Invictus Blu-Ray Review And Giveaway

I doubt that during the first meetings about making a movie revolving around Nelson Mandela taking office and looking for national pride via rugby a lot of the talk focused on the myriad ways such a film could go wrong. Those who make such movies generally cannot even fathom the idea of it going wrong. The wildly overpraised Precious is in a similar realm. “But, it’s a movie about…,” and that’s really all there is to the discussion.

Conversations about this turning into an ultimately pointless effort that had little to say other than, “Look how fabulous Nelson Mandela is… how can you argue with that?” were not the first ones various suits had. Luckily, in the case of Invictus, they were conversations someone had at some point.

The plot is decidedly simple. We follow Mandela (Morgan Freeman) through his earliest days as President, with special attention to his focus on the National Rugby team, and its captain, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon). The special spin (which interestingly has no real U.S. equivalent), is that the nation’s racial tensions are somewhat symbolically tied to the team. As Mandela notes in an early match, the whites are cheering for their team, the blacks for the visitors.

As a point of hopeful solidarity, Mandela tries to fuel a fire in Pienaar which will lead him to inspire his team to victory at the Rugby World Cup, which South Africa is hosting. Mandela aims to fuse nation and team, standing together in markedly underdog status, with the idea that while his bid for election was a victory to some, it was a defeat to others, and what his nation needs now is a victory for all.

It’s an interesting story about a uniquely bizarre period of human history, but what saves the film from spilling into the realm of the preachy and/or treacly may be precisely what renders it ultimately unsatisfying and a tad dull. Don’t get me wrong though, the movie is a winner.

There are simply so many things to work at avoiding in this picture that by the time we manage that trick we look around and find that the major focus of the film is the saying of things such that we won’t… rather than the saying of that which will. In this case, it’s a difference the audience can feel, but it’s the sort of difference that leaves you with a four-star film instead of an attainable higher mark.

There’s a surprising amount of fun to the picture, and the thing itself manages the humble charisma of the man it relays to some degree or other. Morgan Freeman gives a solid performance, and one that is engaging and supremely watchable, even if it simply is not worth best of the year status. Noteworthy? Maybe. Win? No. The film even manages a number of scenes that are practically signed by Eastwood. Specifically, the old and new bodyguard play throughout, and the sudden rush to a speech before the committee voting to change the team’s mascot and colors.

It’s interesting. It’s worth watching. You won’t be disappointed, and in the sense of the best spin you can put on that idea. But, somehow it isn’t quite powerful, and it should be. It keeps such tight reins on itself that it can’t break free of its own restraint.

Rating:  

Special Features

The Blu-Ray release, while not exactly packed with special features, adds miles of value to the film. First, though this probably isn't the first film that jumps to mind when thinking about the picture quality potential of Blu-Ray, it gets a surprising boost for the complete HD experience. There is much to appreciate in both the setting and Eastwood's eye for composition.

The big draw in the bonus package is the feature Vision, Courage and Honor: Clint Eastwood and the Power of a True Story, which is a picture-in-picture track with Eastwood giving the in-depth story of several aspects of the film. From what drew him to the story, to his efforts to get the story to the screen. In the past, I've found similar features to be more flash than substance, put together mainly as a "look what we can do" effort. This one not only wins out by virtue of Eastwood's ability to maintain interest, but it truly adds a great deal to the overall film.

It may be just that this is the perfect combination of film and director, but the little backstory moments and explanations of decisions bring the whole thing to a new level.

You also get a pretty special bonus with Mandela Meets Morgan, a twenty-minute featurette that is pretty self-explanatory. Armed with the knowledge that you watched the movie at all, it's pretty safe to say that you're going to enjoy this.

The Eastwood Factor is a cutdown of the feature-length documentary. It's around twenty minutes, and it's a well done trimming that leaves a lot of the meat and is likely to get you interested in the full version.

Also on the Blu-Ray, and included in the standard DVD release are: Matt Damon Plays Rugby and an Invictus Music Trailer. Seven or so minutes on how Matt Damon prepared to portray a rugby player is exactly as interesting as you think it will be. If it sounds like something worth watching to you, you'll enjoy what you get. The music trailer is a pretty straight-forward sell for the soundtrack, and it's a good one.

Ultimately, this is a pretty easy recommendation. There could have been a few more bonuses, and the film lends itself to several avenues of exploration that could make a nice featurette, but it's solidly quality over quantity.

Available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and for Download Today!

Win it!

Leave a comment below, and you are automatically entered to win your very own copy of the Blu-Ray release. U.S. only. Winner will be randomly chosen June 10th.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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