Customer Reviews

NFL Films - Super Bowl XXXVIII - New England Patriots Championship Video

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Two years ago, I laughed at some of the reviews of the Patriots' DVD for that first championship season, as I found it ludicrous that people could actually complain that the DVD did not contain the complete Super Bowl game. As I stated at the time in an Amazon.com review, when had NFL Films ever done that?

Well, with this DVD, that has changed. In one of the best "extra features" you could ever ask for on a DVD, every play of the Super Bowl is included--in an edited "world broadcast" that cuts out breaks between plays and commercials. You get to see every play of one of the best Super Bowls ever in just under 70 minutes. Incredible to say the least! Other extras such as "EA Sports", media day before the Super Bowl, and the post-Super Bowl player comments are also decent features, but the "world broadcast" takes the cake.

So how about the main feature, which is a highlight film of the entire Patriots season? Well, as usual with NFL Films, the job done with that is top-notch. Sure, diehard fans could always ask for more details to be included at certain points in the season (I can think of a few); but overall I'd say all the best of this amazing Patriots season is there. From the opening day humiliating 31-0 loss to Buffalo through the 15-game winning streak culminating with one of the most exciting and bizarre Super Bowls of all time, all games are covered. For sure, Patriots fans will love this; and diehard NFL fans (who don't hate the Pats, that is) will also likely enjoy it.

If this is to be considered the sequel to the first Patriots Super Bowl Champions video, this sequel is every bit as good as the original. Strongly recommended as a wonderful collection of memories and highlights that Patriots fans will want to watch again and again.

SUPER BOWL XXXVIII was unforgetable (especially if you were a Patriots fan) and ranked as one of the TOP 5 SUPER BOWLS.

Now the NFL Productions, Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. and distributed by Warner Home Video Inc. has meticulously assembled over 180 minutes of the Super Bowl Sunday experience for our Home Theatre DVD enjoyment! This is an outstanding effort with no short cuts and plenty of emotional / adrenaline pumping excitement! This Standard Format HDTV DVD is a real joy to watch!!!!!

The Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots (2nd Super Bowl Victory in the last 3 years) played a formidable adversary in the Carolina Panthers and through a nail biting 60 minutes squeaked an Adam Vinatari field goal victory in the last 8 seconds of the game. (same scenario in XXXVI)

Summary of DVD: (1) A 63 minute recap/highlights of the Patriots 2003 regular/playoff/super bowl victory. This amazing season yeilded a 17-2 record and a 15 game winning streak (only bested by a 17-0 Miami Dolphin run). (2) A 23 minute "EA Sports NFL Matchup" recap show. (3) A 69 minute "World Broadcast" featuring ALL the excitement of the entire Bowl game. (4) "Media Day" candid player/coaches interviews. (5) "Post Game Sounds" of the press conferences and (6) "Quick Hits" A grab bag of Super Bowl Sunday's sights & sounds.

This was an incredible season for the "New England Patriots" and their true team dedication has become the bench mark of CHAMPIONS. This is a must have DVD for your Home Theatre DVD libary. ENJOY!!!

In 2003 the New England Patriots were coming off a letdown 9-7 season when they failed to make the playoffs after winning Super Bowl XXXVI the year before. Within days of the start of the season they released veteran defensive leader Lawyer Milloy as a budgetary concern; he signed with division rival Buffalo and helped (along with fellow ex-Pat Drew Bledsoe) to humiliate his old squad to the tune of 31-0 on Opening Day.

And from there things got difficult. 4 weeks into the season they were a .500 team after losing to the Redskins (STEVE SPURRIER'S REDSKINS)...and from there the Patriots were absolutely perfect, winning every time they took the field.

The record itself is impressive enough...but the games that made up the 2003 season for the Patriots were the kinds of games that you expect to see a good team play over a period of years, not months within the same season. The overtime victory at Miami resulting from Tom Brady's big pass play following Olindo Mare's uncharacteristic field goal inaccuracy (those darn baseball infields)...the Monday Night Football battle in Denver featuring Coach Bill Belichick's called deliberate safety deep into the game calculating on his defense's chances of regaining both field position and the ball for Brady, who again proves a master of pinpoint passing accuracy...Adam Vinatieri providing a glimpse of tensions yet to come as he misses chip shot field goals in Reliant Stadium versus Houston (before winning that game in overtime)...the "one for the ages" goalline stand against the Colts in Indianapolis in a game of "Can you top this?" big plays that ultimately decided the home field advantage for the rematch in the playoffs...the snow in Gillette Stadium and the joy of the fans in the Miami rematch...the 31-0 "paying of the Bills" sealed with a defensive interception in the end zone in the game's dying moments...and that doesn't even cover the domination of the Tennessee Titans in subzero Foxboro and the devastation of the Colts in the conference championship game (Ty Law's three interceptions, Indy's lack of experience in the punting game coming home to roost, Tom Brady doing JUST ENOUGH to win -again), NOR does it mention the most exciting Super Bowl played since...well, since the last time the Patriots were in it two games previously.

