Movie Reviews

‘National Champions’ Blu-Ray Review – Intense Football Drama Escalates The Stakes Off The Field

By Dillon Gonzales
March 8, 2022
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Three 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.

For in-depth thoughts on National Champions, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment brings National Champions to Blu-Ray with an excellent 1080p video presentation. The image is clean with the deep color palette popping off the screen. The film employs splashes of vivid colors within the clothing and production design, which makes for a very striking image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky, but digital noise does prove to be a minor issue at certain moments in the film. The flesh tones are natural with gentle nuances showcased well in close-ups and medium shots. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the primary interior shots. When this film goes into restaurants or explores the press pool more, the details present as impressively sharp in all lighting conditions. This is as solid of a presentation as any modern movie should provide on Blu-Ray. Universal has treated this film very well with this disc.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is quite excellent without being domineering. Music plays an undeniable role in establishing the mood of the narrative, and this track does a great job of filling the room in a truly enveloping way. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever falling victim to overlapping voices or an overbearing soundtrack. Everything is mixed perfectly with directionality accurately rendered across all channels. The sounds of the various crowded rooms provide a good amount of activity in the rear channels, and music stirs up some activity in the low end. This track honors the spirit of the movie with an immersive journey that ranks as something worthy of praise.

Special Features

Behind The Music: A two-minute piece in which composer Jonathan Sanford discusses coming up with the sound of the film and what drew him to the project.

The Game: A three-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the ideas and themes tackled in the film and how aspects pertain to their own experiences.

Sports Trivia: A minute-long piece in which the cast members attempt to answer football trivia.

Final Thoughts

National Champions is a very unique entry into the pantheon of sports movies, primarily due to the fact that the actual playing of sports is not the primary motivation. The film uses the passion that drives football to tell a David and Goliath story of someone trying to be properly valued for their talent and efforts. The subject matter is incredibly interesting, but the execution lacks a sense of gravity to put it among the best of the genre. The performances are all really strong, but the script needed another pass to tighten things up and provide some greater insight into the issues at large. Universal Picture Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports fantastic A/V presentation and a few brief special features. While not perfect, this one is definitely worth a look if it sounds interesting in the slightest to you. Recommended

National Champions is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

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

Disclaimer: Universal 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.