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Heroes: Season 1
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: James Teitelbaum & Noor Razzak (17th September 2008). |
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The Show
 Back in the late 1970's, Marvel Comics happily gambled the unlikely future of their failing "X-men" comic book by allowing writers Dave Cockrum and Chris Claremont to take the title - and the entire hero genre - in a bold new direction. At the time, characters like Superman and Captain America were all-powerful automatons with fantastic abilities, but no character traits that made them recognizably human. Can anyone truly relate to Aquaman or The Fantastic Four as people? These characters also seem perfectly comfortable with their powers, and live in a world where no one doubts or fears men who can fly, light themselves on fire, or melt things with a gaze. In the new world of the "X-men" however, super powers were the result of genetic mutation, and as each character’s strange ability manifested itself (usually at puberty), they reacted with the same mixture of wonder and fear that you or I might. Inevitably, some of these people used their abilities for good, some for evil, and some - as human nature might dictate - for a combination of the two. There are characters of all races, sexes, religions, and backgrounds (not just white guys - far from it) who must all learn to cope with powers that are as much a blessing as a curse. They all do so in a world that thinks that they are more freak than hero. This relatively realistic look at a fanciful genre has become the norm for all hero comics produced during the past three decades. "Heroes" is a 2006 television series that provides yet another spin on this contemporary paradigm. The show does away with the spandex costumes, but otherwise more or less follows the map created by the "X-men". During the first half of the first season, we are introduced to a cast of characters who are all discovering that they suddenly have something special about them: the exceptionally clumsy Texas cheerleader, Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettierre) who can’t be injured, the New York politician, Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) who can fly, the politician’s brother, Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) who absorbs the abilities of whomever he is near, the Japanese man, Hiro (Masi Oka) who can stop time, the cop, Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) who can read minds, and a half dozen others. Some of them embrace their abilities and revel in them (the cop repairs his marriage by reading his wife’s mind), and others loathe their new skills (the politician fears that if people know he can fly it will damage his career). Some simply find their lives to be novel and don’t think about their abilities much (such as the waitress with the perfect memory). Some are in control of their abilities, and others are at the mercy of whim (such as a junkie artist, Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) who can paint pictures of the future, but only while high). All of these people end up encountering each other in various ways, and eventually they all find a common purpose: saving the world (natch). Making things difficult are a serial killer, Sylar (Zachary Quinto) who only preys upon these special individuals (and who collects the abilities of his victims), an organization that is either trying to study or manipulate the heroes (or both), and a guy who is basically radioactive and who has no control over himself (he may end up nuking New York). There is nothing here that we haven’t seen every month for the past three decades in the "X-men" comics, almost verbatim. Every "Heroes" character has an exact equivalent in "X-men". The difference is that the "X-men" still insist on wearing spandex and getting into big battles with super-villains. The heroes of "Heroes" are painted much less luridly and make the X-men seem outmoded in 2006, just as the X-men, in turn, made Superman seem obsolete in 1976. "Heroes" creator Tim Kring has made an attempt to further refine what the creators of "X-men" did thirty years ago, which is to provide a 'realistic' look at what would happen if a handful of us suddenly discovered that we could erase people's memories, stick our hands through solid objects, or make people obey our commands. The titular heroes are real people who are just trying to understand something unusual that is happening to them. As this happens, an ongoing plot begins to develop. During the first half of the first season, we meet the characters, and the dynamics of their world are established. We also find out that a big explosion is going to wipe out Manhattan about a month after the first episode takes place. The show is chock full of very predictable scenarios, some truly miserable dialogue, and a cast of transparently archetypical characters that we've seen too many times already. There is also a mysterious symbol that keeps popping up in all manner of places; if you didn't figure out that is a broken DNA strand the first time you saw it, then you need to go back to junior high school biology class. As the season progresses, the writing becomes somewhat better, the more talented among the actors find ways to make the characters their own, and there are a few clever twists. A subplot with the catch-phrase "save