Goal! The
Dream Begins (Blu-ray)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: C+ Film: C+
Of all
the sports films Disney has produced of late, the oddest has been Danny
Cannon’s Goal! The Dream Begins,
which we looked at recently in its DVD debut:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4266/Goal!+The+Dream+Begins
Well,
here is the Blu-ray version which Disney has issued in the format early to see
if it can find more of an audience.
Despite Soccer not being popular in this country, there has at least
been questions about the film, which means at least some kind of cult might
form around the film. Watching it with
more clarity in the better format did not change my opinion about the film, but
this version will give it a better chance to find an audience wherever one may
be.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image has less detail issues than the DVD, but
is still held back by tired monochromatic colors from sepias to blues that are
lame. It was shot in Super 35 and those
limits are more apparent here. I was no
fan of the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix from the DVD and the similar tracks here are
not much better. The PCM 16-bit/48kHz
5.1 mix is the way to go if you must watch this film, despite limited surround
use and dialogue that is sometimes subpar in fidelity. The dialogue is resolved better in the PCM,
but the use of many bad hit records becomes ever more obnoxious. Extras are less here than the regular DVD,
including filmmaker’s audio commentary and Behind
The Pitch featurettes. Pieces on the
FIFA and a Music Video are replaced by the movie showcase function exclusive to
this format.
- Nicholas Sheffo
