as raw talent.

His Airness (54:35)
Produced in 1999, after Jordan's second—but not final—retirement from pro ball, His Airness is a retrospective and tribute that takes us from his childhood shooting hoops with his brother through to his claim that he was "99.9% certain" he would never play another NBA game. In between, we're rushed through the highs and rare lows of his long—but not quite over—career. The narrator here is a bit too bland and corporate-sounding, but this is a solid overview.

Airtime (48:37)
More focused in scope and less dependent on repetitive clips of Jordan dunking, Air Time, which was made in '93, looks back on the 1991- 1992 championship seasons, the journey of the "Dream Team" to the Barcelona Olympics, and several of the personal and professional controversies surrounding Jordan, including accusations of gambling on golf, an unkind portrayal in the unauthorized biography The Jordan Rules, and Jordan's reaction to getting kicked out of his first game. In general, the focus here is more on the man himself rather than his on-the-court performance. Look out for a brief appearance by Michael Jackson!

Come Fly With Me (39:37)
"Hi, my name is Michael Jordan, I want you take a trip with me and discover a secret I've known for many years...that man was truly destined to fly." Well, at least one man. Here, we get the high-flying highlights of the early part of Jordan's career, from rare footage of his college days at North Carolina—there are also interviews with former coaches and teammates—to his meteoric rise to NBA superstardom. This is Jordan before his championships—basketball potential on the verge of being fulfilled. It all culminates in a fast-paced montage of above-the-rim moments.

Michael Jordan's Playground (42:53)
Amongst all the usual dunk clips and interviews with admiring league-mates, Playground mixes in a kind of cheesy inspirational story about a young baller who gets cut from his high school basketball team, only to meet Michael Jordan out on a neighborhood court. Jordan, of course, proceeds to give the kid a lesson in perseverance. MJ proves he's no real actor—although, admittedly, he improved somewhat with Space Jam—but if you can slog through the unnecessary attempt at a story, you'll be treated to some great board-slamming action. Stick around until the end for a nostalgia-for-the-early-1990s-inducing music video with Kid n' Play and Bow Legged Lou.

The Making of Michael Jordan’s Playground (24:00)
Go behind the scenes of Playground to see how it was shot.

Disc Two

Michael’s Introduction to the Basketball Hall of Fame (30:25)
Here we see Jordan’s emotional induction speech, in which he recounts old anecdotes and thanks everyone who helped him along the way.

Michael’s Memories & Dunk Contest Highlights (10:01)
Some of Jordan’s main competitors offer up their memories of what it was like to play against such an unstoppable offensive force. This segues into a boom-shaka-laka sequence of head-above-the-rim dunks.

Jill Scott Tribute (5:51)
R&B singer-songwriter Jill Scott sends up a musical tribute to Jordan, accompanied by a procession of highlight clips.

It’s Gotta Be the Shoes (6:37)
Remember these commercials, with Spike Lee playing “Mars Blackmon,” a pint-sized salesman shilling Nike Air Jordans?

Michael’s Great 8 (40:07)
Here, a narrator guides us through eight of Jordan’s best games—five of which will be included on the following discs—giving context and parsing out the significance of individual plays. This is basically a summary of the entire Ultimate Jordan collection.

MJ’s Best Dunks, Moves, Clutch Plays, and Assists (15:52)
Even more spectacular plays from the frequently airborne Mr. Jordan.

1986 Chicago vs. Boston Game 2 (2:20:53)
Chicago somehow lost this one—135 to 131—but Jordan delivered the goods with 63 points, an NBA playoff record. After the game, Larry Bird described MJ as “God disguised as Michael Jordan.”

Disc Three

1990 Chicago vs. Cleveland (2:09:13)
In a career high, MJ rains down 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

1993 NBA Finals Game 4: Chicago vs. Phoenix (1:56:42)
Jordan dominates, scoring 55 of the Bull’s total 111 points.

Disc Four

1997 NBA Finals Game 5: Chicago vs. Utah (1:45:21)
Otherwise known as “The Flu Game.” On the morning of Game 5, Jordan woke up with a stomach virus—or possible food poisoning—and despite a sluggish first quarter, went on to lead the Bulls to victory, netting 38 points while on the brink of fainting. In a post-game interview, teammate Scotty Pippen said, “He’s the greatest, and everyone saw why tonight.”

1998 NBA Finals Game 6: Chicago vs. Utah (2:09:18)
After this game, the Bull’s dynasty crumbled: Pippen and Rodman were traded, coach Phil Jackson left, and Jordan soon announced his second retirement. They went out on a hell of a high note, though, with Jordan chalking up 45 points and scoring a game-winning jump shot with five seconds left on the clock.

Ultimate Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I know what you're thinking: Weren't all these games recorded on video…in standard definition…a long time ago? How good can they possibly look on Blu-ray? The answer, of course, is not very. At least, not according to today's standards. With the exception of Jordan's Hall of Fame induction speech—which was recorded in actual high definition—fine detail is non-existent and the picture is frequently soft and smeary. Edges are often ringed by chromatic aberrations, aliasing turns many straight lines into staircases, and video ghosting runs rampant. Considering how tack-sharp today's NBA broadcasts are, this archival material—presented in 1.57:1 with a 1080i/AVC encode—seems primitive in comparison. That said, given the limitations of the technology of the time, the footage looks as good here as it probably ever will. The best I can say is that color looks accurate and that there are no major encode errors or compression issues. In this case, the benefit of Blu-ray is in its storage capacity—its ability to hold hours and hours of content— not its enhanced picture quality. I'm fine with this, and I think the set deserves a solid 7/10 for seeming true to source, but I can see how some buyers might be misled. The packaging, in particular, is just begging to be misconstrued. "Remastered! First time on Blu-ray!" says a sticker on the slip-cover, which might lead some to expect a true high definition experience. Nowhere does it mention that the material is simply upscaled.

Do note that as it was nearly impossible to grab screenshots in 1080i—interlacing and the constant motion of basketball games aren't a good mix—all screengrabs included in this review have been captured in 720p.

Ultimate Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ultimate Jordan's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 presentation is less controversial, but the source material still shows its age. Narration sometimes has a slightly fuzzy, muddled quality, as do some of the interviews and the shot-by-shot commentary from sportscasters. Still, it's always easy to understand what's being said and there are no fatal drop-outs, hisses, or overt crackles. Likewise, the often cheesetastic music that accompanies the highlight reels, while not the most pristine or dynamically hefty, at least has a satisfying presence. The only real disappointment here—and this isn't exactly a surprise—is that there are no subtitle options whatsoever.

Ultimate Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

I suppose you could count most of the material from Disc Two as bonus content—the Hall of Fame induction speech, the Slam Dunk Contest highlights, etc.—but it doesn't really matter. All you need to know is that this set comes fully loaded with some sixteen hours of content, all told.

Ultimate Jordan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you already own the Ultimate Jordan collection on DVD there's little reason to upgrade to the Blu-ray set—video and audio quality are only marginally improved, and the content is pretty much the same—but if you've yet to experience this comprehensive tribute to the world's greatest b- baller, you should definitely consider a purchase. I warn you, the picture quality really is rough—a reminder of how games used to look on TV—although, to be fair, it's never going to look any better. Recommended for any and all Jordan/Bulls/NBA fanatics.