DVD Review HTF REVIEW: Million Dollar Baby - Three Disc Deluxe Edition (VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (1 Viewer)

[Brett_B]

MINOR SPOILERS CONTAINED IN POST





I can't fully express how glad I am that I didn't hear anything in regards to this movie prior to my viewing. I was so caught up in the movie that when the twist came about I was absolutely floored as if I had some sort of personal relationship with Maggie. I can remember being outraged at the opposing fighter, and thinking about what type of consequences she may face as a result of her actions. It took me awhile to block that out of my mind to focus on the remainder of the movie. I guess part of me didn't want the movie to go in that direction, and words can't describe how happy I am that it did not go in that direction.

As a side note I get very aggrevated when people use the word "twist" to describe the movie (or its ending). I can't help myself to try to figure out the "twist" prior to see how close I was (refer to Ron's spoiler above), or how bad it was telegraphed throughout the movie. I hate reading full reviews because reviewers can't help themselves in giving away that information. I just wish that people could restrain themselves by giving the basic premise of the movie, and comment on whether it was actually good or not. I have no problem hearing about the actors performances, the "look" of the film, the pacing, and the direction, but hearing someone elaborate on the finer details that may hint at a possible plot point is where I feel the line is being crossed.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think most of us cared and really liked the three main characters which creates an emotional bond with the audience. Yesterday, I watched the entire dvd and it was my fourth viewing of this film since last December and the emotional kick was still there for me.

 

[Brett_B]

I actually watched it for my third time last night (first DVD viewing), and I completely agree. I can remember getting very upset that this movie took a long time to reach my area, and thankfully prior to the Oscars.

 

[ZacharyTait]

I just watched the extras on my 3-disc set and I wish there were more. What we get is pretty good, it's just that a movie of this caliber deserves a lot more. I would like to have seen a feature on creating the score, the look of the movie, location tours, interviews with the top brass at WB about the movie, a full fledged behind the scenes look at the making of the movie, etc.

I am happy to own this movie on DVD, I just wish the DVD had more substance.

I didn't make the connection of Albert S. Ruddy to The Godfather until I saw the poster on the wall behind him during his interview.:b

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, I know what you mean, but Eastwood would never do a commentary track because I don't think he's comfortable doing such things. However, they might have been able to do more featurettes like the one with the woman boxer that portrayed Maggie's final opponent. Man, did I come away with a different opinion of her besides the character she played in the film.




Crawdaddy

 

[Tim Glover]

Watching the dvd was my 3rd time and Crawdaddy is right. Hasn't lost the luster or the power. In fact, in some ways I think it's even more meaningful knowing what's coming in this particular film. Regardless, M$B was deserving of last years Best Picture. I rooted hard for Finding Neverland, and that's still a gem. But Baby is richer.

 

[Leon Liew]

I gave this a miss when it ran in our theaters.Am not into
boxing movies.What kinda of title is this 'Million Dollar
Baby'and it puzzles me.

It was my son who was on his way back from a holiday that
he caught the movie on the plane.He mentioned that it was
a good movie and I should have watched it.As fate has it
my regular DVD dealer gave me a call and say hey this Million
Dollar Baby title has arrived and with sceptism I bought
it.Now my sceptism turns to admiration for a great piece
of good and emotionally charged film by Clint Eastwood and
what a twist ! I say to myself never ever judge a film
by it's title.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

When I said great directors, I was thinking along the lines of Truffaut, Antonioni, Hitchcock, Bunuel, Kurosawa, Bergman, Ozu, Goddard, Ford, Eisenstein, Tarkovsky, Welles, etc. etc.. Those sacred cows.

Don't get me wrong. I love the guy, but I wonder if the academic elite will give him his due as a director. But I think Robert is right when he says


I just finished watching this film. Damn fine film. And I'm proud to say I'm still batting 1.000 for sight unseen movies. Love the score as it reminds me of Unforgiven.

 

[Craig S]

Ditto. Both Eastwood & Freeman sat down for an hour with Charlie Rose last fall when MDB was released. I was hoping one or both of those interviews would have been included.

 

[Robert Crawford]

If anybody would like to discuss Million Dollar Baby in more details, please do so in the Official Discussion Thread. Thank you.





Crawdaddy

 

[Haggai]

Yeah, I'm kind of disappointed that the Charlie Rose interviews weren't included, I didn't see them when they were broadcast. I think they did include one on the Mystic River SE, so I'm kind of surprised that they didn't for M$B. The one included on the Shawshank SE (also with Morgan Freeman) is a great extra, and of course several other DVDs have relevant episodes of the show as well.

 

[KrisM]

Just watched it last night and I really enjoyed it. But there was a problem with the first 30 minutes or so. The audio from the center speaker was terrible. It sounded like VHS audio going from the hifi track to the mono track back and forth. It cleared up and sounded great for the rest of the film. Could it just be a bad copy? Any help would be appreciated.

regards
KrisM

 

[Andrew Radke]

I just watched it last night. I originally saw it theatrically and instantly loved it. I thought both picture & sound quality were great. More extras would've been nice considering this was the Best Picture of the year, but I'm more than happy with it. For the record, I purchased the 2-disc. Had no need for the soundtrack.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Absolutely. Watched this at home and knowing what was coming added an extra level of emotional investment. A real gem.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Andy_MT]

noticed this too. very distracting. whether this is a flaw with the original soundtrack or just bad authoring i don't know. but i wish it wasn't there.

 

[Mark Dubeau]

This was a good film, but I don't think it's all it was cracked up to be. (sorry for the pun).

What nobody has mentioned is how unrealistic that final boxing scene was. Not to mention the physical improbability of what transpired. That pretty much ruined the remainder of the movie for me.