7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
Forty-foot waves, freezing temperatures and a nearly 100-percent injury rate. Crab fishing off the Alaskan coast on the icy Bering Sea is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. But it's also one of the most lucrative, offering tens of thousands of dollars for a few days' work. Follow one group of ambitious men as they battle harsh conditions and intense competition in the frenzied search for an undersea jackpot.
Documentary | 100% |
Nature | 98% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
At some point in the middle of every season of Deadliest Catch, I find myself sitting at Red Lobster, poking at my plate, and wondering if my Crab Crackin' Monday-spoils put some hard-working, blue collar family man in the hospital. I know, I know: a documentary series about Bering Sea fishing vessels may not sound like an exciting prospect to landlubbing newcomers, but the extreme peril faced by the fisherman who supply your favorite local restaurants never ceases to amaze me. Six seasons strong, Deadliest Catch remains one of the Discovery Channel's premiere reality series, and for good reason. It isn't about a group of talented designers vying for a cash prize, nor is it about obnoxious Jersey Shore twenty-somethings or shallow upper-class housewives. (They wouldn't survive ten minutes aboard the Cornelia Marie or the Time Bandit.) It focuses on several dozen tough-as-nails crab fishermen who live and bleed on the high seas to fill a thankless job in a dangerous industry, all in the name of feeding their families. Suffice to say, it makes most other reality shows seem positively trivial.
High seas adventure, indeed...
The biggest disappointment to be had with the Blu-ray edition of Deadliest Catch: Season Three is its unsightly 1080i/AVC-encoded video transfer. That being said, those who arm themselves with appropriate expectations will find the presentation isn't quite as bad as it could be. The series' visuals are irrevocably linked to the harsh Bering Sea elements and the quality of cameras used by the embedded film crews, meaning detail isn't exactly up to snuff. Fine textures aren't remotely resolved, object definition is inconsistent and mediocre, and softness is a prevailing issue. Still, when salt water is slathered over the camera lens, winds are ripping at the fishermen, and waves are crashing on the deck, do you really expect anything more? From a technical standpoint, the presentation is decent. Colors are fairly vibrant, skintones are satisfying, black levels are deep (albeit at the expense of shadow delineation), and contrast is passable (even though nighttime sequences are sometimes terribly murky). Unfortunately, more serious issues emerge. Artifacting is a constant nuisance, noise surges at inopportune times, and stair-stepping stalks the screen from episode to episode. These problems don't ruin the experience per se -- again, the series could never look like a high-dollar high definition broadcast -- but they do prove to be a significant nuisance.
Deadliest Catch: Season Three includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but it's only a simulated surround track. Hardly the sort of sonic stunner fans might appreciate. Once again, the nature of the series dictates the terms of the experience. Voices are at the mercy of the weather and seas, and subtitles are often used to cut through the ensuing confusion. Wind, air hiss, clanking metal, thundering storms... it all takes a shot at whatever the captains and crewmen attempt to convey. Even so, anyone who's seen Deadliest Catch knows it would be ridiculous to expect anything more. No, my complaints lie elsewhere. The LFE channel is burly and inexact, barking without any real power or polish. The rear speakers are noisy, and rarely interject anything that legitimately enhances the soundfield. Directionality is a joke -- this is, after all, a simulated surround track, and nothing more -- and dynamics are narrow and heavy-handed. The whole of Season Three amounts to a dull roar, one plagued with normalization issues and various other anomalies. It's a reasonable approximation of the television broadcast's audio mix, but that isn't saying much.
The 4-disc Blu-ray release of Deadliest Catch: Season Three includes just one special feature, but it's a good one: a "Behind the Scenes" bonus episode (Disc 1, HD, 42 minutes).
Deadliest Catch's third season is one of its finest. Accessible to series newcomers, engrossing for anyone and everyone who enjoys the show, and compelling from beginning to end, it's worthy of a home on your shelves... even if its Blu-ray release is a bust. Cursed with a problematic AV presentation, its middling transfer and simulated 5.1 audio mix are a disappointment. Still, considering the nature of the series and the conditions in which it's shot, such shortcomings are to be expected. At less than twenty dollars, Season Three is a steal.
(Still not reliable for this title)
2009
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BBC
2011
1995
IMAX 3D
2008
IMAX
2004
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The Original UK Series
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IMAX
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