Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Danger! Danger! You're going the wrong way!

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 4, 2014

Falling Skies' second season ended on a tantalizing cliffhanger, with a new alien race, the Volm, arriving on Earth just when all hope seemed lost. Sadly, though, the third season neglects to take advantage of the possibilities and fails to flesh out its game-changing premise, ultimately bearing more resemblance to an anticlimactic StarCraft campaign than what could have been a thrilling installment in the modestly entertaining sci-fi series. Not that expectations were set too high. Falling Skies has never stood amongst television's must-see shows. It's come close. A few bold moves go a long way, even in the face of cornball dialogue and less-than-stable storytelling. Season Two not only offered modest improvements upon everything that had come before, it was poised to deliver something memorable. Remarkable even, had all gone according to plan. It didn't. After a tension-deflating leap forward in time, Season Three finds itself knee-deep in the conventional genre muck of Season One. The scripts, over-written. The performances, over-done. The characters, prone to bizarre decisions and random outbursts forgotten an episode later. The aliens... actually, where are the aliens? A third race has entered the fray, yet most episodes feature fleeting glimpses of anything that isn't human. A flimsy house of cards, Season Three is riddled with plot holes, missed opportunities and a general malaise at odds with all the action and intrigue spilling out on screen.

That's not to suggest Falling Skies' third season is a complete loss. It has its moments and the Volm -- whether seen or unseen -- do inject fresh blood into the series' dynamics. If nothing else, the arrival of a third player on the field (one whose intentions the 2nd Mass may not be able to take at face value) gives Tom and his band of merry survivalists a legitimate shot at repelling the invading horde. It's a shame then that the writers feel the need to fall back on so many clichés. The assassination of a crucial figure. A mole in the ranks. A surprise resurrection. A newborn with otherworldly gifts. Mind control. Junk science solutions to complex problems. The construction of a mysterious alien device. Mexican stand-offs. The identity of a spy being revealed by a simple slip of the tongue. (You know the line. "How could you know? I never told you that... fill in the blank.") On and on and on. Falling Skies isn't bad, it just really isn't all that good. It still draws a crowd, though, and its fanbase remains strong. Maybe I'm missing something... like the ability to shrug off mediocrity. Alright, alright. Unnecessary snark, I know.

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season features ten episodes spread across two BD-50 discs:

• On Thin Ice: Season Three opens seven months after the 2nd Mass arrived in Charleston. In the interim, Tom (Noah Wyle) has been elected to political office, but has his hands full as the resistance continues to battle the alien invaders. Tom's decision to have the rebel skitters fight alongside humans creates tension and raises suspicions that someone may be feeding secrets to the enemy. Meanwhile, Hal (Drew Roy) struggles with nightmares that seem so real he has difficulty knowing if he's awake or dreaming. And Tom and Anne (Moon Bloodgood) prepare to welcome their baby.
• Collateral Damage: With hostilities escalating between the resistance and the alien invaders, Tom calls on a nuclear specialist (Robert Sean Leonard) known as "The Rat King" to come up with a plan that will strip the aliens of their power. As suspicion continues to mount about a mole within the resistance, Tom and his leaders make a drastic decision that jeopardizes trust among the group. Anne, meanwhile, has a feeling that all is not right with her newborn.
• Badlands: The two-year anniversary of the alien invasion is fast approaching as the people of Charleston prepare for another potentially devastating offensive. A sniper attack by an unlikely gunman creates questions and doubts within the new government. Hal believes he knows the identity of the mole. And Anne's concern for her baby continues to grow.
• At All Costs: After the people of Charleston defeat another alien attack with the help of new advanced weaponry, Tom is invited to meet with a powerful leader (Stephen Collins). While Hal wrestles with an invasive evil, Ben struggles with his identity and the notion of being human again. And Anne uncovers startling new information that puts everyone in jeopardy.
• Search and Recover: When a mission goes terribly awry, Tom and Pope (Colin Cunningham) must rely on each other to survive. Meanwhile, Weaver (Will Patton) and company search desperately for two members of the 2nd Mass who have gone missing. And Marina (Gloria Reuben) takes matters into her own hands in Charleston, disregarding Tom's authority.
• Be Silent and Come Out: Hal finally reveals his internal struggle to everyone, and it doesn't bode well for the Masons. Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel) experiments with a risky new medical procedure. And Charleston's government sees a massive shift in leadership when a group breaks away on a search and rescue mission.
• The Picket Line: The Masons run into trouble on the road when a family of outlaws intercepts their search-and-rescue mission. Meanwhile, looming doubts over the construction of a massive alien weapon ignite a conflict of interests. And an investigation to apprehend a killer on the loose hits a road block.
• Strange Brew: Things seem much too calm for Tom, making him suspicious of his surroundings. On his way back to Charleston, he makes a number of discoveries, some incredibly surprising and others utterly horrifying. Meanwhile, Weaver and Pope butt heads over how to handle the suspected mole.
• Journey to Xibalba: Tom uncovers confidential intelligence about the heart of the alien operation. Meanwhile, Charleston prepares to mount an offensive against the Espheni, but a massive explosion brings the operation to a halt. And the identity of the mole is finally uncovered, but not before more blood has been shed.
• Brazil: When the 2nd mass destroys a crucial Espheni base, a relentless enemy is taken down and the Mason family is reunited with those who had been lost. But the arrival of more interstellar players puts the fate of the Earth's remaining survivors in doubt.

