Customer Reviews

2008 Philadelphia Phillies: The Official World Series Film

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Phillies diehard this one was worth rushing out for and purchasing in its first day of release. I couldn't wait to relive some of the memorable moments from this unexpectedly spectacular Phillies season - particularly the postseason run. For even the average Philly fan this DVD does not disappoint. Starting off with a series of emotionally grabbing clips and organization members reading excerpts from Philadelphia Inquirer articles written the day following their World Series clinching victory. It's simply awash in phanatical pro-Philly grandeur and well paced, neither rushing through storylines nor bogged down in specifics.

That said if you are a Rays fan prepared to be disappointed. The first 21-22 minutes are totally devoted to Philadelphia's ride to the Series, whereas the following portion of just 6-7 minutes is devoted to Tampa Bay's unlikely run. I can remember the 1993 World Series VHS doing a far better job at representing both the winning Blue Jays and losing Phillies with roughly equal attention served.

For everyone else this is simply a pleasant and expertly produced walk through of the happenings in the 2008 World Series - not a particularly riveting affair but interesting enough to hold the attention of any baseball lover. The Phillies faithful meanwhile will bask in the glow of their championship, Philadelphia's first in a quarter-century, and the images therein. Brilliant depictions, never before seen camera angles and even parade footage fill the better than 90-minute pseudo-Phillies documentary. Simply a must have for any Phillies fan and a great (and cheap) holiday gift!!!

This review only covers the technical aspects of the Blu-Ray version of the 2008 World Series film. As a die hard Phillies fan, the content is excellent, and any Phils fan already knows that. And I'm sure that most fans already bought the standard DVD which came out last month, so for those who are looking for a high definition upgrade, take it with a grain of salt.

The video is 1080i AVC, but the problem really lies in the fact that only about half of the source material is hi-def to begin with. So while most of the interviews and actual World Series footage look generally good, a good amount of it (I'd say about 60%) looks no different than the standard DVD. And it's also painfully obvious that much of the footage that IS in hi-def was originally 720p. Also of note, the bonus features are 480p. I was underwhelmed by the video quality, and those looking for a nice 1080p boost will be disappointed.

On the audio front, we get a PCM 5.1 Lossless track. Again, the interviews sound crisp, but everything else doesn't sound lossless at all.

All in all, if you have a Blu-Ray player, I still say go for it. Just don't expect a big difference.

As a long-time suffering Phillies fan of course I was going to love this DVD and of course I will be a little biased here. But bear in mind one thing: I have never seen another championship DVD to compare this to but I will do my best.
It opens with Jamie Moyer, Ryan Howard, Jimmie Rollins, Brad Lidge, and Charlie Manuel reading Phil Sheridans Philadelphia Inquirere article that day after we won.
Now seeing as this is a "World Series" dvd I often wondered if they only covered the World Series, but thankfully that is not the case. It opens in Spring Training just as the arduous baseball season does and recaps the entire season. Touching games such as the wonderfull 7-0 deficit to the Mets that the Phils overcame to win and the Division clincher and plenty of highlights in between.
The dvd then covers the NLDS and the NLCS in the same chapter. then they convered the World Series which is a bulk of the DVD itself. Each game is covered in detail including the dabacle that was game 5.
The special features are incredible as well. There is one where it has the best of Shane Victorino who was miked during the WS. Also, it includes the last out of the Division clincher, NLDS clincher, NLCS clincher and it has the final three outs of the World Series. Also they have the trophy presentation as well as the locker room celebration. This DVD is nearly 2 hours long, which surprised me and I can watch it again and again and again. Bottom line, if you are Phillies fan buy the damn thing you will love, If you are a Mets fan, buy it to see what you are missing.

I purchased this for my Husband for Christmas. He loved it. We had just gotten a Blu-Ray player, and the picture quality of the Blu-Ray is awsome compared to the regular DVD!

I suspect that the Blu-ray quality will not deliver the scintillating detail that we blu-ray users can afford to be picky about, but the content is wonderful. You will watch this one over again. And over. And the best part is that if you have a friend who is a Mets fan, you can send him/her one so they can enjoy it too.

THIS DVD IS FANTASTIC.ANY PHILLIES FAN WILL LOVE IT FOR YEARS TO COME.IT'S A GREAT PRICE THRU AMAZON!!!

A little more on the season and the early rounds of the playoffs would have been a nice addition but still a very worthwhile purchase.

This dvd was so much better then the other one released at the same time ( The Perfect Season)They rushed the perfect season out and to be honest, it was nowhere near as good as the this one. The audio on the extras was awful. You can tell it was rushed out because this one brought so much more to the table. I loved how it brought both teams and showed you how they both got there. So i would pick up this dvd and own it. I wouldnt even watch the perfect season because it doesnt give you anything that this one doesnt cover.

Excellent DVD for any fan. A must for any Philly native. Definitely a collectors item in my book.

As person that watched all the Philles home games in 2008 I can say that the video depicts their great season.