7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Sci-Fi | 100% |
Action | 72% |
Drama | 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
Portuguese: DTS 5.1
English SDH, Portuguese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Review content, season synopsis, and episode summaries may contain spoilers for any of the series' three seasons.
The blurring of the line between, and the meshing of, filmed and interactive entertainment isn't complete, but it took a serious step forward, or at
least promised to, with Defiance, a TV show that intertwined its plot line with happenings in the companion video game's interactive world,
and vice versa. Certainly, it hasn't been a groundbreaking experience; neither the show nor the game became hallmarks of their respective genres
or
in any way cultural phenomenons, not in the way Sci-Fi TV like Battlestar Galactica or Star Trek have or as Sci-Fi games like Destiny or Halo have captured the minds and thumbs of a
large number of players around the world. But it was an interesting concept nonetheless, and a logical step forward, in a world where television
and interactive compete for eyes and so often influence one another in their efforts to dazzle with the latest and greatest. While Defiance
the game sputters onward, the series -- only three seasons strong -- was officially cancelled by SyFY less than two months after season
three's end.
Defiant.
Defiance: Season Three's 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer presents a healthy, detailed image, most of the time. Dank, lower-light environments, both alien and on Earth, tend to lessen textural intimacy, depth of field, and overall clarity. Whether dark alien interiors or musty Defiance interiors, such as a bar where liquor bottles, wooden accents, and decorations cannot muster up densely detailed elements, several environments in the show just aren't conducive to the sort of eye candy visuals seen through the rest of the season. On the flip side, better lit environments offer a more enticing bit of definition. Exterior marketplaces and bright interiors show off plenty of little odds and ends with exacting sharpness and definition, reveling the rugged and worn dystopian wares, edifices, terrain, and background details with precision. Likewise, clothing reveals plenty of longtime wear, armor and accents are complex, and faces are intimately revealing, whether human or more complex alien. Colors often favor a somewhat darker shading but brighter environments reveal solidly balanced shades of alien skin, natural terrain, and doodads around the ravaged world. Black levels and skin tones fluctuate under the season's lighting schemes, pushing to crush and prone to noise in the most densely dark scenes. The series' lower-grade effects shots are messy and riddled with aliasing, noise, and a deiced lack of sharpness, but that's much more the source than the 1080p transfer. It's not a stunner by any means, but season three fares well within its style and structure.
Defiance: Season Three's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is probably better described as "rugged" rather than "refined." It's still a quality listen, just one that lacks the top-end precision instrumentals and effects of programs and films afforded a more appropriately large budget. Music presents with good definition, width across the stage, and depth towards the back. Bass kicks solidly but not prodigiously. Various sound effects, like rumbly spaceships and bellicose battles, offer enough raw power and heft to command the moment and pull the listener into the varied environments. Gunfire enjoys hearty vitality, zip, and oomph, again lacking that last little bit of utmost realistic precision but rattling and rolling enough to shape the moment with enough verve to get the juices flowing. Minor background support ambience around Defiance help set the stage with mild immersion. Dialogue is commanding and smartly center focused with no issues in either definition or prioritization.
Defiance: Season Three contains a few deleted scenes (1080p) scattered over three discs: Disc One: Scenes from The Broken
Bough (4:05) and Dead Air (5:03). Disc Two: Scene from The Beauty of Our Weapons (4:01). Disc Three:
Scenes from Of a Demon in My View (1:02) and Upon the March We Fittest Die (3:46).
A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.
Defiance is more entertaining Sci-Fi than it is thought-provoking Sci-Fi. While there's room for both on the same stage, Defiance chose to favor the former and only toy with the latter. Season three pushes it through to its end, which doesn't come mercifully, but does, probably, come timely. A good concept marred by middling execution, the show promised more than it could reasonably deliver, both directly in its production and in its bold effort to form a union between filmed and interactive entertainment. Defiance: Season Three features good video and audio. Supplements are limited to a handful of deleted scenes. Fans can buy with confidence (even considering the lack of extras) but audiences just looking for a good, modern Sci-Fi show should take a peek at the aforementioned Battlestar Galactica instead.
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