8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Football is god in small-town Texas, where the Dillon High School Panthers seem to be a shoo-in for the state championship for the first time in 15 years. So when Eric Taylor signs on as the team's new coach, the pressure to win is enormous. This critically acclaimed drama series follows Taylor's ups and downs with the Panthers -- and with his wife and teenage daughter.
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse PlemonsSport | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English
Blu-ray Disc
Thirteen-disc set (13 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
I think that everybody loves football.
Think Texas doesn't take its high school football seriously? Think again. Katy, Texas' $72,000,000 field, which ironically
has the word "Katy" written in the middle of the field with an "A+" forming the middle two letters (can serious education and sports funding at this
level truly
coexist?), is a testament to the state's unwavering love for football and pride in the local schools that entertain fans and, really, are often the
center
of a very unique lifestyle. Whether at church on Sundays, restaurants on Tuesdays, or at work or school five days per week, Texans love to talk
high
school football, breaking down the defense, parsing the offense, analyzing special teams, critiquing the coaching staff, and waiting for the next big
thing waiting in the wings in the lower grades. King of the Hill, a Texas-based animated sitcom, often dove into
Texas'
passion for
football, in that show at the middle school rather than high school level. But it's a big deal, a way of life, a religion in some circles, and with the NFL
currently more divisive than ever before and college programs increasingly plagued by controversies and a convoluted postseason structure, many
have turned to high school to see the game in its most unadulterated form.
Friday Night Lights was shot on 16mm film, which yields a fairly grainy Blu-ray image. Mill Creek's 1080p, MPEG-2 encoded, 1.78:1-framed presentation will not please those who dislike natural film grain, but it does yield a certain look of grit that compliments the show's tone very well. Grain is handled nicely; the presentation is even, if not a bit thick, with few spikes or drops along the way. Details are fine. The image is a bit softer than some might be accustomed to seeing, whether considering todays more prominent native 35mm film or digital sources, and it's never as sharp as The Walking Dead (another show shot on 16mm), but general textural qualities satisfy and basic image clarity is fine. Facial and clothing features cannot be said to be significantly complex, but basic inherent qualities are readily apparent and enjoyably tangible. Environmental details, whether on the field, in the locker room, around town, out in the country, inside an old pickup truck, anywhere and everywhere the show goes, present to viewers with satisfying crispness and clarity, even without the razor-sharp stability of other programs. Colors are appropriately vibrant. The palette never pushes extreme, but uniform primary colors and accents -- blues, reds, and so on -- present with enough punch and nuance to please. Green football fields, various other examples of attire, vehicles, and so on are sufficiently saturated for the duration. Black levels hold firmly deep. Skin tones offer little room for complaint. Print wear -- speckles and pops -- are very infrequent and the exception to the rule of a clean, healthy source. This is a quality presentation from Mill Creek.
Friday Night Lights features a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack across all five seasons. The track is fine and, even with the absence of any lossless option, the inclusion of a multichannel presentation is most welcome. The track is appropriately big, never struggling to push the stage to its limits. The front end carries the bulk of the music, which presents with strong instrumental and vocal clarity, whether score or popular songs. Low end accompaniment is never prodigious, but there's a decent enough supportive element at play. The track captures plenty of environments with lively, detailed ease. Whether packed restaurants or quiet nighttime exteriors, surrounds are implemented with regularity, resulting in a pleasing sense of place and immersion. Clarity of supportive din is always strong as well. Microphone reverberation at pep rallies draws the listener into the moment while the football games deliver a densely populated but immersive and detailed sound presentation where crowd cheers, hits on the field, whistles, chatter, PA announcements, and the like blend with dedicated dialogue, play-by-play, and other elements with efficiency, balance, and appropriate spacing. Basic dialogue is clear and detailed, never wanting for firmer positioning or stronger prioritization.
This Blu-ray release of Friday Night Lights contains no supplements across its 13-disc release. The set comes packaged in the now-familiar and efficient Mill Creek style. Five Blu-ray cases are housed in a basic slip box. Seasons with more than two discs are housed in stacked formation; there are no leafs to carry individual discs.
Football may be the driving force propellant throughout the series, but Friday Night Lights is more a character drama and a deep, personal exploration of contemporary small-town life where football is king but the people shape the landscape more than any numbers on the scoreboard. Driven by tight narrative focus but broad-area detail, compelling characters, quality story lines on and off the field, personal and intimate photography, and terrific acting, Friday Night Lights stands as one of the finest television shows of the 21st century, a contemporary classic that should be at the top of most anyone's must-see list, whether watching for the first time or seeing it again. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is featureless, but video and audio are fine. Highly recommended.
1992
2004
2011
1993
2000
2015
2014
2008
25th Anniversary Edition
1986
2006
2019
2014
2005
1986
2021
2020
Warner Archive Collection
1985
2015
2006
2008