Studio: Universal
Release Date: March 8, 2022
Rating: R
Film: 2.5/5
PlotThree days before the college football national championship game, star quarterback LeMarcus James (Emmy® Nominee Stephan James; If Beale Street Could Talk, 21 Bridges) and teammate Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig; “Vikings”, The Hunger Games franchise) ignite a player’s strike declaring they won’t compete until all student-athletes are fairly compensated. With billions of dollars at risk and legacies on the line, the stakes could not be higher. Now, with only hours until kickoff, the head coach (Oscar® Winner J.K. Simmons; Whiplash, Being the Ricardos) and various power brokers - Emmy® Winner Kristin Chenoweth (“Pushing Daisies”), Emmy® Nominee Timothy Olyphant (“Fargo,” “Justified”), Emmy® Winner Uzo Aduba (“Orange is the New Black”), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Free Guy), Tim Blake Nelson (“Watchmen”), Andrew Bachelor (Holidate), Jeffrey Donovan (Sicario, ), David Koechner (Anchorman,), - must race against the clock to protect or destroy the prevailing collegiate athletics system.
My ThoughtsIt’s rare that I watch a sports movie and not get sucked into the story, but this just didn’t resonate with me one bit. First, the character development is virtually non-existent and through most of the first act I struggled to feel anything for the main characters. As things unfold, it gets a bit better, but the writer tried to throw too many ideas into the proceedings and the film comes across as unfocused and haphazard. While I agreed with the main premise—that college athletes should be compensated—the way this is portrayed is a bit too radical for my tastes.
What was really disappointing was the presentation. The video quality is a very mixed bag mainly due to the interior shots that take place in hotel rooms. The image is flat and lacks depth and, in many cases, looks a bit hazy and unfocused. The audio is somewhat pedestrian but is never distracting.
Video 3.5/5 (AVC)Audio 3.5/5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)Special Features: • Behind the Music
• The Game
• Sports Trivia
• Blu-ray + Digital Copy
ConclusionWhile the acting was competent and engaging, the story ended up being much too melodramatic for my taste and there were a few too many side stories that became more distracting than interesting. Overall, this one is a miss, and this is coming from someone who is usually a sucker for these types of stories. At best this is a rental.
Reference Review System:JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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