the cheerleader, save the world" unfolds, and in the tenth episode, the cheerleader is saved. Turns out that the super bad guy is after the wrong cheerleader. We never really find out why saving the cheerleader is going to effect anything. There is never really any apparent connection between her life and the destruction of New York... and anyway, she is indestructable (that's her power). During the second half of the season, with the cheerleader safe, we move back to the main story: the big New York explosion, and the prevention thereof. This plot crawls along at a snail's pace as whole episodes go by that don't significantly move the story along in any meaningful way; the characters just waffle through situations that don't add up to much. The grand finale in the last episode is limp, at best. Tension is nil, and the whole thing ends on a whimper. The cheerleader's connection to it all is tacked on, at best. "Fizzle" is the best word to describe the last few episodes. Not surprisingly, "Heroes" contains no great truths... in spite of the best efforts of the horribly written voice-over spoken by an otherwise superfluous character at the end of each episode. This token Indian character, Mohinder (a doctor) is among the worst acted of the lot, he adds nothing important to the story, and his voice-overs are trite at best. A note on product placement: if you don't want to buy a Nissan after watching this program, then you're not paying attention! It's pretty blatant, and rather crass. The First season of "Heroes" includes all 23 episodes: - "Genesis" - "Don't Look Back" - "One Giant Leap" - "Collision" - "Hiros" - "Better Halves" - "Nothing to Hide" - "Seven Minutes to Midnight" - "Homecoming" - "Six Months Ago" - "Fallout" - "Godsend" - "The Fix" - "Distractions" - "Run!" - "Unexpected" - "Company Man" - "Parasite" - ".07%" - "Five Years Gone" - "The Hard Part" - "Landslide" - "How to Stop an Exploding Man"
Video
Presented in the series' original ratio of 1.78:1 this transfer is delivered to us in high-definition 1080p 24/fps and mastered using VC-1 compression. These episode transfer are the same that appeared on the previously released and how out of print HD-DVD release. This series was filmed for HD, the resulting image is incredibly sharp, detail holds up right down to small intricate details and colors are bold and vibrant throughout this clean transfer. However these transfer are not as perfect as they could be, to start with some contrast levels a bit high, there's also noise throughout the series, amid some blacks and also in some of the white levels. I also found some edge halos. Overall it's a fairly decent transfer which is clean and sharp but these small problems are noticeable.
Audio
Universal has released this series with an English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 surround track. While there are some problems with the image transfer the audio is about as flawless as you can get. The dialogue is clear and distortion free, the mix feels broad using the surrounds to immerse viewers with the ambient sounds, sound effects and music score. The series features a wide range of sounds in the spectrum from subtle intricate sounds all the way to aggressive effects during the series' most active action scenes. For a TV series we're seeing big-budget movie style audio mixes and they put you right in the action. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Universal have ported over almost all of the extras from the HD-DVD release onto this Blu-ray edition, the extras include U-Control interactive features and Picture-in-picture commentary, a series of 5 featurettes and a collection of deleted scenes from the episodes as well as the original unaired premiere episode. Below is a closer look at these supplements broken down per disc. DISC ONE: First up is the original unaired pilot this is an expended version of the series' first episode and runs for 1 hour 15 minutes and 40 seconds, the episode features unseen footage which adds some more character moments, plot points are a little different that the one which aired on TV and is also included in this set and include some characters not seen in the aired pilot like Officer Matt Parkman is introduced in this episode with a plot line that involves a terrorist cell. One noticeable difference is that some actors that appeared in this pilot where replaced for the aired version which meant that elements of the pilot episode where reshot before the broadcast date. Additionally you can watch this episode with optional audio commentary by the series creator Tim Kring. In the track the creator provides some cool insights into the episode and the series, he talks about the process of developing the pilot among other things, for fans of the show is a cool track to listen to along with this episode. Next up are a collection of deleted scenes for the following episodes: - "Genesis" for this episode there are 8 scenes with a total runtime of 6 minutes 42 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "DL escapes from his cell" in this scene DL wakes up outside of his prison cell, "Meant for something special" sees Peter and his mother leave the police station, "Simone's breaking point" Simone visits Isaac at his studio and finds him handcuffed to a pipe, she searches his studio for the keys to the handcuffs, "The only way out" DL is moved to a higher security cell, "DL's promise" DL talks to