While the clichés drag We Are Marshall to the limits if your patience, the narrative and respect for the material is constantly evident. This is an emotional recreation of a difficult period for the school. As a movie, it only manages to get things about half right. 
Video quality is all over the place for this DVD release. Opening scenes prior to the crash are layered with an artificial grain, causing massive compression problems. Post-disaster, the grain is lifted yet the heavy artifacts remain. Color is bright and rich, with deep blacks in all scenes. Contrast is strong.
There's decent crowd audio to be had here utilizing the sound field to immerse the viewer in the game. Bass adds to the impact of the hits. The soundtrack provides decent accompaniment, though it tends to become lost in the mix. 
Extras amount to almost nothing aside from a decent documentary, Legendary Coaches. While it features the real Coach Lengyel, its relevance to the film's story is fleeting. It's a 37-minute effort focusing on what coaches across all sports do to motivate players.
The only thing to play with in the menu beyond that is an embarrassing advertisement for Marshall University. While it lasts only one minute, it cheapens the movie and the DVD. It's incredible that space was wasted on something like this and nothing was given to the team that inspired the story. This is shameless promotion. 
Other DVDs are available that focus specifically on the events featured. It's inexcusable that this disc is disrespectful enough not to include anything on the events that inspired it, not to mention the story made Warner Bros. $43 million. Warner released Return of the Thundering Herd, a 44 minute documentary distributed alongside the theatrical run of the film on DVD. It's worth tracking down, but it should have been here.
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Article comments
1 - Woody Woodrum
I agree with most of what you say. Marshall was promised a 45-minute look at the school by producers, but that apparently went away.
But the final play, which they amped up some for effect is basically true - quarterback rolled right with no time left, threw to running back who had just one man to beat for 15 yard touchdown and way is paved by crushing block by tackle. Marshall wins 15-13 on the last play of the first home game following crash, a feat dramatic enough to stand on its own two feet.
2 - mushadd
They are not cliches if they are reality! This IS a movie about a true story. The last second win did happen.
I do agree with the DVD features. I was very disappointed. I just hope maybe they're saving the good stuff for an "extended edition" or "directors cut" in order to help double dip on DVD sales.
3 - Matt Paprocki
Cliches in terms of how it was filmed? Absolutely.
If I have to sit through one more freakin' sports movie where it kicks into slo mo, cuts to a close up of the QB, cuts to the coaches with a nervous look, cuts to the field where linemen make their move, cuts to the ball, cuts to the catch, I'm done with movies.
True or not, it could have been filmed in a way that didn't make it so horribly generic and uninteresting. Better yet, focus on the games they lost and drama/tension that caused. That's a story.
What they filmed is far too generic to care.
4 - Max
Personally and overall, I was disappointed in the finished product of the movie, as well as the DVD. The movie seemed to have lots of holes, lack of continuity, and as I have read repeatedly, lack of enough character development.
While the first 20 to 30 minutes were riveting, the remainder of the movie was scattered. Add to this, as the writer of this article said, the shameless promotion of not only Marshall University, but also the state of West Virginia, made it seem like a cheap advertising ploy to draw people and revenue into the state. This is kind of embarrassing.
Although the director, McG, did a fine job and was lauded repeatedly by locals, I have to wonder if another director would have done a better job of presenting the story. The DVD sales are reportedly doing well, and I am glad to hear this. Although being a life-long Huntingtonian and MU fan, I wish the movie and DVD had been presented differently.
5 - Gary
Since the movie first came out I have had time to reflect on exactly what went wrong with this movie. Don't get me wrong, I am a Huntington native and a huge Marshall fan, but I feel the movie wasn't as emotionally riveting as it could have been. The main reason: the movie "score". It sounded as if done by a stage band, with enough cello to make even Yo Yo Mah pull his hair out. A good movie score is pivotal and crucial for emotional impact, and this movie could have been so much more with a GOOD orchestral score behind it. I hope someday this movie is re-made and a more effort is put into the background score.