Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Change abounds this season, but very little actually changes...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown September 5, 2009

Despite its ongoing success and strong performances, I abandoned CSI in the midst of its fifth season, bemoaning the series' formulaic trappings and repetitive storylines. But the undeniable lure of a big-screen heavyweight, the shocking death of an old favorite, and the graceful exit of the series' most indelible character drew me back for its ninth season. I can't say whether it was curiosity or hope that pulled me back in, but I stuck with the entire season, waiting and watching for anything that would return CSI to its former glory. Call me naive, but I genuinely thought the show's producers were going to take the opportunity to reinvent the aging beast (she who spawned so many spin-offs); I assumed the proverbial creative juices would flow freely, that the arrival of new characters would stir up the stagnant waters lying dormant within the series' belly, that Laurence Fishburne -- Morpheus himself -- would storm its dilapidated procedural gates and reinvigorate its tired and war-torn people. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The Ninth Season was compelling enough to keep the series' heart beating, but ultimately failed to convince me that another season would be worth my time.

The American Idol judges debate which young hopefuls will advance beyond Hollywood Week...

Seeing as we're dealing with CSI's ninth outing, I'll assume everyone who's ventured this far into my review is at least somewhat familiar with its premise, as well as the characters that police its crime-ridden Las Vegas streets, so I'll skip the history lesson. After its rocky eighth season dragged several beloved mainstays through an endless gauntlet of trials and tribulations, fans of the show were stunned to learn about series lead William Peterson's desire to part ways with the show -- his Gil Grissom had become a keystone of the franchise and one of the more unorthodox television characters to anchor a network drama -- and surprised to learn film actor Laurence Fishburne would be stepping in to take his place. To the creators' great credit, the transition is handled, dare I say, brilliantly. Peterson is given ten episodes to make one of the classiest, most satisfying exits I've had the pleasure to watch, and the cast takes advantage of every moment and genuine emotion they experience along the way. His last episode is gut-wrenching, even for scattershot viewers like myself, and will even yank a few warranted tears from the most ironclad souls. Grissom is given the opportunity to say some truly convincing goodbyes and, more importantly, Peterson is finally able to complete an arc he began some nine years ago.

The torch passes to one Dr. Raymond Langston, a former bonesaw and current college lecturer who agrees to join the CSI unit after assisting the team with a tricky investigation. While Langston isn't nearly as absorbing a force as Grissom (his Help! I'm new at all this! schtick grows old fast), Fishburne infuses the character with enough gravitas and magnetism to settle the fears of diehards who worried the end of Grissom would spell the end of CSI. However -- and this is a big however -- the good doctor's arrival doesn't usher in a new age for the series, nor does it herald the second coming of The Great American Procedural, it merely reboots it. Langston and fellow newcomer Riley Adams (Lauren Lee Smith), Warrick Brown's spunky young replacement, are too inexperienced to fit in amongst their ever-so-talented colleagues, a definite detriment that hinders many an episode. While they ignite small sparks of conflict and change, they eventually conform to the status quo, leaving CSI looking much like it did before they came on board. Various characters shift into new roles within the unit, but only fill gaps left by the dead and the departed; each fresh face mirrors that of their predecessor, each vet's promotion feels like a necessity rather than an achievement. Congratulations, Nick... you're more important now. Woo. Hey Catherine, we really need you to step up. 'Kay. Morning, Doc Robbins, you're getting a new buddy. Fun. Almost every development is reactionary, and few are as sharp or as smart as the beats that populated the series' first three burgeoning seasons.

More bothersome is the number of cold shoulders Langston has to overcome to earn some semblance of respect amongst his grieving cohorts. I can accept skepticism, even hesitance -- after all, Grissom is a seasoned mentor, father figure, and close, personal friend to many of the investigators, one who decides to retire after little explanation -- but some characters, particularly David Hodges' Wallace Langham, are so abrupt, rude, and unaccepting of Langston that The Ninth Season occasionally devolves into Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. On one side: a well-intentioned upstart unjustly tormented for his lack of experience. On the other: a fiery challenger that would rather mumble insults than deal with a tough situation like an adult. Worse still, the various conflicts are wrapped in neat bows once the snarky holdouts finally resolve their issues and admit, gasp, that Langston and Adams have something to contribute to the team. What follows in each scenario is an awkward exchange, a knowing tip of the hat, and a burying of the hatchet, as if Langston and Adams' adoption into the CSIs' ill-fated family unit is the culmination of the doctor and young investigator's lifelong dreams.

Luckily, the meat of the series remains somewhat tasty throughout. A slew of weird and wild cases are both entertaining and complex, the banter between the CSIs is as witty as ever (except for the lame jokes and one-liners each character feels the need to spit out when they examine a body), and the bulk of the performances are, as always, the show's best asset. Each episode makes a valiant attempt to mix up the patented CSI formula (oftentimes to no avail), and some actually succeed ("One to Go," "Miscarriage of Justice," "Mascara," "If I Had a Hammer," and this season's tongue-in-cheek Lab-Rat episode, "A Space Oddity" among them). As it stands, CSI's ninth run suffers from the same issues as its mid-series seasons -- a strict adherence to a stale formula, contrived twists draped in convoluted jargon, and misplaced melodrama -- but should appeal to anyone who still has a soft spot in their heart reserved for the show. Regardless of how you feel, one thing is abundantly clear: CSI still has more seasons loaded in its chambers, and will be around for a long time to come, Grissom or no Grissom.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While the Blu-ray edition of CSI: The First Season was encoded at 1080i, The Ninth Season gets the full 1080p treatment with a bold, sometimes beautiful VC-1 transfer that juggles the series' bottomless shadows and stark, sun-seeped scenery without succumbing to any major technical issues. The blazing blues and amber oranges that frequent Nelson Cragg and Christian Sebaldt's stylized photography are vivid to say the least, blessing each and every scene with undeniable health and prosperity. Contrast is stark but comfortable, depth is impressive (albeit a bit inconsistent), and dimensionality is quite commendable. Detail is striking as well, offering crisp, refined textures and sharp object definition, but occasionally shows signs of softness and faltering clarity. Yes, the good far outweighs the bad, but there are several problematic shots per episode -- perhaps attributable to the original source -- that fail to exude that patented high definition polish and sheen. Thankfully, artifacting and noise are rarities, and edge enhancement is far less of an issue than it was on The First Season Blu-ray release. Crush is a near-unavoidable side-effect of the series' oppressive visuals, but other annoyances like aliasing, banding, and noise reduction are either nowhere to be found or kept on a tight leash.