his son on the phone from prison, "The Terrorist" the engineer Amid is told to read a statement by the terrorists, "Time's Up" DL is moved again, this time in handcuffs and the final scene for this episode is "Micah saves his dad" Micah runs to his dad who is again found outside of his cell, this time he's in the prison yard. - "Don't Look Back" includes 4 scenes omitted from the episode with a total runtime of 3 minutes 39 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "A spark ignites" Simone and Peter make love in Isaac's studio, "Niki's mistake" Niki is confronted by a Child Protective Services agent, "Behind Niki's garage door" the agent continues to question her and asks to see her workspace for her adult website business and finally there's "Blood on the map" where Niki finds blood on a roadmap and the agent informs her that he'll continue to make visits. - "One Giant Leap" includes 2 scenes cut from the episode with a total runtime of 4 minutes 17 seconds, you can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Hiro's book of revelations" Hiro tells Ando that he teleported and shows him Isaac's comic book and then there's "Niki confronts her mother-in-law" where Niki confronts her mother-in-law about calling child protective services. Also featured on the disc is the "Making of" featurette which runs for 9 minutes 59 seconds. This clip takes a look at the development of the series and how the creator wanted to do a broad epic series. It's a fairly rudimentary EPK clip that glosses over the basics of the series from the idea of superheroes, the themes, the casting of the show and finding the right people for the roles, and the first screening of the extended pilot at the San Diego Comic Con, among other things. The cast all comment on how great the series is and talk about their characters etc. We get a limited look behind-the-scenes in a feature that would have been better is the disc producers had expanded it and taken a much more detailed look at the making of the series. Next up is the "Special Effects" featurette which runs for 8 minutes 44 seconds. Unlike a movie a weekly TV series has a much tighter schedule and in the case of "Heroes" there's a fairly heavy amount of special effects and this clip takes a closer look at creating those believable effects on a limited time frame. The clip mainly focuses on the effects from the final episode as well as the effects required to make the character's powers come to life. "The Stunts" featurette runs for 10 minutes 21 seconds. Much like the previous clip this looks at a specific aspect of the show, the stunts are examined as each character has a power and the stunt team are used for some of these characters, setting up fights and other acts of violence which require stunt work among other things. The cast do some of their own stunts, but for more complicated stunts doubles are used as we see some action highlights from the series. Following that is the "Portrait of Artist Tim Sale" featurette which runs for 11 minutes 25 seconds. This is my favorite of the featurettes on this disc mainly because I'm such a comic fan, Sale's artwork is featured in the series as the artwork of the character Isaac. This is mainly an interview where Sale comments on his career as a comic artist, his work with Jeph Loeb and his involvement in the show, on how much apart of the plot the artwork has become, and his process of creating the artwork for the series based on the scripts among other things. finally the last of the featurettes is "The Score" which runs for 8 minutes 57 seconds, which takes a look at the series' unique score from the perspective of the sound engineer and composers. They comment on their career and developing the music from the scripts, the themes of the music as we look at the work created for the series. The interactive features on this disc are listed in the "U-Control" features, your player must be profile 1.0 compatible to access these two features listed below: - "Artwork presentation" this feature allows you to watch the episodes along with Isaac's artwork on screen that predicts the scenes, you can zoom in and look at each painting in incredible detail. - "Hero Connections" is next, on the HD-DVD release this was called "Character Connections" and for some reason the name has been changed for the Blu-ray release, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other. This first disc in the set is also BD-Live capable, for those with a Profile 2.0 player you can access the Universal site for additional content and more interactive features. There's also an option that allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes with "My Scenes" this options means you can jump to your favorite moments in the series. DISC TWO: This disc includes more deleted scenes for the following episodes: - "Collision" includes 2 scenes omitted from the episode and runs a total of 52 seconds, You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "The you that ain't you" features Niki's friend asking about seeing the reflection that's not quite her and also "Micah's Plea" as he asks her mother not to go. - "Hiros" includes 3 scenes with a total runtime of 2 minutes 34 seconds, you can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Claire's miracle" features Claire in hospital as the doctor tells her parents that she's fine after the car crash, "Strangers in our own home" sees Matt talking