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Heroes: Season 2
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: James Teitelbaum & Noor Razzak (23rd September 2008). |
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The Film
 As the second season opens (four months later), the public at large still don't know about the heroes, and don't know that New York was saved by the heroes. Most of the heroes recognize the value of remaining anonymous and prefer to stay that way. The big problem for the writers here is coming up with another mission that will bring all of these people back together. So, we have the main bad guy, Sylar (Zachary Quinto) from the first season, who has miraculously survived, and we also have a virus that only kills the special people (another plot lifted verbatim from the "X-men"). There is another story developing, and this one is ripped off from what may be the only comics series of recent decades that is more influential than "X-men": Alan Moore's "Watchmen". In that book, a serial killer is preying upon a group of retired middle-aged ex-heroes. Same thing here: the parents of some of the heroes aso have powers that they have kept hidden for a generation. Now their secret is out, and they are in trouble. Oh, and there's a character named McSorely. Anyone who has ever spent time in Manhattan's East Village knows that name! Brilliant. A few other new characters are introduced to replace the first season's corpses, and it is all unfolding as I type this (fourth episode just aired), but I think that the series jumped the shark with the first season's anti-climactic finale. The first thing you'll notice entering this season is that its half a season (only 11 episodes), the reason behind this is that the series was in-progress when the dreaded WGA writer's strike took effect. As a result the producer's had to button the series up and drop a lot of their plot lines that would have made up the final 11 episodes of the season. As a result of the shortened season it did seem a bit rushed, with story lines coming to an abrupt end and character plots also narrowed. Going out of the gate these shows tend to suffer from the 'sophomore curse' which this season does suffer from, but it's also compounded by the strike's effect on the show. Not a great way to enter a second year of the series... The problem with the second season cannot be pinpointed to just one thing, to begin with the writers crammed this season with a host of new regular characters that are largely uninteresting and unnecessary especially when there's so much more we can explore with our core group from season one. For starters there was Maja (Dania Ramirez) and her brother Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz), Micah's cousin Monica (Dana Davis), Claire's new boy-crush, West (Nicholas D'Agosto) as well as a host of Irish characters Peter encounters and then there's Elle (Kristen Bell) and her electric powers among others. There were questions from season one that needed explaining more so than exploring new characters, and it took a while to get to what actually happened to Peter after Nathan flew up into the sky with him as he exploded. Hopefully by season three the writers will get back on track as to the core elements rather than focus on things that are created simply to have some semblance of a plot for the second season. Furthermore, with all the talk from the producers that they'd 'step it up' in this season went largely ignored. This is especially true with the action scenes, the first season had a few but well placed and used action pieces but whenever there was a big event it was mentioned after the fact, the same thing happens here and we get an occasional tease as to what happened and a hint of a big FX shot is used. To be honest I'm a little tired of being teased and by the second season there'd better be some sweet action... but the producers show very little, even in the season finale. As far as this season goes, I enjoyed the Feudal Japan story line with Hiro coming face-to-face with his childhood hero Kensei, who as it turns out isn't as Japanese nor as much of a hero as he originally thought, in fact its Hiro who changes his life's direction and sees him develop into he hero which is written and spoken about in stories years later. The only problem is that Kensei actually ends up a villain that the heroes must stop in the present... shock horror! "Heroes" season two could have been a step up, but fighting not only the sophomore curse and the writer's strike can't be easy to battle and the stress lines show... hopefully the producers can redeem themselves in the show's third season. - “Four Months Later” - “Lizards" - “Kindred” - “The Kindness of Strangers” - “Fight or Flight” - “The Line” - “Out of Time” - “Four Months Ago” - “Cautionary Tales” - “Truth & Consequences” - “Powerless”
Video
Presented in the show's original broadcast ratio of 1.78:1 this transfer is delivered to fans in high-definition 1080p 24/fps and has been created using VC-1 compression. The results are very good, and this transfer is a little better than the season one transfer which has a few problems. Here the image is largely sharp, although a few FX shots tend to suffer from softness, detail holds up incredibly well right down to small details like stubble. I was pleased with the colors being nice and vibrant, and when its dark the image transitions well and retains the boldness of the blacks without too much noise. The print is clean, shadow detail holds up well and I spotted hardly any flaws. Overall this is a solid HD presentation of this TV show.