The 2003 Patriots may not be the best team in the history of the NFL (but I'd hate to have to put together a team to top them)...but their season was just unbelievably enjoyable and an absolute marketing dream for the NFL.

The special features are terrific, too. The people complaining about the "edited" broadcast of the game are the same folks who weren't at all satisfied about there being not even an edited broadcast included on the 2001 Patriots DVD; if you saw the game anywhere else in the world other than the US (and possibly Canada), this is the broadcast you would have seen. It serves its purpose; all the action is included. The pre- and post-game analysis and press conference footage (especially from Media Day) are entertaining enough as well. I don't think the NFL could do a better job while still putting out a single-disc package with a managable price.

If you're a fan of pro football in America ("A special game...a unique game" in the words of John Facenda), you will be hard-pressed to recall a single NFL campaign as exciting from start-to-finish as this one. If you're not an NFL fan, this DVD is definitely worth your time as it basically includes every aspect of all that makes the game as popular as it is.

I'm a huge Pats fan (living in Atlanta), so I'm gonna try and put on my objective hat here. That said, this is a dynamite DVD. Even better than the excellent SB XXXVI set from two years back. The images are sharp, navigation is simple, and as always, the narration is texbook power voice-over.

The season recap is vintage NFL Films. I wish NFL Films could do my life story. They'd make breakfast seem like a monumental achievement! The NFL is to be commended for not shying away from controversial moments, pointing out bad calls such as the botched out-of-bounds call that went the Dolphins' way in October, or the disallowed TD in the Super Bowl. There is also excellent focus on the regular season highlights: The intentional safety against the Broncos, Bethel Johnson torching the Colts on kick returns, and the brilliant goal-line stand in Indy. The playoff coverage, when NFL films brings more cameras and crew to each game, is stellar.

The editing and judicious use of "miked-up" players really brings the feel of the game across brilliantly. I can't say enough about getting to hear Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti from the Pat's radio network. Great calls.

The best pure sports part of the disc? The complete "World Broadcast" of the Super Bowl with Dick Stockton. You can watch every down, without the huddles, timeouts, etc. It's also fascinating to compare the shot-on-video World Broadcast with the shot-on-film recap, to see the warmth that film brings to these commemorative discs.

Recently (February 26, 2004), the Boston Globe revealed that Tom Brady played the entire season on painkillers and anti-inflammatories for his throwing shoulder, was frequently kept out of practices, and then had arthroscopic surgery just weeks after the big game. Watching this DVD with that information in mind really slams home the point that this was one of the greatest runs in NFL history. Watch the section in the Super Bowl recap that shows Brady taking hits from the Panthers. This is no pretty boy QB. He is one seriously tough customer.

For obvious reasons, no haltime show on the disc. You want to see halftime done right? Get the SB XXXVI disc, and watch U2 define "class act."

NFL Films has done another bang-up job. It's no wonder they're the kings on Corporate Video.

For the Pats fan-Must have.
For the football fan-awesome disc.
For the casual fan-worth it, just for a record of one of the most entertaining Super Bowls ever.

First, go pats!

As for this DVD, it has 2 major flaws, and these flaws are generally ignored by other reviews (and some even get it flat-out wrong). Both deal with the "World Broadcast."

1. While the DVD itself and some reviewers have said that this gives you "ALL the excitement" of the world broadcast, that's definitely not true. Now, I liked the summary of the season, NFL Films-style, but I really wanted this DVD so I could watch the whole game again, since the first time around was a bit stressful (as I'm sure it was for all pats fans). So it KILLED me when I discovered that it is, in fact, NOT THE ENTIRE BROADCAST! It's an abridged version, shortened by cutting down the time between snaps. A four and out takes about 10 seconds, as you seen the panthers line up, run 3 up the gut, and then punt - done by clipping everything after the play until the next snap, with an occasional replay. IT SUCKS! It kills the drama, it's a very clinical, "clean" replay of the game w/o all the excitement. I'm shocked they did this and I'm surprised it wasn't noted more often by other people.

