7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A collection of the best of WWE's matches and moments from inside Madison Square Garden.
Starring: Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin (IV), John Cena, Vince McMahon, Paul LevesqueSport | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
With all due respect to all of the great still-standing and still-used historical sports venues around the United States -- Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, Lambeau Field, and Pro Player/Joe Robbie/Dolphins/Land Shark/Sun Life/Whatever-It's-Called-This-Week (just kidding on the last one, sorry south Floridians) -- there's only one venue that truly brings to mind not only sporting legend and athletic greatness but also cultural significance, iconic events, and a true multipurpose ability to house everything from hockey to Hip Hop and basketball to Bieber, and that's New York City's Madison Square Garden. It's probably the world's second-most famous place with the word "Pennsylvania" in its address (and neither one actually sits in the state of Pennsylvania) but it's, just maybe, seen more visitors and famous faces grace its hallowed corridors and fill its seats than the other "Pennsylvania" place. It's primarily known as the home of the New York Rangers and New York Knicks, but perhaps bigger than any of the home team players or their fans -- Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Spike Lee, or Patrick Ewing -- are the WWE wrestlers who have battled within MSG's center floor area and, in one wrestler's case, kicked off his career with one heck of a start. From Hulk Hogan to John Cena, from Bruno Sammartino to Steve Austin, WWE's history with Madison Square Garden is one of legend, a history that even taken by itself -- ignoring every other event -- could tell a fairly complete story of WWE's success over the past 40+ years, which is exactly what The Best Of WWE At Madison Square Garden does, and does very well.
Big venue, bigger stars.
The Best Of WWE At Madison Square Garden follows the standard WWE retrospective formula, intercutting newly recorded high definition video clips in between the (mostly) standard definition matches and moments that make up the bulk of the program. The new material looks fine, and it looks just like all of the other recent WWE releases. Crisp definition; quality facial and clothing details; and natural, even colors give the 1.78:1-framed footage a clean, accurate appearance. The only flaw comes in the shape of light blockiness across the background. There is also a little bit of wrestling action presented in high definition, too, recorded in the post-standard definition era. Here, the image also excels, showing vivid colors and excellent clarity in foregrounds and backgrounds both, allowing for hugely improved wrestler detail and audience visibility in every shot. The standard definition footage, presented here in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and filling the 1.78:1 screen with the help of flanking WWE-designed "black bars," ranges in quality from awful to acceptable, varying by, and largely dependent on, age. Fuzzy details and flat colors eventually give way to a more stable, pleasing image in the material recorded near the end of the SD era. As always, the SD footage does not factor into the final score. All in all, this is a basic WWE presentation the likes of which fans have experienced plenty of times before.
The Best Of WWE At Madison Square Garden arrives on Blu-ray with a WWE Home Video-standard Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. As with the video, there's a fairly wide spectrum of activity, stability, and clarity. New HD interview clips offer clear, center-focused dialogue. Occasional disc- specific music enjoys fair spacing -- including surround activity -- and consistent energy. The older matches show a fairly wide range of quality. The oldest material lacks much beyond the center. Crowd ambience and in-ring action sound effects don't offer much more than the most basic presence, but as the material progresses forward both range and clarity increase to include more distinctive music and crowd effects along with more precise announcer commentary. This is a basic track, but it's basically effective and carries its numerous sources with relative ease.
The Best Of WWE At Madison Square Garden contains the following extras, billed as "Blu-ray Exclusives," on disc two:
The Best Of WWE At Madison Square Garden chronicles the marriage of a legendary venue with legendary moments from the storied history of professional wrestling. It's a welcome retrospective piece, and easily one of the best WWE has yet produced. Considering the names that have passed through and the huge number of events that have been held, Madison Square Garden has become a cornerstone of WWE's past and will no doubt remain so into the future. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of The Best Of WWE At Madison Square Garden looks and sounds just about like all of the other, similar WWE retrospective titles. Solid HD and acceptable SD video are supported by a quality Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Several additional interviews and matches are included on disc two. Very highly recommended.
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