Audio
These episodes contain only a single English DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 track presented in 48kHz/16-bit. This audio is excellent, from the crisp and clean dialogue to the ambient and subtle surround sounds all the way to the aggressive action scenes and music which envelopes the viewer, this track is well mix and balanced throughout the 5.1 sound space. The series' sound is produced well and handles the rollercoaster ride of sounds with great accuracy and care, the depth is unparalleled for a TV series. Universal have done a great job with this sound mix. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
DISC ONE: The first extra on this disc are deleted scenes for the episode "Four Months Later", there are 2 scenes which have a total runtime of 4 minutes 34 seconds. The first scene entitled "I too have a special ability" features Hiro's father confesses to Ando that he too has a special power. The second scene is "Petrellis don't deserve to be saved" in this scene Nathan's mother Angela finds her son in a bar and tells him she's in danger but he believes his family is not worth saving. Following that is the "Heroes Season 2: A New Beginning" featurette which runs for 14 minutes 38 seconds. The creative team and cast take us through the development of the second season, the changes and new elements of the season and the character development through the second season. The cast all comment on working on the series and the excitement of the new story lines including the heroes finding new beginnings and starting over. It glosses over what differentiates the second season from the first and also takes a look at the new characters introduced in these episodes. This is basically an EPK featurette that doesn't go too deep but offers enough to whet the appetites of casual viewers (fans will already know everything that's discussed in this clip). Next up is "Hero Connections- Network" is an interactive feature which allows you to select characters from the series on a pin-board and track their connection to one another, includes is some information on the character as well. You can track the connections by relation to family members, past and present relationship and recent contact. "Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint" featurette runs for 23 minutes 14 seconds, this is basically a mock-documentary about the fictional character Takezo Kensei the Samurai hero that Hiro worships, grew up with the stories of and as a hero stole his sword from Linderman in the first season. This feature is basically structured like a History Channel feature that covers the history of the Samurai and the era in which he lived in Japan. 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 feature, 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: - "Hero Connections" is next, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other as bios are accessible on each character. 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 “Four Months Later” with creator/executive producer Tim Kring, co-executive producer Jeph Loeb and actor Jack Coleman - Picture-in-Picture commentary on “Lizards” with executive producer Allan Arkush, actor Greg Grunberg and co-executive producer Michael Green - Picture-in-Picture commentary on "Kindred” with director Paul Edwards, co-executive producer J.J. Philbin and actor Zachary Quinto - Picture-in-Picture commentary on “The Kindness of Strangers” with creator/executive producer Tim Kring and actress Dana Davis and actor Adrian Pasdar 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: - "Fight or Flight" includes 5 scenes omitted from the episode and runs for a total of 6 minutes 46 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Look, Yaeko - He had it all along" which features Hiro stops time to put a piece of the map to White Beard's location on Kensei. "And she hits me hard" sees Yaeko hitting Kensei after he tries to kiss her, "I'm the only normal person in this family" has Monica learning martial arts by watching TV and Micah walks in on her. "You think I don't know you, Hiro" Hiro dressed as Kensei tells Yaeko that he wishes they met in another time and then stops time and puts the real Kensei in his place, finally there's "Don't thank me yet" which sees Monica escaping her captors and is helped by Mohinder who then tazers her. - "The Line" features 3 scenes with a total runtime of 5 minutes 5 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "So it does run in the family" Mohinder tests Monica on her abilities, next is "To fight alongside the great Takezo Kensei" where Kensei tells Hiro that he gives him purpose as they share a moment before attacking White Beard's camp and finally there's "No more Tazer kidnapping?" Monica is given information about contacting the company and a means to learn all kinds of skills. - "Out of Time" includes 2 scenes with a total runtime of 2 minutes 41 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Get down from there" West uses his power to put in a lightbulb and "She can find Peter" here Nathan asks Parkman if he can use Molly to find Peter. - "Four Months Ago" features 3 scenes that runs for a total of 3 minutes 42 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "Happy birthday Micah" Niki lights the candles on Micah's cake, then there's "There is no need to cry, child" which sees Maya preying at a church in Venezuela and then there's "I'm not OK do I look OK?" Nathan yells at his wife and kids that he won't get better, that he's a monster. Next up is "Hero Connections- Network" is an interactive feature which allows you to select characters from the series on a pin-board and track their connection to one another, includes is some information on the character as well. You can track the connections by relation to family members, past and present relationship and recent contact. "Genetics of a Scene" is the next featurette that is made up of 4 clips with a total runtime of 23 minutes 14 seconds, this feature can be viewed with a 'play all' option, this feature takes fans into the making of these scenes, which breaks down the production process of shooting the scene, looking at the style of camera work, editing pace, shooting on location and/or sets, special effects etc. These are like mini-making-ofs that focus on key scenes from the season. This is a great feature that delves a bit further into the production and isn't just another in a line of EPK clips. The segments include: - "Maya and Alejandro run from the police" takes a