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season features a decent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation, albeit one that's noticeably weaker than its high definition predecessors. Contrast is rather disappointing -- I'd even go so far as to call it disheartening -- with dusty, muted, poorly resolved black levels that never dip below a charcoal gray. (The difference is obvious when comparing screenshots in this review to those of previous seasons.) Detail isn't much better. Edges are clean and reasonably defined but rarely crisp. Textures are passable in close-ups but soften more than expected in wide shots. Minor macroblocking, banding and noise spikes also routinely interfere (particularly during the darkest scenes), which doesn't help matters. But, really, there just isn't any pop to the image. The series' desaturated palette is in keeping with the showrunners' bleak post-apocalyptic cityscapes, sure. Little else impresses, though. Interestingly, a similar issue affects Warner's Blu-ray release of Shameless: The Complete Third Season. Whether this is Falling Skies' third season as it was intended or a deeper problem is unclear at this time, but further investigation is warranted. Regardless, the results are the same: an unremarkable presentation.

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Warner's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track is much better, with a notably immersive soundfield that breathes life into the series' action and suspense. Dialogue is perfectly intelligible and prioritized at all times, gunshots and explosions pack plenty of LFE punch, and engaging rear speaker activity keeps battles bustling and shootouts exciting. Season Three is a bit chatty on the whole, though, and hushed, dramatic conversations tend to dominate the soundscape, making for a rather front-heavy experience at times. Even so, involving ambience, directional precision and a musical score that utilizes every channel to great effect keep things alive and well.

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Second Watch (HD, 130 minutes): Wil Wheaton hosts nine after-episode debriefs, interviewing key members of the cast and crew about everything that transpired. Wheaton comes on much too strong -- where's Chris Hardwick when you need him? -- but the actors offer up plenty of info, insights and anecdotes series fans will certainly enjoy.
• Warrior Poet: Creating the Character and Emotion of Cochise (HD, 20 minutes): An excellent, refreshingly lengthy overview of the development, design and visual effects of Cochise, brought to life by man of many creatures Doug Jones.
• Karen: The Overlord Next Door (HD, 22 minutes): Jessy Schram's character earns equal supplemental screentime, although it's entirely debatable if Karen even really deserves, much less requires, this level of examination and dissection.
• Behind the Scenes (HD, 9 minutes): A series of brief secondary featurettes

Falling Skies: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

After an intriguing second season cliffhanger, Falling Skies' third season never quite delivers on its promise. The arrival of the Volm stirs things up, but rarely to satisfying ends. It's the humans that once again overwhelmingly dominate the proceedings, and the series' scripts are just too weak and wobbly to handle so many heavy-handed character arcs. Warner's Blu-ray release isn't much better unfortunately. The Complete Third Season's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track is quite good, but its video presentation suffers from a number of issues and its supplemental package isn't very memorable or extensive.