to his wife about finally reconnecting and "Brody's cheer" the cheerleaders visit Brody in the hospital. - "Nothing to Hide" includes 8 scenes cut from the episode with a total runtime of 9 minutes 36 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Matt's voice" features Parkman telling his wife that the voices in his head are just a headache, "Tough love" Nathan's mother tells him the hard truth about which campaign poster to use, "Nathan's paternity suit" is the extended version of the breakfast scene with the journalist, "You can't tell anyone" Claire tries to convince Lyle to keep her powers a secret, "Stakeout" Parkman and his partner stakeout Sprague's house, "Claire the freak" more footage of Claire trying to talk to Lyle through the locked bathroom door, "Jessica gets her gun" Niki's alter-ego comes out again and "Lyle's secret" Lyle tells Claire that he's not scared of her and asks her questions about her abilities. - "Seven Minutes to Midnight" features 3 scenes that runs a total of 2 minutes 53 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Appearances can be deceiving" Eden tends to Isaac who can't believe she's a doctor, "Eden's new life" Eden comes back from New York and bumps into Claire and her dad in the hallway, "Matt and Janice reminisce" the couple look through old photos. The interactive features on this disc are listed in the "U-Control" features, your player must be profile 1.0 compatible to access these two features below: - "Artwork presentation" this feature allows you to watch the episodes along with Isaac's artwork on screen that predicts the scenes, you can zoom in and look at each painting in incredible detail. - "Hero Connections" is next, on the HD-DVD release this was called "Character Connections" and for some reason the name has been changed for the Blu-ray release, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other. There's also an option that allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes with "My Scenes" this options means you can jump to your favorite moments in the series. DISC THREE: Yet more deleted scenes are included: - "Homecoming" includes 1 scene entitle "The battle for Claire" which runs for 59 seconds. Peter tries to help Claire by taking on Sylar. - "Six Months Ago" includes 2 scenes with a total runtime of 2 minutes 31 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Dad is dead" which features Nathan telling Peter their dad is dead in this extended scene and also "Jessica takes care of business" where Jessica meets Taylor at a bar. - "Fallout" includes 1 scene entitled "Mohinder's discovery" which runs for 1 minute 45 seconds, in this scene Mohinder goes to Isaac's studio looking for him but finds Simone instead. - "Godsend" includes 2 scenes omitted from the episode and they run for a total of 1 minute 53 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Claire's media moment" features Claire apprehensive about going to school with all the media around and "Peter's awakening" where he suddenly wakes up in hospital form his coma, his mother tries to help him but he has to go. - "The Fix" includes 1 scene entitled "The dishonest plumber" which runs for 1 minute 19 seconds, Parkman comes home to a plumber whose trying to rip them off by suggesting additional repairs, Parkman can read his mind and calls him out on it. The interactive features on this disc are listed in the "U-Control" features, your player must be profile 1.0 compatible to access the first two features, however the picture-in-picture commentary requires a profile 1.1 player, at this time my player is profile 1.0 only and these commentaries have remained unreviewed, however a brief description of the extras is included: - "Artwork presentation" this feature allows you to watch the episodes along with Isaac's artwork on screen that predicts the scenes, you can zoom in and look at each painting in incredible detail. - "Hero Connections" is next, on the HD-DVD release this was called "Character Connections" and for some reason the name has been changed for the Blu-ray release, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other. Unfortunately at this time I cannot review the following Picture-in-picture commentaries as they require a profile 1.1 player, it's evident that they would include further insight into the series, plot lines and character among other things, they include: - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Godsend" with actors Leonard Roberts, Jack Coleman and Sendhil Ramamurthy - Picture-in-picture commentary on "The Fix" with actors Greg Grunberg & Hayden Panettiere (1st part); Greg Grunberg & writer Natalie Chaidez (2nd part) There's also an option that allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes with "My Scenes" this options means you can jump to your favorite moments in the series. DISC FOUR: The deleted scenes included on this disc are for: - "Distractions" includes 3 scenes that run for a total of 2 minutes 14 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include:"A shock to the system" Noah returns home to find his wife hurt, "You're my business" Claire leaves after spending time with her real mother who reassures her and "Niki's homecoming" features Niki returning to her home and DL. - "Run!" features 3 scenes that run for 3 minutes 25 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Mr. Bennet's phone calls" Noah calls his organization about