9.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Walter White is a down-on-his-luck chemistry teacher struggling to make ends meet for his wife and physically challenged son. Everything changes when Walter receives a startling diagnosis: terminal lung cancer. With only a few years to live and nothing to lose, Walter uses his training as a chemist to cook and sell crystal meth with one of his former students. As his status grows, so do his lies, but Walt will stop at nothing to make sure his family is taken care of after he's gone, even if it means putting all their lives on the line. <br><br> Note: The original release included a MythBusters: Breaking Bad Special Blu-ray bonus disc.
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy BrandtDark humor | 100% |
Crime | 95% |
Drama | 30% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
It's Breaking Bad. It's the final eight episodes. If those facts alone aren't enough to get a fan fired up -- to see how it all plays out, to bask in the glory of the gripping drama, to make one last cook with Walter and Jesse, to take one final look at it all through the eyes of every character, to celebrate the end of an era -- then certainly no review will, but here's to the old college try, anyway. For six years, there hasn't been anything quite as consistently dynamic, captivating, or edge-of-the-seat intense as Creator Vince Gilligan's era-defining masterpiece. The story of a simple, everyday cancer-striken chemistry teacher-turned-meth cook-turned-king of a narcotics empire has been one of television's finest efforts, a crown jewel even amongst the finest of modern television royalty. It's been a show that's done everything right and rightly become a phenomenon, not simply a quality entertainment product. It's sad to see it depart, but the story had certainly run its course; the only question that remained, then, would be whether or not it could sustain that excellence right through to whatever its final shot had to say.
Family.
Breaking Bad: The Final Season looks terrific on Blu-ray. It's perhaps a bit tighter than previous efforts, and it's a noticeable step up from earlier seasons. The image offers crisp, very well defined details, from facial close-ups to broad desert landscapes. Scars, wrinkles, clothing seams, rocky textures, brushed metal, and all variety of visuals feature accurate, lifelike replication in nearly every scene. Sony's transfer displays a consistent clarity, too, accentuating its details and never hindering them through any sort of murky, soft frame. Colors are vibrant and even throughout. Earthen colored desert exteriors particularly impress, but more vibrant clothing and support background shades also appear evenly defined and lifelike. Flesh tones never drift all that far from a natural appearance, and while black levels are mostly deep and true, there are a few scattered moments when the transfer pushes towards crush. Additionally, very sporadic banding, noise, and blockiness are visible. However, all of these warts come very few and far between. For the most part, this is an excellent transfer from Sony.
Sony has cooked up a prolific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for Breaking Bad: The Final Season. There are a lot of highs and no real lows throughout the season, a season with plenty of chaotic gunfire and no shortage of strong supportive sound elements to help push the track to unforgettable heights. That gunfire is undoubtedly the season's highlight. It comes in all varieties, including a burst of fire heard powerfully but with a slight muffle from inside a structure. It's surreal and terrifying but a pleasure in a pure sonic sense with the way it realistically explodes and envelopes the listening area. More pronounced, up-front and in-the-middle shootouts enjoy splendid accuracy, with shots exploding from every corner. The distinctive sound of shotguns, rifles, and pistols burst into an opera of violence and impacts on various surfaces all around the stage, making for a frightening symphony of hurt. Finally, there's the last "gun" moment in the series, and it doesn't disappoint considering its sonic power meshed with its heavy duty physical and emotional impact. Musical delivery is tight, precise, wide, and clear. The opening title music is particularly robust and effectively deep. Support elements are nicely defined throughout, whether desert wind ambience, background clatter in coffee shops, or a buzzing lawnmower running outside a home. The show is particularly adept in creating a very real sense of time and place. The overall experience is significantly greater because of it, and this track's ability to precisely recreate it all only benefits every scene. Rounded into shape by faultless dialogue reproduction, Breaking Bad: The Final Season makes for one of the best television listens out there.
Breaking Bad: The Final Season contains a number of supplements across all three discs. A UV Digital Copy code is also included in the box.
Disc One:
Breaking Bad seemed destined for greatness when it debuted, and it only improved from there, growing into a legendary television program and an era-defining cable experience. It's seen its characters through an incredible journey of growth, pain, uncertainty, mistrust, manipulation, pure evil, and uncontrollable joy. It's run the gamut of emotion but remained true to a core of incredible but believable human drama and storytelling personified in an individual determined to beat the odds and the dark downward spiral that would define his career through the series. Breaking Bad: The Final Season ends about as strongly as it began. Its finale may not be what everyone wanted, but the shows goes where it always felt destined to go, and it's executed flawlessly. Sony's Blu-ray release of Breaking Bad: The Final Season features stellar video and audio. As usual, a plethora of supplemental content is included. Breaking Bad: The Final Season earns my highest recommendation.
2008
2009
2010
Bonus T-Shirt
2011
2011
2012
2015-2022
1997
Limited Edition
2005-2012
1999-2007
1994
Includes Beanie
2014
Uncut Version
2000
Unrated Director's Cut
2011
2000
2016
1998
Limited Edition
1993
2017
2008
2012
2012
30th Anniversary Edition
1992
2012
2012
1998