4.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Comedy | 100% |
Adventure | 10% |
Nature | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This season is also available in the box set Duck Dynasty: Seasons 1-3 Collector's Set, which streets December 3, 2013.
As an Oregonian, I must state up front that Duck Dynasty is evidently not about the University of
Oregon’s sports teams, nor is one of the series’ character’s obsession with beavers a reference to Oregon State
University. With that pressing piece of business out of the way, perhaps it’s time to burst another preconception
bubble—so-called reality television is not real. I know several people (whose names will not be divulged due to their
wishes to remain employed) who work on various “reality tv” shows in different capacities, and they all tell pretty much
the same story. While there are no “writers” on the shows, and while things are filmed in a supposed “verité” style that
ostensibly catches things happening off the cuff, “suggestions” are often made to the shows’ participants, and certain
“storylines” are discussed at length before the cameras ever even show up to capture the action. Furthermore, most
shows are assembled with a team of editors who, along with the shows’ directors and other “creatives”, deliberately
shape things to give these efforts some sort of dramatic (and/or comedic) arc. Duck Dynasty is simply the latest
in a long line of cable outings which have melded characters’ work lives and family environments. As my wife stated
when we began watching this new six disc Blu-ray set, “Hey, it’s Cake Boss on the bayou!” That pretty much
sums up this show’s approach, which follows the “true life” adventures of the Robertson family, a group of good ol’ boys,
their wives, children and employees, who run a multimillion dollar enterprise called Duck Commander, a unique duck call
invented by paterfamilias Phil Robertson, whose son Willie, who built the business into its current day success.
Rather incredibly, the saga of the Roberston family has become one of the biggest phenomena in cable history, recently
smashing audience records for the series’ fourth season premiere episode. The series is having an impact in some
unusual arenas as well. Both Fox News and MSNBC, hardly cable outlets prone to covering the same sorts of stories,
recently mentioned that a Robertson endorsement of a so-called “mainstream” GOP candidate in Louisiana helped to get
that guy elected over the Tea Party candidate (who was expected to handily win the race). With the show's (and its
characters') popularity soaring, A&E and Lionsgate have made the unusual decision to release a Blu-ray box set
featuring the first three seasons, which will be followed around a month later by standalone Blu-ray releases of those
seasons.
Duck Dynasty Season 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films and A&E with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. Perhaps due to the increased popularity of the show, subsequent seasons received a 1080p presentation, and there is a very slight but occasionally noticeable uptick in quality when compared to this first season. This season has a somewhat rougher appearance, with some stability issues especially apparent when establishing shots, often aerial, give us birds' eye views of Duck Commander or the swampy bayous, with minor shimmer slightly affecting image quality. The bulk of this presentation is sharp and well detailed, and the first person confessionals, which almost always feature the characters in close-up, offer great fine detail. Colors are natural looking and well saturated. As with the subsequent seasons, there are occasional nighttime sequences shot with "night vision" equipment that offer an extremely grainy, green appearance (see the screenshot of the snake for a good example).
All three seasons of Duck Dynasty come equipped with a perfectly fine lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix which capably captures the narration, on screen confessionals and back and forth between various characters. The mixes also nicely capture more forceful moments, as when the boys go hunting or target shooting. There is no damage of any kind to report in any of these tracks, and fidelity is excellent, delivering dialogue, ambient environmental effects and the twangy music cues effortlessly.
The first season of Duck Dynasty isn't as consistently engaging as the show became later in its run, but it's still a lot of fun, even if it is relentlessly formulaic and often obviously manufactured. The Robertsons are a lovable group of people, and though cynics might not be entirely persuaded by the clan's claims to having remained untouched by their financial success and (now) celebrity, there's still a refreshing honesty to their interchanges that helps the show overcome some if its more rote aspects. The series is both gently amusing and quietly heartwarming in about equal measure. This first season's video quality isn't quite up to the sharpness and stability of the next two seasons, but overall this is a nice package that comes Recommended.
2012
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Duck-Luxe Edition
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Duck-Luxe Edition
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Duck-Luxe Edition
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(Still not reliable for this title)
Special Limited Edition of 2,500 Units
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