The miraculous story of the once and future heavyweight champion of the world. Fueled by an impoverished childhood, Foreman channels his anger into becoming the World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that takes him from the ring to the pulpit. But when he sees his community struggle, he reclaims his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable heavyweight champion ever.

For in-depth thoughts on Big George Foreman, please see my colleague Caillou Pettis’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Big George Foreman debuts on Blu-Ray with a striking 1080p presentation in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio that captures the film really well. The movie has more of a warmer color palette that is very vibrant and nostalgic throughout with a tremendous amount of detail and clarity. Even when we creep into the shadowy corners of certain interiors, objects retain their form and depth. The hues on display within the environments, the clothing and the production design are very pleasant and well saturated.

Contrast is handled very well with this release. Highlights never get too bright or unwieldy as they avoid any instances of clipping. The black levels remain very deep with no semblance of crush spotted. There is a bit of digital noise at points, but it is nothing that becomes a distraction. There is no other damage or digital anomalies detectable in this transfer. Sony has treated this film well on disc.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray arrives with a knockout DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that brings this experience to life favorably. Dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the music where nothing gets overshadowed in the track. Surround channels are notably used to enhance the ambiance and create a more fleshed-out space. While there are plenty of talky exchanges, the track knows how to land a blow when the legend is sparring in the ring. The low end of the track really allows you to feel the effect of every punch. Sony has treated this one with respect. There are optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish and an array of other subtitles provided.

Special Features

Big George Foreman – A Look At The Message & The Making Of The Film: An 11-minute piece in which the real-life George Foreman, the cast and the creative team look at the legendary athlete, the direction of George Tillman Jr, the casting of the ensemble, the fight scenes and more.

Toe to Toe – Foreman & Ali: A nearly four-minute piece which takes a look at the epic confrontation between the two boxing legends, the preparation that went into capturing this on screen and more.

Deleted Scenes: Seven scenes of unused material totaling nearly 19 minutes are provided here which provide some interesting moments that were cut for pacing. Fans will enjoy experiencing some of this.

Gag Reel: A minute-long collection of flubbed lines, malfunctioning props, laughing fits and more.

Previews

Final Thoughts

Big George Foreman wants to be scrapping in the heavyweight division, but in the end it can barely make an impression with the featherweights. The film takes the stock formula for a biopic and refuses to budge an inch towards something creative. A magnetic performance from Khris Davis alone cannot save this movie from itself, especially with a supporting cast that is so woefully underdeveloped. There is an interesting story in here, but it is overtaken by a bloated runtime that does not understand how to channel this life into something rewarding. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray disc that delivers a great A/V presentation and a decent selection of supplements. This is a fair diversion, but it does not nourish anything in the realm of artistic fulfillment.

Big George Foreman will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 27, 2023. The film is currently available on Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.