The Show
Although this position will surely incur the wrath of self-important comic fans everywhere, I didn't hate the third season of the much-maligned Heroes as much as some. True, it still blatantly rips off other shows, movies, and of course comic books, but the pace has finally moved one notch above "Glacial" and the eventual addition of single-minded hero-catcher Danko (Zeljko Ivanek) brought some much-needed drive. The show depicts a world where men and women (and even babies) from all walks of life suddenly find themselves blessed/cursed with extraordinary abilities, so of course "normal" men like Danko feel threatened to the point of insanity.
Season 3 is actually a combination of "Volumes" Three and Four, "Villains" and "Fugitives," wherein first a slew of empowered dangers-to-society is released from a maximum security holding facility, and then every specially enabled individual is rounded up by the federal government. My wife pointed out that so many episodes are merely "Let's pair up these two characters… now these two… or these three! Or let's pit this pair against that pair," almost as if the writers are playing with a box full of action figures, although whenever they are interviewed the creators express a remarkably deep affinity for what they are doing, even if it doesn't always come across on screen. I suppose I keep waiting for Heroes to realize its potential. It moved closer last year, let's leave it at that.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I encountered some difficulty playing Disc One, first I was able to access the bonus features but not the actual episodes on my PlayStation 3, and later the disc would not play at all. We have a query into Universal Studios Home Entertainment and will update accordingly. We also hope to test this on some additional players to see if the problem reproduces elsewhere]
[FOLLOW-UP: Universal's peeps recommended that I verify my PS3 firmware as version 2.80 (which it was) and that I delete the BD Data Utility and reload the BD-Live content, which I tried. I also updated to version 3.00, and I still can't play the episodes from Disc One. Switching to the Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player for comparison, the disc did work, sort of: After anomalies such as freezing on a frame from the menus or a long stretch of black screen, the show played with occasional hiccups, but I never was able to view the first chapter of the first episode. Has anyone else encountered difficulty with Disc One playback? Is anyone playing it problem-free? Big Picture Big Sound readers, let us know!]
[LAST WORD: Universal takes this stuff pretty seriously too, and they were kind enough to send me out a replacement, which played perfectly on both the PS3 and BDP-S350. Most likely the problems I encountered were the result of an issue with the pressing of my particular sample.]
The Picture
The 1.78:1 image is at times so clear that we can make out individual pores, but elsewhere it is visibly compressed. These are roomy BD-50 platters, but five episodes and a smattering of next-gen extras are packed onto every one. Sometimes this issue is severe, introducing ringing and haloing in the backgrounds or around bright lights. A thin layer of video noise can intrude often as well, a haze which can compromise shadowy shots most obviously. Subtle light and color choices in the two-part eclipse episode reproduce extremely well however. With all of the digital special effects, this can be a difficult show to present on video..
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is frequently utilized for atmospheric/environmental fill, if we happen to be in the jungle or the desert, or if planes are flying by in the background outside an airport. Wendy & Lisa's music is typically mixed for a multichannel spread. The season also saw some ambitious setpieces, like the destruction of Tokyo or a breakout onboard a prisoner transport plane in flight, and these are pretty successful sonically, for a weekly TV series, but later an indoor windstorm generated by one of the characters is surprisingly tame. An indoor windstorm! Where are the surrounds? Hmmm... Later still, the audio convincingly conveys a battle royale between three main characters behind closed doors, so it can really be a mixed bag here, although generally superior to most network fare.
The Extras
Kudos to Universal for embracing the fan fervor surrounding this show, specifically catering to the demographic of viewers/collectors who devour such extensive bonuses. Every episode carries a Picture-in-Picture video commentary (available as an audio-only commentary on the DVD edition), essentially just a camera capturing a parade of creative team members as they watch and wax. Also exclusive to the Blu-ray is the featurette "Building Coyote Sands," about the creation and filming of the internment camp from the flashback episode "1961" (eleven minutes). "Heroes Connections - Bios" supplies relevant character information on screen, while the interactive "Heroes Connections - Network" gives much the same information in a different format, updated from disc to disc with photos crossed out as more and more characters die. Disc One of the set is also BD-Live-enabled, promising a preview of the upcoming Season 4 after the link becomes active.
Three "Alternate Stories" ("The Recruit," "Going Postal" and "Nowhere Man," 18/ten/18 minutes respectively) were created for the web I believe, although presented here in high-definition, spin-offs expanding upon specific story elements from the series itself. A 39-second "Pinehearst Commercial" establishes further backstory for the mysterious organization at the heart of Volume Three.
For "The Superpowers of Heroes," stunt coordinator Tim Gilbert gleefully explains how he and the stunt team make it happen, week after week (eight minutes). "Completing the Scene" focuses on post-production (also eight minutes), and "The Prop Box" takes us on a tour of the room where storied stuff form all three seasons are locked away (five-and-a-half minutes). The "Tim Sale Gallery of Screen Art" adds motion to the famed comic book artist's stylized contributions to the series (about a minute, in high-def).
The four-part "Genetics of a Scene" ("Exploring Claire's Mind," "Speedster Steals the Formula," "Throwing Thoughts," "Lights, Camera, Beeman," 20-and-a-half minutes total) gives a detailed look at the many different challenges of bringing the script to life, from elaborate prosthetic makeup to computer-generated graphics to precisely planned camerawork to a director's cheery on-set personality which keeps everyone motivated. And in "The Writers' Forum" (13-and-a-half minutes), Heroes creator Tim Kring along with writer/producers Aron Eli Coleite and Adam Armus provide an overview of Season 3, sharing their inspirations for the stories and characters. All of the extras are in high-definition, with the exception of the Deleted Scenes which are provided for most episodes.
Final Thoughts
As has become the style of the show, a lot of questions were answered while still more were raised in Season 3, and as with Smallville there's not nearly enough action on Heroes for a show crammed with super-dudes and dudettes. The conclusion of the final episode was also incredibly reckless on the part of the good guys, so we'll just be counting the hours until the return of über-villain Sylar (Zachary Quinto) this fall...
Product Details:
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
