Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

The fifth season brings more excitement to the television saga.

The fifth season of Charmed amps up the drama and suspense. The hit series from The WB network was created by Constance M. Burge. Executive produced by Constance M. Burge, Aaron Spelling, Brad Kern, and E. Duke Vincent, Charmed is a thrilling drama with a lot of entertaining genre elements. The series remains an enjoyable experience with a wonderful cast. There’s even the iconic theme song, “How Soon Is Now?” from Love Spit Love, elevating the intro. Charmed remains infectious fun.

The witches are back in action! The Power of Three has never been stronger with the trio of Paige (Rose McGowan), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) fighting evil-doers and embarking on supernatural adventures. Can evil forces defeat the Halliwell sisters and reign supreme over the entire world? The sisters won’t let that happen for a second.

From an unexpected encounter with a mermaid to ghostly haunts, Charmed: Season 5 has plenty of surprises up its sleeve – including a wicked Prince Charming that is sure to cause chaos. A thrilling season of witchcraft (and leprechauns) awaits. Can the Halliwell sisters stop evil for good?

The performances are central to the success of the series and the reason it has garnered such a big fan base. If one central element was responsible for the long-term success of Charmed, it is the wonderful casting. Rose McGowan continues to be a wonderful addition to the cast as Paige Matthews. McGowan manages to imbue her character with plenty of charm.

McGowan is sexy and bold in the role and is fun to watch. Alyssa Milano also impresses as Phoebe and there are some interesting moments for her as well. Holly Marie Combs contributes to the series with her own distinct personality as well. The ensemble element is what brings everything together and elevates the series to greater heights.

There is something to be said about the television series production values. The series manages to be a better produced series than other genre fare. Though Charmed doesn’t match the production values of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed does find a nice groove of its own and demonstrates a high quality that places it within the upper-echelon of genre television.

"The Power of Three? Is there an app for that?"

The special effects are improved and continue to showcase the design efforts of the team of effects wizards working behind-the-scenes on the television series. The special effects are part of the fun inherent with Charmed. The eclectic variety of effects helps the series action make more of an interesting mark.

What would the series be without the costumes? The costume designs are one of the highlights. With stunning designs, the entire lead cast is given a unique style that helps the character storytelling and makes the experience more noteworthy. The costumes are also enhanced by the hair and make-up styling. These attributes help the characters stand-out even more.  

Some television series have forgettable cinematography (of the “set-it” and forget it variety) without much nuance. Charmed is a better production in regards to cinematography and manages to show a nice range of styles. The cinematography reflects both tones established within the series: the light comedic moments (and dramatic undercurrents) alongside the supernatural. The end result is a TV series which is more cinematic than some television audiences might expect.

Composed by Jay Gruska and J. Peter Robinson, Charmed has an energetic score. The music highlights the series adventurous tone and the spooky witch-craft elements as well. The score provides a much-needed backdrop to the suspense, drama, and adventure. The music fits the tone of the storytelling well.

The screenwriting is central to the success of Charmed. Alongside the terrific cast, the writing is the most important part of Charmed. The writers manage to provide a quality concept with enjoyable ideas and execution. The writing is joyful fun. The fifth season has some particularly interesting concepts such as the mermaid sub-plot and the dark prince charming aspect. These story threads are stand-out elements.

Of course, good direction is key to success, and the filmmakers involved on Charmed make the series a fun one. The series directors capably handle the light tone of the comedy with the more dramatic and complex elements within the character relationships. Fans of Charmed will find the efforts were well worthwhile and will continue to enjoy the ride.

Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Paramount Pictures, Charmed: Season 5 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The presentation is impressive and has plenty of depth and detail. The picture-quality on the Blu-ray release is quite sharp (without looking artificial). Color reproduction on Charmed is excellent and the series has plenty of "pop" without being over-saturated. The series retains natural film grain and these details haven't been scrubbed away by egregious DNR (digital noise reduction). The Blu-ray release benefits from a healthy bit-rate and quality encoding by Paramount.

Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release of Charmed: Season 5 is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The lossless audio is a nice accompaniment to the video presentation. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The series soundtrack is well reproduced as well (from song selection to the original score). The sound effects capably integrated in to the stereo sound imaging.

Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unexpectedly, Charmed: Season 5 continues an unfortunate trend: the Blu-ray release includes no supplemental features about the making-of Charmed. The release doesn't provide any new audio commentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, or making-of documentaries.

Charmed: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The exciting journey of the Halliwell sisters and the "Power of Three" continues with the fifth season of Charmed. The series continues to be an exciting foray into the supernatural for fans of the program to explore further. The Blu-ray release includes an excellent video- audio presentation. The 1.78:1 aspect ratio seems to benefit the series a great deal and the lossless audio sounds crisp on the release. Fans should certainly consider it a must-own. Recommended.