2. Another big flaw was the presentation of the game itself. I watched the game on HDTV, and it was gorgeous in widescreen, crystal clear viewing. However, this DVD only has it in standard format and it's definitely not HD. Pretty weak, given that the game was filmed in high def not to provide that widescreen version on the DVD.

So, get this if all you really want is the summary of the season and dramatic music for the playoffs. As for the actual broadcast, big thumbs down.

Obviously, any DVD that commemorates the Pats winning the Super Bowl is gonna get five stars. This DVD is similar to the Super Bowl XXXVI one, but with much better bonus features. The highlight is the complete Super Bowl, edited to only include the action (it's called the World broadcast feed). It's pretty funny to listen to too, as it's geared towards people outside of the United States (hence the title) and the announcers spend a lot of time explaining the rules.

The other highlight of the bonus features is the post-game Super Bowl interviews. Bob Kraft's is hilarious. I don't want to say he's snookered, but, well watch it for yourself and draw your own conclusion.

As for the regular program, it does a great job of summarizing the entire season. One difference between this DVD and the Super Bowl XXXVI one is that it includes interviews with the players - notably Teddy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison.

Definitely a must-have for any Pats fan.

excellent choice by nfl films to show the full game, minus the commercials, time outs, and dead time in between plays. without all the downtime, the game is shown in 70+ minutes! the 60+ minute recap of the season could of been a little more detailed but that's really nitpicking. the ea sports post-game show was a nice bonus segment. there is no one like ron jaworski for breaking down game film and presenting it with his unmatched enthusiasm. the "media day", "post-game sounds", and "quick hits" bonus segments were very brief and just ok. this was truly an incredible season from a team that won their last 15 games. you have to go back to the 1972 dolphins to find a longer winning streak. this dvd is a no-brainer for any pat's fan like myself. the full game coverage segment makes this tempting to any nfl fan as well, since the game was one the the most competetive in nfl history.

I enjoyed this DVD much more than the superbowl XXXVI DVD. What upset me though is that this DVD was in a 4:3 aspect ratio, not widescreen. If the television broadcast is kind enough to be in HD widescreen, surely NFL films could extend the same courtesy by not cropping down to 4:3. World Braodcast was awesome as everyone mentioned, Thankfully they left the halftime show off the dvd this year. The U2 halftime show 9/11 tribute from XXXVI was a welcome special feature, but I dont think anyone needs to see freakin janet jackson again.
A must own DVD for any football fan, any pats fan who does not own this disc already..thats just criminal.
Also check out "3 games to glory 2" DVD available only from the patriots pro shop online

I love you, NFL Films!

I enjoyed just about everything about this DVD. The season summary was much better and more in depth this time around, probably because NFL Films really only focuses on the wins, and the were plenty of those; good and memorable ones to boot.
They also have little narrative segments with the players, which is great (BRUUUUUUSCHI). But, the fact that they have the entire broadcast of the Super Bowl, every play, from beginning to end is what sells this DVD. This has NEVER HAPPENED before. The broadcasting isn't of the highest quality, but it doesn't matter.
All in all, a great way to relive a super season.

NFL Films did an outstanding job in assembling and editing the footage for this, especially considering the fact that the Super Bowl was played on February 1 and this DVD was released on February 24. Highlights from every regular season game were included, my favorite being the Snowball Bowl played against the Miami Dolphins on December 7. A heavy snow had fallen that day and, whenever the Patriots scored, the fans would throw snowballs in the air. It looked like white fireworks were going off in Gillette Stadium! The Ice Bowl against the Tennessee Titans, which was played on January 10, didn't start until 8 PM. The temperature and wind chill went way below zero, as the Patriots froze the Titans in their tracks and stopped them from advancing in the playoffs. The Kick The Colts Bowl, played on January 18, saw the unbeatable Indianapolis Colts get their clock cleaned, as Mr. Manning found out that Gillette Stadium was not Peyton's place!

In Super Bowl XXXVIII, the Carolina Panthers played with great intensity and would not give up, battling back time and time again. It's very fitting that the Patriots' victory came down to Adam Vinateri's last minute field goal, just as it did in Super Bowl XXXVI. Once again, the highlights from that game included in this DVD were outstanding. What really impressed me were the bonus features, especially the World Broadcast. Every play of the Super Bowl was shown, minus the commercials or any other pauses between plays. The half time show was not shown at all, putting the spotlight on the football game itself, where it rightly belonged. In my opinion, Super Bowl XXXVIII was the best Super Bowl of all time, and this is the best DVD presentation of a Super Bowl I have ever seen.