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Invincible Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
'Invincible' is the inspiring true story of Vince Papale, an ordinary guy who, against extraordinary odds, gets a one-in-a-gazillion shot at living every sports fan’s wildest fantasy. Like the city he lives in and his beloved hometown NFL team, the down-and-out Vince, has seen better days. But then the Philadelphia Eagles’ new coach Dick Vermeil calls an unprecedented open tryout, and the 30-year-old bartender who never played college ball makes the cut. Now Vince needs every bit of his gritty, never-say-die attitude and enormous heart to survive in the high-stakes world of professional football.
For more about Invincible and the Invincible Blu-ray release, see Invincible Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on November 26, 2007 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.
I'm a huge football fan, and I have to admit that the recent influx of football movies had me a tad
bit flummoxed. Sometimes there can just be too much of a good thing, but as it turns out, that's
not the case here. Invincible, Gridiron Gang, and We Are Marshall were all
released within a few months of each other in 2006. I have yet to see Gridiron Gang, but
We Are Marshall and Invincible are both exceptional inspirational movies. Mark
Whalberg (Shooter) turns in a heartfelt and moving performance as real-life, unlikely hero
Vince
Papale, a Philadelphia bartender turned professional athlete for his hometown football team, the
Philadelphia Eagles. Greg Kinnear (We Were
Soldiers), Kevin Conway (Gettysburg) and Kirk
Acevedo (Oz) also turn in exceptional performances.
"Wait 'till next year" takes on a whole new meaning in 'Invincible.'
Vince Papale (Whalberg) is struggling to make ends meet. He substitute teaches twice a week
and tends bar at night. His wife is not happy with his employment status and she leaves him.
Meanwhile, his beloved Philadelphia Eagles are a miserable team. They are shut out by the
Cincinnati
Bengals in the final game of the season, ending up with 4 wins and leaving the field to a chorus
of boos from the Philly faithful. Hoping to turn things around, the Eagles bring in successful UCLA
coach Dick Vermeil (Kinnear) to be the new head coach. Vermeil announces open tryouts, hoping
to revitalize interest in the team, and definitely not expecting to find a great new player. A
motley
crew comes to the tryouts, including Papale.
Papale makes the cut, but doubts his ability to succeed because he has been torn down at every
opportunity by his wife, father, a friend, and even the Eagle's locker room attendant who doesn't
think the correct spelling of his name matters as he likely won't last very long. One of the best
scenes in
the movie is one of the simplest. Papale returns home from an early morning run, exhausted.
He takes a look at his empty house, likely thinking of his wife's last message to him that he will
never make anything of himself, and he turns around and goes back outside for more running
and training.
This marks the second time I have seen Invincible and it's just as good, moving, and
exciting as the first time. This certainly isn't the first movie (nor will it be the last) to bring
audiences the message that anyone can achieve, strive for and reach lofty goals, and beat the
odds and make a name for themselves when they are told they will never amount to anything at
every turn in life. Invincible, however, is one of the very best at conveying this
all-too-important message. It's based on a true story which makes it all the more memorable,
meaningful, and rousing. One of the marks of a great movie is that you can see it multiple times
and be thoroughly engaged and entertained every time even though you know the
outcome. I'll admit to laughing, sitting on the edge of my seat, cheering, and even shedding a
tear of joy when Papale tells his best friend Tommy (Acevedo) that he has made the team, all
during my second viewing.
Whalberg and Acevedo play this scene so well that you are convinced that they have been lifelong
best friends in real life. This is a fantastic movie that is well worth your time, and is certainly a
movie you can show to any member of the family, or to a person going through tough times.
It's predictable yes, but it's also so uplifting that you literally can't help but smile every time
Papale beats the odds.
Presented in its 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio and in 1080p high definition, Invincible looks
marvelous, considering the artistic license director Ericson Core chose to undertake with the look of
the film. Much of the color palette has been muted in favor of a gold-ish, sepia toned color scheme.
The result makes the film look dated about 30 years, right around the time this true story of Vince
Papale occurred in real life. It looks good and works very well with the overall feel and style of the
film. Noise is almost nonexistent, black levels are outstanding, and flesh tones, in lieu of traditional
looking tones, fare just fine under the artsy look of the movie. I noticed no discernible flaws worth
mentioning. This is yet another fine transfer from Disney.
Disney presents Invincible on Blu-ray with both a 5.1 uncompressed audio track as well as
a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. This is a very impressive offering that showcases what
high definition audio is all about. From beginning to end, every aspect of this soundtrack sounds
crystal clear on Blu-ray. It's wonderful and room-filling with the sounds of cheers, boos, banter, and
chatter. Ambience is one of this presentation's strengths. The sounds of rain and thunder in one
sequence and the hard hits of a football game and crowd noise in others fill the listening area,
saturating the viewer
with wonderful, lifelike audio bliss. The track is appropriately proportional; bass is never too
powerful, dialogue is never drowned out over music and action, and sound effects and ambience
never overextend their welcome. This is an awesome sounding track in every regard.
Several better than expected supplements are included on this disc. First up are two feature
audio
commentaries. The first features Vince Papale, producer Mark Giardi, and writer Brad Gann.
Papale
is the obvious interest here, and he has a whole lot to say about the project and himself,
including
his history and real-life challenges and motivations. Also discussed is recreating 1970s
Philadelphia
(including the now defunct Veteran's Stadium), casting, and writing the film. The
second track features director Ericson Core and editor Jerry Greenberg. This too is a pretty
interesting
track, though not as lively as the first. Many of the same issues are discussed here, including
recreating Philadelphia and the true story behind the movie, along with the nuts and bolts type of
commentary on the actual filmmaking process that we have come to expect from such tracks.
Recreating "The Vet" (1080i, 7:28) is a worthwhile and fascinating look at how the
filmmakers
re-created old Veterans Stadium, which was demolished in 2004. It's a flawless recreation and a
wonder to behold visually. Becoming Invincible: The Story of Vince Papale (480p, 25:40)
is
a promotional piece with some good behind-the-scenes information on the film and the people
involved.
What's truly great about the Vince Papale story is how the success of one man brought not only
friends, but also an entire city, closer together. It's a true rags-to-riches story that'll have you
cheering, laughing, and it may even bring a few tears of joy to your eye. I consider
Invincible to be a modern classic of both the sports and inspirational film genres.
Thankfully, Disney has not disappointed with this Blu-ray release. Invincible looks and
sounds marvelous and a great bunch of supplements make this disc a keeper. Invincible is
a movie fit for all audiences that even New York Giants fans are sure to cheer for. Highly
recommended.
Invincible: Other Editions
Blu-ray
2-disc set $14.49
Blu-ray Bundles/Box Sets with Invincible (2 bundles)
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