I will not pretend that I know anything about baseball, but I love movies about the sport! I remember watching Field of Dreams with my parents in the early 90s, I had no interest in watching it at first, but I was completely captivated by it. Even now, it is a classic feel-good drama that I can put on if I need a little pick-me-up.
How to Download Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams was released on May 5, 1989. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like Kevin Costner, check him out in Dances with Wolves (1990). Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), Hidden Figures (2016), or Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021).
The Movie Review
I recently picked up the 4K release of Field of Dreams and thought it would be the perfect time to talk about the movie. I will say that the 30th anniversary 4K release is fantastic, the transfer to 4K is awesome and it looks phenomenal. A great deal of time, effort, and love went into this restoration and it made the movie even more enjoyable to watch. It is a huge upgrade from the last Blu-Ray of this movie that was released.
If you have never seen Field of Dreams, I would wager that you have heard the line “If you build it, he will come” or at least know of it. Anyway, while baseball and the effect the sport has on people is at the heart of this movie, you do not have to be into baseball to appreciate this.
The Heartfelt Story
The story is so good that you could probably replace baseball with any other sport and keep everything else the same and it would still be just as good. I know it sounds cliché, but Field of Dreams is a movie that just has a ton of heart. It is about a farmer and family man called Ray Kinsella who lives with his wife Annie and daughter, Karin.
Ray’s Passion
Ray loves baseball, but he has a bit of sadness about him as he worries about getting older and life passing him by. While in his cornfield he hears that iconic line and sees a vision of a baseball field and a legendary player called Shoeless Joe Jackson. Ray takes this as a sign that he should build a baseball field in his cornfield!
Family and Connections
Annie is a real sweetheart and she agrees to let Ray do this, even though it may put them in extreme financial hardship. Turns out this vision was real and Shoeless Joe Jackson (played by Ray Liotta) appears and tells him that he is on the right track and gives him more cryptic advice.
A Heartwarming Journey
Eventually, Ray while at a PTA meeting thinks that part of what he has been told means that he needs to find an old author called Terance Mann and the two of them end up on this journey that is just so heartfelt and warming it is impossible not to get invested by it. At its core, it is a movie about family and having connections with other people, and the movie does it through baseball. The stuff with Ray and his dad as an adult and dad myself really does get me!
Supernatural Elements
I love the supernatural stuff that the movie has and it even has a small bit of time travel too! I know that it all must sound so strange to someone who has never seen this, but it all works so well. Plus the acting from Kevin Costner as Ray and James Eearl Jones as Terance is amazing, actually all the performances in this movie are great.
Timeless Classic
Field of Dreams is a classic that I dare say has gotten better with age. I liked this as a kid, but as an adult, I appreciate this movie even more and I am so glad I picked up the 4K. There is no way that I can watch this and not feel good after. There was talk that there was a remake coming (I think it was a TV series) and I have to say I am glad it was canned, somethings do not need to be remade and this is one of those.
