Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Due to the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike in 2007, season two of Heroes included only 11 episodes, and its tepid start and hasty finale left fans with a glimmer of hope that the series would rediscover the mojo it had during its first season. One complaint was its season-long story arc frustrated viewers, so executive producer/creator Tim Kring decided to split the season into two parts, "Villains" and "Fugitives."

"Villains" starts shortly after Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) is shot during his press conference, with the identity of the assassin revealed and the motive exposed. Sylar (Zarchary Quinto) has his power partially restored and visits Claire (Hayden Panettiere) in hopes of acquiring her special ability (just like in season one). My favorite characters, Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) lose a secret formula to a newcomer, Daphne (Brea Grant) who becomes Hiro's nemesis (doesn't every superhero have one?). And in New York City, Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) makes a scientific breakthrough that will change the world, but at what price?

In "Fugitives," the government starts rounding up people with abilities, and our heroes are on the run. Sylar tries to locate his long-lost father and evades capture by the authorities. Claire learns of the government plot and tries to warn Matt Parkman (Greg Gunberg) about its plans not knowing her father, Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman), is working with them.

Both segments have frenetic pacing, while character development suffers and there are multiple plot holes. Furthermore, the writers failed to capture the spirit of the first season while repeating the same themes—painting the future and impending global doom. Whatever happened to "save the cheerleader, save the world"? And didn't the ability to paint the future die with Isaac in season one? Fortunately, season-one writer Bryan Fuller returns for episode 20, "Cold Snap," killing some extraneous characters and providing some depth to the regulars—something dreadfully lacking through the first 19 episodes. One discovery during this season is that certain people are born with abilities while others gain them through other means. Why take the story in this direction?

Much like the writing, the video quality is inconsistent. The 1080p/VC-1 encode has shifting contrast, crushed blacks, and widespread video noise, especially in darker scenes. With 25 episodes in the set, one would think there would be differences between each episode—and there are—but many of these irregularities happen throughout each episode. The color palette is bold and striking, and there are times when the encode truly shines. For example, when Hiro ventures into the future, the CGI-created Tokyo looks outstanding with rock-solid blacks, great shadow detail, and bright neon lights, but other parts of the same episode don't look nearly as sharp and focused. Close-ups have ample detail—for example, facial blemishes and skin pores—but as the camera pulls back, these details become muddy and lose definition.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack has some truly great moments, but like everything else associated with Heroes, it's inconsistent. Dialog is clear and concise, and the front soundstage is nice and wide. The surround channels provide some inconsistent ambience—sometimes too little, other times too much—and the LFE certainly packs a punch, especially during shootouts, plane crashes, and Sylar's nuclear meltdown.

Universal has gone all-out in with the supplements, such as PIP commentaries for all 25 episodes that include cast and crew watching off-screen and making comments. I sampled each of these, and some are better than others, depending on who's hosting. Each episode also includes "Heroes Connections," which offer text-based character biographies through the U-Control interface.

Traditional bonus materials include deleted scenes (SD), featurettes on the stunts and video effects, three alternate stories, a spoof commercial, and art from Tim Sale (all in HD). Rounding out the supplements is a scene-deconstruction feature (very cool), "Building Coyote Sands" (a town in "Fugitives"), and "The Writers' Forum," a conversation with executive producer Tim Kring and two of the writers. You can access BD-Live from the first disc for a brief preview at the upcoming season, which looks promising.

I used to think that Heroes was one of the best shows on TV, but no longer. The writing took a turn for the worse, but with the return of Bryan Fuller, I'm hoping things improve in the upcoming season. One constant is the acting, which is very good, and hopefully the writers rediscover the spirit that made this one of my favorite shows. If not, I doubt I'll make it through the fourth season, but I'm willing to give it one more try.

Release Date: September 1, 2009
Studio: Universal

Season Rating: 4/10
Picture: 6/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics