Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Based on the best-selling book by Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit tells the true story of the horse that could and the three men who made him a winner—owner Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), and jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire). With the nation suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, the undersized racehorse gives America something to cheer for.

I love underdog stories, and when they are based on true events, they're even better. I've seen Seabiscuit a few times over the past five years, and it hasn't lost its magic, even though I know how it ends. Writer and director Gary Ross gets the most out of the cast—I especially love William H. Macy's performance as Tick Tock McGlaughlin, whose radio antics provide plenty of chuckles as he keeps the audience apprised of the happenings on the racing circuit.

I owned Seabiscuit on HD DVD and eagerly anticipated its release on Blu-ray, and it was worth the wait. The 1080p VC-1 encode looks marvelous with amazing detail, well-saturated colors, and razor-sharp imagery in both close-ups and long shots. Black levels are solid and deep, and the shadow detail is a sight to behold. Universal has released some fabulous Blu-rays, but this is one of its best yet.

As expected, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is a slight improvement over the lossy Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track found on the HD DVD. Dialog sounds slightly more realistic, and the surround activity has more depth and detail. But this track really rocks during the many racing sequences when the thunderous pounding of hooves permeate the room. The surround speakers come alive with the roar of the crowd, and when a close-up focuses on the racing horses, the wheezing of their labored breath places me right on a horse's back—hang on tight!

Although all of the bonus features are in standard definition, the content is very interesting, especially the two historical featurettes about the characters depicted in the film. Other supplements include an audio commentary by director Gary Ross and his friend Steven Soderbergh, a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes, an "HBO First Look," archival footage of the 1938 race against War Admiral, and a still gallery of photos from the camera of Jeff Bridges.

It's rare that a film with a runtime of 141 minutes can keep me interested throughout, but Seabiscuit has all the right ingredients—a great cast, inspirational story, and reference-quality audio and video. Highly recommended.

Release Date:May 26, 2009
Studio: Universal

Movie: 9/10
Picture: 10/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics