Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

12 Monkeys: Season Four Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 2, 2020

12 Monkeys comes full circle, so to speak, with the arrival of its fourth and final season, a cumulative effort that compliments the show's largely excellent run with a satisfying sprint to the finish line. Not a makeshift, forced, or otherwise disappointing end but rather one that shows considered thought, concern for the story, care for its characters, and of course appreciation for its core audience, the season does a remarkable job of concluding its story by doing right by all of its hanging threads, building towards a surprise, but satisfying, finale that remains true to the larger experience. Audiences are, of course, encouraged to watch seasons one, two, and three before jumping into season four; it's well worth the time investment.

Official synopsis: In season four, James Cole (Aaron Stanford) and Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull) set out on an epic quest, traveling further back in time than they've ever been before. According to legend, their only hope lies with a weapon capable of stopping The Witness for good. But they'll soon discover that to win the final battle and save time itself, they'll have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The crude plot synopsis reads like it's been crafted from a TV show quote grab bag. "epic quest," "only hope," "soon discover," and "ultimate sacrifice" portend some generic hodgepodge of clumsy, manufactured contrivances, but season four -- and the entirety of the series run -- offers little of that. Sure those blurbs fit within a crude framework but that's marketing lingo. The season's meat is much more satisfying. Like its predecessors, it doesn't shy away from the complexities of time travel, and not just the science thereof. That's often secondary and particularly here it's how time moves forward even when it's traveled through backward. Much of the season involves the search for the weapon, but in true 12 Monkeys narrative fashion it's not anywhere close to what it would appear to be. In fact, its true purpose is much more carefully devised and upends many critical plot drivers en route to discovering it. It's a wonderful reveal that widely impacts the show's history, and its remainder.

Plenty of other details are fleshed out as the characters race through time to various eras and pivot points in history, sometimes making a difference, sometimes doing something radical only to see that things haven't really changed anyway. The show certainly knows how to play with fire, come close to burning everything down, and extinguishing it at just the right moment. There are some fun excursions, several heartbreaking reveals, and a few secrets brought to light, all of which play to the show's core significance and heart. Blending time travel escapades with big action and emotional resonance makes this the finest of the four seasons, though certainly the show is best enjoyed as a collective entity rather than within the tighter confines of individual episode strings. It's been a magnificent journey through time and the human condition. It's bittersweet to see it end but, then again, time marches on.

12 Monkeys: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

12 Monkeys: Season Four's 1080p picture quality is in-line with previous season efforts. It was digitally photographed and does show some noise in lower light conditions, as well as some macroblocking, the former of which is pervasive throughout the season, the latter a little more forgiving. Shades of gray and blue and a basic bleakness define so many scenes and sequences which has come to be a familiar aesthetic through the series run. Reds do leap off the screen as one of the key visual components in the season. There is some intense, screen saturating red content to be found, particularly in the final episode, whether dominant through the frame or breaking through the surrounding gray and black in line of the season's, and the series', most recognizable sets. Obviously there are some reprieves to the dominant coloring, particularly during time travel segments where color variations sometimes drift a bit bronze or sepia, others approaching some level of natural, normal contrast. Black levels are fairly strong and deep. Skin tones are necessarily reflective of the surrounding lighting restrictions and contrast and color temperature adjustments. Details are fine, with appreciably sharp skin details the norm in close-up. Apparel is nice and crisp, too, whether futuristic time travel garb or attire from various time travel locations. Environments are sharp and precise, again throughout a wide range of locations and times. Sometimes absolute clarity is limited by the surrounding lighting parameters, but what's visible is always pleasantly clear.

12 Monkeys: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like the previous three seasons, 12 Monkeys: Season Four includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is impressively wide and engaged. There is no shortage of interesting surround content. Listen to the final episode at the four-minute mark. Eerie structural moans and groans posture through the stage with cavernous sensations and quality depth. At the same time voices reverberate with impressive spacial awareness. The same holds at the 11-minute mark, too. These are just small examples of how open the track plays, and with so much environmental command no matter where it may be or what sound demands the show puts on the track. Action scenes are engaging at all times with a full compliment of spacious output and a quality low end engagement. Music soars with wonderful front side spacing and balanced surround and subwoofer output. Instrumental clarity is terrific. Dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and center focused with the only exception being that natural reverb noted above.

12 Monkeys: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Similar to Season Three, 12 Monkeys: Season Four primarily includes only only deleted scenes. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not appear to ship with a slipcover.

Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "The End" (2:46), "Ouroboros" (1:46), "45 RPM" (3:40), "Legacy" (5:28), "After" (6:21), and "Die Glocke" (1:59).

Disc Two:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "Daughters" (5:20), "Demons" (6:22), "One Minute More" (1:40), and "The Beginning" (4:34).
• Season 4 Trailer (1080p, 1:54).

12 Monkeys: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

12 Monkeys: Season Four is not without its mesmerizing moments and its tender touches. It's a complete season and series finale in every sense, delivering in abundance for its narrative, its characters, and for its audience. Wonderful story beats, terrific character direction, thoughtful time travel elements, quality action, and plenty of heart define the final season and put a cap on what was one of the best shows on television and that is now a binge-worthy experience with the entire run readily available (both through the four Universal releases or the essentially identical, and much cheaper, Mill Creek boxed set). Universal's season four release was obviously manufactured with cutting corners in mind. It includes some deleted scenes and delivers quality video and audio presentations, but it's clear the studio was more interested in bringing it to market as cheaply as possible rather than building a set fans could cherish. Either way, the main content is what matters, and that comes very highly recommended.