Sylar, "Janice panics" features Parkman's wife panics after getting a call from Mohinder and finally "The Haitian's talent" Claire discovers the Haitians powers. - "Company Man" features 3 scenes that run for 1 minute 47 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Generation gap" features Claire discovering that Parkman can read her thoughts, "Cover-up" Noah tells Parkman about the cover-up and about who he is and finally there's "Thompson's Mandate" which features the boss and Noah having a discussion about local law enforcement getting involved. - "Parasite" features 1 scene entitled "Lonely wolf" which runs for 46 seconds. Hiro and Nathan encounter each other, Hiro tells him that he sent Ando back to Japan because the mission is too dangerous and asks for his help. The interactive features on this disc are listed in the "U-Control" features, your player must be profile 1.0 compatible to access the first two features, however the picture-in-picture commentary requires a profile 1.1 player, at this time my player is profile 1.0 only and these commentaries have remained unreviewed, however a brief description of the extras is included: - "Artwork presentation" this feature allows you to watch the episodes along with Isaac's artwork on screen that predicts the scenes, you can zoom in and look at each painting in incredible detail. - "Hero Connections" is next, on the HD-DVD release this was called "Character Connections" and for some reason the name has been changed for the Blu-ray release, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other. Unfortunately at this time I cannot review the following Picture-in-picture commentaries as they require a profile 1.1 player, it's evident that they would include further insight into the series, plot lines and character among other things, they include: - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Distractions" with actors Zachary Quinto & Milo Ventimiglia (1st part); Milo Ventimiglia and writer Michael Green (2nd part) - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Run!" with Greg Grunberg and writer/actor Kevin Chamberlin (1st part); Kevin Chamberlin and writers Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster (2nd part) - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Unexpected" with director Greg Beeman and actors Sendhil Ramamurthy and Zachary Quinto - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Company Man" with director Allan Arkush, writer Bryan Fuller, and actor Jack Coleman - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Parasite" with executive producer Allan Arkush, writer Chris Zatta, and actor Jimmy Jean-Louis There's also an option that allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes with "My Scenes" this options means you can jump to your favorite moments in the series. DISC FIVE: The final disc in this set also features more deleted scenes for the following episodes: - ".07%" includes 1 scene entitled "Linderman's missing sword" which runs for 29 seconds, an employee tells him that there was a break in and a sword is missing. - "Five Years Gone" includes 1 scene entitled "Old friends" that runs for 42 seconds, a scene in the future where Hiro meets up with Noah. - "Landslide" includes 1 scene entitled "Marty, that's an order" which runs for 53 seconds, Nathan orders Marty to go to Atlantic City for a vacation. The interactive features on this disc are listed in the "U-Control" features, your player must be profile 1.0 compatible to access the first two features, however the picture-in-picture commentary requires a profile 1.1 player, at this time my player is profile 1.0 only and these commentaries have remained unreviewed, however a brief description of the extras is included: - "Artwork presentation" this feature allows you to watch the episodes along with Isaac's artwork on screen that predicts the scenes, you can zoom in and look at each painting in incredible detail. - "Hero Connections" is next, on the HD-DVD release this was called "Character Connections" and for some reason the name has been changed for the Blu-ray release, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other. Unfortunately at this time I cannot review the following Picture-in-picture commentaries as they require a profile 1.1 player, it's evident that they would include further insight into the series, plot lines and character among other things, they include: - Picture-in-picture commentary on ".07%" with assistant executive producers Timm Keppler, Andrew Chambliss, and writer Chuck Kim - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Five Years Gone" with actors Greg Grunberg, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Jack Coleman - Picture-in-picture commentary on "The Hard Part" with actors James Kyson Lee and Noah Gray-Cabey, and stunt co-ordinator Ian Quinn - Picture-in-picture commentary on "Landslide" with actors Masi Oka, George Takei, and Matthew John Armstrong - Picture-in-picture commentary on "How to Stop an Exploding Man" with executive producers Dennis Hammer, Allan Arkush, and Tim Kring There's also an option that allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes with "My Scenes" this options means you can jump to your favorite moments in the series.
Packaging
This 5-disc set is packaged in a digi-pack housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
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