DVD Movie Guide @ dvdmg.com Awards & Recommendations at Amazon.com.
.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main
WARNER

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Ben Affleck
Cast:
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis
Writing Credits:
Alex Convery

Synopsis:
Sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro leads Nike in its pursuit of Michael Jordan's endorsement.

Box Office:
Budget:
$80 million.
Opening Weekend:
$14,456,279 on 3507 Screens.
Domestic Gross:
$52,460,106.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
English Dolby Atmos
English Dolby 5.1
English Descriptive Audio
Subtitles:
English
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 112 min.
Price: $24.98
Release Date: 9/12/2023

Bonus:
• None


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BDT220P Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Air [Blu-Ray] (2023)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (September 21, 2023)

Because Ben Affleck and Matt Damon came to fame via their co-written/co-starring 1997 hit Good Will Hunting, they remain joined at the hip in the public mind. However, the longtime friends haven’t worked together a whole lot over the last 26 years.

Indeed, 2023’s Air offers a unique entry in their shared filmography because Affleck directed it. While Damon and Affleck reunited to write and act in 2019’s The Last Duel, Air represents to the first time Affleck directed his buddy.

In 1984, Nike owns a good share of the running shoe market but they can’t make inroads into the sales of sneakers for basketball. On the verge of seeing that division closed, marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro (Damon) becomes convinced Nike can rebound if they sign newly-drafted Chicago Bull Michael Jordan as spokesman.

For a wide variety of reasons, this seems like a tough – or impossible – sell, but Vaccaro perseveres. He plugs away relentlessly to sign Jordan and lead to the creation of the “Air Jordan” sneaker.

Air came as part of an unrelated series of 2023 movies that revolve around products. In addition, we found films about the creation of the BlackBerry device and the Tetris videogame.

Air stands out among these due to the talent involved. In addition to Affleck and Damon, the cast involves folks like Chris Tucker, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans and Chris Messina.

Of course, Air isn’t really “about” a sneaker. It offers a tale of Vaccaro’s gamble and indomitable will to push toward his goal.

In that regard, Affleck delivers an engaging and affable story, one that seems likely to please crowds. Affleck doesn’t provide a dark trek through the subject matter, as he prefers to keep things pretty light, even when Vaccaro hits his darkest moments.

This seems like a good choice for the most part, though Affleck’s “hey man, it’s the 80s!” tone grows old. We get incessant cultural references that eventually become a chore.

Affleck seems to think that if he doesn't refer to circa 1984 culture every 3 minutes, we'll forget the year. This happens a lot with movies set in the 1980s, as filmmakers revel in the excesses of the era and shove those down our throats too often.

I also think we get far too many winking nods toward what we know now vs. what the participants knew then. Air clearly plays on the audience’s awareness of reality over the 39 years between the movie’s events and the film’s release.

We can swallow a little of this, but Air just pours on too much of this form of “hindsight commentary”. Though it creates some laughs, it seems somewhat irritating at times.

Nonetheless, I admit Air goes down easy and delivers a fun ride. Nothing here creates a serious, impactful flick, but the end result brings a lot of life to the proceedings.

As such, even with some of my criticisms, Air turns into a bubbly and enjoyable little journey. I’d like something that works a bit less hard to make the audience love it, but the film still entertains.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B/ Bonus F

Air appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a pretty good visual presentation.

Overall sharpness worked fine. Some softness crept into wider shots, but the majority of the movie seemed accurate and well-defined.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws failed to appear.

Though most movies set in the 1980s opt for garish palettes, Air went heavily teal, with some amber as well. These choices felt dull but the disc reproduced them as intended.

Blacks seemed deep and dense, while low-light shots brought appealing clarity. This turned into a positive image.

Did a chatty flick like Air need a Dolby Atmos soundtrack? No, and downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the mix came with the limited scope I expected.

The soundscape opened up mainly for music, as the mix of 1980s songs used the channels in an engaging manner. Otherwise, we found a low-key soundfield that popped to life a little related to vehicles – planes, cars – and not much else.

Audio quality satisfied, as speech appeared distinctive and natural. Effects failed to tax my system, but they seemed accurate and precise.

Music varied somewhat dependent on the source, but the songs and score felt vivid and lively most of the time. This turned into a perfectly adequate track for a flick of this sort.

No extras appear on the disc.

At no point does Air threaten to become a great film, and it can pander to the audience a little too much. Still, it offers a brisk, bubbly experience that makes it a fun ride. The Blu-ray comes with solid picture and audio but it lacks bonus materials. Nothing here delivers a substantial drama, but the film entertains.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3 Stars Number of Votes: 1
05:
04:
1 3:
02:
01:
View Averages for all rated titles.

.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main