All things considered, CSI: The Ninth Season looks great; so great that it possibly deserves a slightly higher score. I encountered too many inconsistencies over the course of its twenty-four episodes to froth at the mouth or scream its praises from the Las Vegas rooftops, but I know an excellent TV transfer when I see one. Fans will not be disappointed.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

CSI: The Ninth Season boasts a voracious DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track that takes its series' murder and mayhem to heart. Stomach-turning tours of dead bodies submerge the listener in all sorts of grisly sound effects, all of which sound fantastically pulpy, and scuffles and chases regularly spill out of the screen and into the home. LFE output is brazen and powerful, granting gun shots frightening presence, footfalls distinct weight, and slamming fists definite oomph. Moreover, rear speaker activity is aggressive, swarming with convincing background chatter and environmental ambience, and readily delivering believable interior acoustics. It helps that directionality is spot on, and pans are slick and smooth. Granted, open spaces sound a bit too open, and confined spaces too confined, but it enhances the atmosphere of each episode and will draw fans deep within its clutches. Dialogue is on point as well, boasting clean voices and impeccable prioritization, and quieter moments a nice touch of subtlety that makes scenes like Grissom's farewell more effective than they might have otherwise been. All in all, The Ninth Season comes as close to sonic perfection as the series' hyper-realistic sound design can allow, and should continue to wow CSI junkies and procedural hounds till the inevitable Blu-ray debut of The Tenth Season.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of CSI: The Ninth Season arrives with a decent supplemental package that ports over all of the standard DVD's features, adds in several exclusives, and presents almost all of six-disc set's video content in high definition. It only takes four hours or so to dig through everything -- a slight disappointment considering the season's seventeen-hour runtime -- but fans will appreciate the quality and tone of all the features on hand.

• Audio Commentaries (Discs 4 and 5): Even though it boasts a whopping twenty-four episodes, The Ninth Season only offers two traditional commentaries, neither of which feature newcomers Laurence Fishburne or Lauren Lee Smith, or exiting cast members William Petersen or Gary Dourdan. Ah well. "Turn, Turn, Turn" offers a decent chat between series mainstay George Eads, guest star Taylor Swift (of all people), and writer Tom Mularz, while "A Space Oddity" gives executive producer Naren Shankar, actor Wallace Langham, producer David Weddle, actress Liz Vassey, and producer Bradley Thompson the opportunity to discuss their work on the series.
• Investigative Mode (HD, Discs 1 and 4):Two interactive Picture-in-Picture tracks are available as well, one for "Let It Bleed" and one for "Kill Me If You Can." Each one features interviews with key members of the crew, pop-up trivia, and accessible bonus featurettes that explore the series' special effects, chase scenes, and tricky sequences. The content and video commentary bits thin out towards the end of their respective episodes but, for the most part, the PiP tracks add quite a bit of value to the supplemental package.
• Crime Scene Initiation (HD, Disc 1, 15 minutes): A candid and informative dissection of Laurence Fishburne and Lauren Lee Smith's contributions to the ongoing series. It briskly digs into chemistry shifts that occurred within the cast, the roles each new character filled, and the alterations made to the CSI formula to accommodate the new team members.
• CSI Mode (HD, Disc 3): This notable pop-up trivia track focuses on procedural tidbits, investigative factoids, and other aspects of a real investigation. It even points out a few minor discrepancies between the behavior of actual investigators and those portrayed on the show.
• Rats in Space (HD, Disc 5, 27 minutes): A lengthy look at this season's "Lab Rat" episode, a recurring CSI gimmick that, despite its Trekkie-romcom setup, is admittedly quite fun to watch. Ironically, the documentary for this second-tier episode serves up more behind-the-scenes information than the features that focus on the series' main characters and plotlines.
• From Zero to 200 in Nine Seconds (HD, Disc 5, 19 minutes): Next up comes a featurette that documents director William Friedkin's work on the series' 200th episode, as well as the bombast and scale of such a milestone.
• Goodbye Grissom (HD, Disc 6, 18 minutes): A rather touching overview of William Petersen's exit from the series, and the hand he had in creating the character's final arc.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, Multiple Discs, 8 minutes): There's a reason these short and redundant scenes were cut. For completists and diehards only.
• BD-Live Functionality

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Ninth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With more than 200 episodes under its belt, CSI has become a television staple. Unfortunately, it's also become too predictable and formulaic for its own good. While newcomers Laurence Fishburne and Lauren Lee Smith stir up the stagnant team (and manage to stir up some unexpectedly emotional responses from their new colleagues), little about The Ninth Season feels fresh. The same bizarre cases and miraculous closings pop up at every turn, few legitimate surprises lurk in the shadows, and Peterson's absence leaves quite a void. At least Paramount's Blu-ray release is a noteworthy one. With an excellent video transfer, a top-notch DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, and a solid collection of supplements at its disposal, this six-disc set is worth the price of admission.