7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Now, fall deeper under the spell of the Charmed Ones, as all 22 Season One episodes have been remastered in brilliant High Definition for this Blu-ray debut! Relive the adventures of the bewitching Halliwell sisters (Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano) as they discover their unique supernatural powers and put them to use against the malevolent forces of darkness.
Starring: Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, Brian Krause, Dorian GregoryComedy | 100% |
Fantasy | 95% |
Mystery | 16% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French
Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (5 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Magic in the real world where such a thing is not possible, or seems to be impossible, is not a new plot contrivance envisioned by J.K Rowling or Sera Gamble and John McNamara, creators of The Magicians. Dating back to I Dream of Jeanie in 1965 or Bewitched in 1964 and obviously well before in various entertainment venues, audiences have found humor and drama alike in the meshing of the real and magical worlds. Charmed, which debuted on the WB on October 7, 1998, brings its own unique twist to the the genre and quickly became one of the most popular shows to run on the now rebranded network. With a recent reboot on The CW driving popularity of the brand, CBS/Paramount has released Season One of the original show on Blu-ray, sure to delight fans and make many new ones, both of whom are undoubtedly crossing their fingers and hoping for a little Blu-ray magic to see seasons two-through-eight appear on Blu-ray in the near future.
Charmed: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray with a fine looking 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The show originally aired on WB at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. While the original broadcast presentation is always preferable, this new widescreen presentation is so good and convincing that most fans will probably forget the old framing fairly fast. It feels open, not stretched, and the resultant screen-filling image delivers a high quality, filmic presentation. Textural efficiency is very high. Facial textures, clothing lines and fabric density, and particularly environmental objects and notably those details around the girls' house bear the fruits of a thoroughly dense and sharp presentation. Exteriors fare well, from the mundane (pavement, chain-link fences) to larger elements like trees and cars and building façades around the city. Small examples of wear, lived-in details, and the general level of visible density and minute-detail accuracy across the season are very impressive. Colors are balanced, punchy and vibrant as necessary and low-key as the scene demands. Natural greens, clothes, cars, and objects around the house enjoy fruitful color depth and precision. Skin tones appear healthy and black levels are suitably dense and detailed. Artifacts and compression issues are few and far between, but a few upscaled standard definition shots are interspersed throughout the season, mostly establishing shots.
Charmed: The Complete First Season features a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. It fares rather well considering the technical restraints. The track manages to stretch wide across the sides, spreading music and sound effects fairly far, not leaving them cramped up the middle. The opening theme song is decently lively but not extremely energetic, suffering from the absence of a low end support and more verve. Effects like thunder, crashes, and other would-be hard hitting elements fail to elicit much of a sonic response beyond the foundational, identifying signature. Environmental din is nicely wide and effective across the front. Dialogue is clear and images nicely to the center. There are some one-off shortcomings here and there, like hollow-sounding dialogue early in episode two featuring Piper in a car speaking to a pastor. Otherwise the track is fairly good within the given parameters.
Charmed: The Complete First Season contains no supplemental content on any of the five Blu-ray discs. No DVD or digital copies are included, either.
CBS/Paramount has a history of beginning, but not completing, vintage television shows on Blu-ray like I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show and even newer shows like Hawaii Five-0, CSI, and NCIS. Of course, there are many that the studio has seen on through to completion: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Enterprise, Penny Dreadful, and Dexter. Charmed (and MacGyver, which released alongside Charmed), at eight seasons long (seven for MacGyver), has a long way to go to see the entire collection make it to Blu-ray. Hopefully the studio can see it through because Charmed is a fan favorite and there's definitely a demand for the entire thing in high definition on physical media. The season is a bit pricey, but the quality is, generally, very good. The release raises an interesting question, though: would fans trade quality for an assurance of a complete series release? Would fans take a high quality season one release without knowing the show's Blu-ray future or a lesser quality Mill Creek-style one shot full series dump? If prices remain and the entire series releases to Blu-ray one season at a time, one is looking well over $300 for the whole thing. Regardless of the answer, season one's Blu-ray, which is without supplemental content, does feature very good video and adequate two-channel lossy audio. Recommended, and keep those fingers crossed that all subsequent seasons are released in due time.
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25th Anniversary Edition | Remastered
1990
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Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
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Lenticular Faceplate
2012