Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

We Are Marshall Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see, poignant film arrives on Blu-ray in fine fashion.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 30, 2007

This is your opportunity to rise from these ashes and grab glory.

Much like Gridiron Gang stands out amongst its recent inspirational football movie brethren as the grittiest of the bunch, so too does We Are Marshall stand out as perhaps the most poignant. This film is best described as a roller coaster of emotions. This is the story of the 1970 Marshall University football team that tragically perished in a plane crash on a return trip home from a game against East Carolina University. Perhaps the worst tragedy in sports history, the future of the football program at Marshall appeared bleak, but a push by the student body to reinstate the program and the hiring of a new, energetic, and tactful head coach revitalized the program. Marshall University went through a dark period for several years, but emerged as the winningest football program of the 1990s, winning two national championships and producing several all-pro NFL players.

Remembering the victims.

After the tragedy, it is decided by the board of governors that Marshall University's football program will be suspended indefinitely. The surviving members of the team, however, feel the program must go on in order to honor the memory of the lost players, to rekindle school spirit and pride, and to bring the community back together after the devastating tragedy. Led by Nate Ruffin (Anthony Mackie, Million Dollar Baby), the student body rallies and convinces President Dedmon (David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck) to reinstate the program. Unsure of what to do, Ruffin tells him that perhaps finding a new head coach would be a good first step. After being turned down by dozens of potential candidates, Dedmon meets with the one candidate who offered to take the job, Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey, Reign of Fire). He is hired and as he rebuilds the team, he rebuilds the community as well, healing wounds as the team gels and struggles to win their first game after the tragedy.

I've heard this movie criticized for being overly sappy, but imagine putting yourself in 1970s West Virginia as a student of the university or as a relative of the crash victims. If anything, I felt the emotions were somewhat downplayed in the film. This is tragic and horrifying stuff, and if it doesn't move you, then you were either not paying attention or are not a human being. The tragedy is so effectively portrayed because we get to know, albeit briefly, not only the characters that die but also their families. We meet a girl who is engaged to one of the players who must struggle through the film as she sees her fiancee’s father almost every day. We see the struggle of a player who missed the flight because he overslept, dealing with the fact that had he done his job, he would be dead. The way this is handled adds deeply to the sense of loss. The crash is handled very well, the sense of dread, distress, and fear not only permeates each frame but seeps into the viewer as well, and the result is one of the most gut wrenching sequences in film history. On top of all the emotion and tragedy, the movie does move forward as an inspirational film of the power of togetherness, strength, and determination in overcoming unthinkable tragedy. In that regard it's emotional, too, and by the end you'll no doubt be shedding tears of joy in place of tears of sadness. The movie works well, and it's something I think everyone should see at some point as a good lesson in the power of hard work and compassion as people forge on with life, overcoming tragedy.

We Are Marshall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Brothers presents We Are Marshall in 1080p high definition in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The image has a very natural and lifelike quality about it. It appears as slightly aged and muted, creating in the viewer the mindset of 1970s West Virginia. Colors are rich and vibrant, and the greens of the Marshall football jerseys look especially robust. Flesh tones, mostly, look natural without appearing overly red. Black levels also fare well, though there are some instances where they appear overly bright, resulting in a dark gray and overly bright scene. I noticed a few instances of odd, harshly lit scenes that look to be more the fault of the transfer than an artistic decision in post production, but I cannot be sure. There is also a fine layer of inherent film grain scattered here and there. The image definitely looks good, but it's not spectacular. Still, this is one of the better transfers I've seen from Warner. Ultimately, the eye popping colors and unquestionable clarity of the image as a whole won me over.

We Are Marshall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

We Are Marshall is presented with both a Dolby Digital 5.1 track as well as a lossless Dolby TrueHD track that hovers around 3.5 Mbps. This is a pleasant and dynamic track that mostly picks up during the football sequences. We feel a part of the crowd as cheers surround the listening area, putting us in the stands with the rambunctious fans. Like the football scenes, the plane crash sequence proved to be equally engaging as the sounds of sirens, screams, and wails engulfed the room, emanating from each speaker with chilling effectiveness. Dialogue sounded perfectly natural and intelligible. Bass proved to be slightly disappointing as scenes with hard hitting football sounded "smaller" with less aural impact than I expected. On the whole, I was very pleased with this track. It's nice to see Warner utilizing high definition audio tracks rather than simply relying mostly on Dolby Digital tracks as they have in the past.

We Are Marshall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, Warner Brothers has chosen not to include the abundance of supplements I was hoping for. As the disc begins playing, we are presented with a 480p, 4:48 West Virginia promotional piece featuring actors David Strathairn, Matthew Fox, and Matthew McConaughey as well as West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin. Legendary Coaches (480p, 36:59) is a look at how some of the legendary sports coaches including Bobby Bowden, Pat Summit, Lute Olsen, George Horton, and John Wooden have overcome and embraced adversity in their careers. This is a well-made feature that sports fans will enjoy. Marshall Now (480p. 1:02) is a brief look at the changes the campus has undergone since the time of the movie. Finally, the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 2:37) finishes off this much too short grouping of extras.

We Are Marshall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

We Are Marshall is perhaps the best of the recent influx of inspirational football films, though they are all very, very good in their own right. It pulls at the heartstrings and doesn't let go until well after the credits roll. This powerful true story is a must-see for anyone facing difficulties in their lives. It's sure to inspire and drive viewers to embrace challenges and tragedy and turn them into something positive. This Blu-ray disc is the best way to watch this film. It offers solid video and audio quality that makes the film all the more powerful. Sadly, the supplements are severely lacking. Nonetheless, this is a quality film that is difficult to watch but is also essential viewing. Recommended.