look at these chase scenes. - "The anatomy of the cherry blossom/swordfight scenes" Takes a look at Hiro in feudal Japan. - "Exploding man" takes a look at the incredible effects sequence where Peter explodes in the sky. - "The Loft" in this clip we get a look at the loft and how its used for the second season. Next up is "Hero Connections- Network" is an interactive feature which allows you to select characters from the series on a pin-board and track their connection to one another, includes is some information on the character as well. You can track the connections by relation to family members, past and present relationship and recent contact. Following that is "The Drucker Files" featurette that runs for 8 minutes 32 seconds. This feature is a new program that takes a look at the character Richard Drucker, in this special report we get a look at his history from his birth during World War II, his childhood in a monastery, being adopted by the Argentinean elite, his active interest in revolutionary spirit of the time, his college years, his return back to Indian and his passion to change the world by creating a system for global communication beyond the telephone. 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 feature, 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: - "Hero Connections" is next, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other as bios are accessible on each character. 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 “Fight or Flight” with actor Greg Grunberg and executive producer Greg Beeman - Picture-in-picture commentary on “The Line” with co-executive producers Adam Armus & Kay Foster and actor Jack Coleman - Picture-in-picture commentary on “Out of Time” with director Daniel Attias and actor Masi Oka - Picture-in-picture commentary on “Four Months Ago…" with actor Milo Ventimiglia and executive producer Greg Beeman 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: Like other discs we get some more deleted scenes for the episode "Cautionary Tales", there are 2 scenes with a total runtime of 1 minute 28 seconds. You can view each scene individually or with a 'play all' option, they include: "I will bring him to justice" which sees Hiro vow to bring his father's killer to justice and the second scene is "I laughed so hard chocolate milk came out of my nose" where Molly tells Parkman about what she did at school. Also on the disc is a "Stills gallery of Tim Sale artwork" which is a montage of the artwork that he comic artist created for the show in gorgeous detail. This clip runs for 2 minutes 1 second. Next up is "Hero Connections- Network" is an interactive feature which allows you to select characters from the series on a pin-board and track their connection to one another, includes is some information on the character as well. You can track the connections by relation to family members, past and present relationship and recent contact. 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 feature, 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: - "Hero Connections" is next, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other as bios are accessible on each character. 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 “Cautionary Tales” with director Greg Yaitanes and actresses Kristen Bell & Ashley Crow - Picture-in-picture commentary on “Truth & Consequences” with director Adam Kane and actor Stephen Tobolowsky 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 final disc kicks off with a "Generations" alternate ending that runs for 17 minutes 58 seconds. The writer's strike basically put the brakes on this season of the show and this ending shows us what might have been had the strike not happened. It's a cool 'what if' moment that's certainly more intriguing than the ending they ended up using. Following that is "Inside the Alternate Ending of Generations" a featurette with a discussion with creator Tim Kring, co-executive producer Jeph Loeb and executive producer Jesse Alexander which runs for 10 minutes 58 seconds. This feature sees these producers talk about what could have happened had the writer's strike not gone ahead, here you'll also see footage not shown in this season that would have dictated the following episodes in the 3rd volume of the season. They talk about the major changes that happened as a result of the virus not hitting the floor among other things. It's an interesting look at how the producers reacted to the strike by cutting the season in half and finding a way to wrap the story line up at the end of episode 11. "Untold Stories" is the next featurette that features 6 clips with a total runtime of 12 minutes 13 seconds. Here you'll get to see all the footage that was cut out of the episodes that constitute the story lines that never made it to air. They include "Teaser", "Act 1". "Act 2", "Act 3", "Act 4" and finally "Act 5" and can be viewed individually or with a 'play all' option. These plot lines feature most of the cast and display further what the second season could have been had the strike not gone ahead. Also on the disc are a series of NBC.com featurettes, produced for the website there are three in total and runs for 3 minutes 46 seconds, you can view them individually or with a 'play all' option. These clips included are: "Hotel Corinthian explosion" which shows the controlled demolition of the hotel in Las vegas, then there's "Maya y Alejandro viral video" a shaky cam video of the brother and sister and finally "Nathan and Peter Brooklyn cam" which is footage of Peter exploding in the sky. Next up is "Hero Connections- Network" is an interactive feature which allows you to select characters from the series on a pin-board and track their connection to one another, includes is some information on the character as well. You can track the connections by relation to family members, past and present relationship and recent contact. 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 feature, 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: - "Hero Connections" is next, this feature also plays along with the episodes and charts the character's connection with each other as bios are accessible on each character. 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 “Powerless” with executive producer Allan Arkush and composers Lisa Coleman & Wendy Melvoin 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 4-disc set is packaged in a digi-pack housed in a cardboard slip-case.
Overall
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