Over the last two decades, the game of baseball has undergone some watershed moments, from the expansion era of the late 90s, to the steroid era, to the '04 Red Sox and beyond. Once again, filmographer Ken Burns is here to recap the key moments.
What I like about this add-on to the original "Baseball" film series is the memories it stirs up. Sure, it is biased towards the East Coast, but let's face it: so many of the seminal moments we all remember involve the Yankees, Red Sox, or other high-profile teams. As a Minnesota Twins fan myself, I can freely admit this is the case, and still enjoyed this entire documentary immensely. I relived the early days of the Yankee dynasty, that emotionally charged '01 World Series, the tragedies of the Steroid Era, and the pure spectacle of the '04 postseason (as well as much more).
About the only thing that keeps this extension from drawing a five-star review is the change in tone of Burns from the original. Instead of sounding like the impartial observer, Burns amps up the "preachiness" a little bit, really skewering steroid usage, and Barry Bonds in general. I'm not saying he's wrong...I believe the exact same sort of things that he does. But, I feel he lost a bit of impartiality and got just a little preachy at times.
All in all, though, this is a worthy continuation of perhaps the greatest documentary series ever made. Buy it separately, or buy it packaged as a whole...you won't be disappointed!
What I like about this add-on to the original "Baseball" film series is the memories it stirs up. Sure, it is biased towards the East Coast, but let's face it: so many of the seminal moments we all remember involve the Yankees, Red Sox, or other high-profile teams. As a Minnesota Twins fan myself, I can freely admit this is the case, and still enjoyed this entire documentary immensely. I relived the early days of the Yankee dynasty, that emotionally charged '01 World Series, the tragedies of the Steroid Era, and the pure spectacle of the '04 postseason (as well as much more).
About the only thing that keeps this extension from drawing a five-star review is the change in tone of Burns from the original. Instead of sounding like the impartial observer, Burns amps up the "preachiness" a little bit, really skewering steroid usage, and Barry Bonds in general. I'm not saying he's wrong...I believe the exact same sort of things that he does. But, I feel he lost a bit of impartiality and got just a little preachy at times.
All in all, though, this is a worthy continuation of perhaps the greatest documentary series ever made. Buy it separately, or buy it packaged as a whole...you won't be disappointed!