6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A high-school Spanish teacher becomes the director of the school's Glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory.
Starring: Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, Matthew Morrison, Kevin McHaleComedy | 100% |
Romance | 95% |
Musical | 65% |
Teen | 58% |
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
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
We had a glee club at my high school. In the grand tradition of dorkily named show choirs, they were called The Sophisti’Cats. With a name like that—and owing to the fact that the members were often caught doing “jazz hands”—the club was the object of constant derision. The school’s jocks routinely replaced “Cats” with any number of offensive terms, most often resorting to the derogatory slang for homosexuals. The ‘Cats just kept on singing, doing their own thing. You’ve got to respect that. I suspect my school was not unlike thousands of others across the country, where show choir is a refuge for the different, the marginalized and oppressed, where talented but perhaps insecure students go to find a literal and figurative voice. And that’s essentially the overriding theme of Glee, the breakout musical-dramedy from Fox that’s been hailed as one of the year’s best new TV shows.
Everything you need to know about Glee...
Shot on film rather than digitally—resulting in a more cinematic look—Glee clearly has a healthy budget. It definitely shows on Blu-ray, as the series has been given a 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation that's as clean-cut and colorful as the show's teenaged characters. There are occasional soft shots, but most of the show has a satisfying sense of clarity. Textures on clothing are finely resolved—see Emma's frilly blouses, Principal Figgin's tweed suit jackets, or the tight mesh of football jerseys—and in close-ups, you can spot every pore on the young actors' unrealistically blemish-free faces. Color is dense and saturated but very realistic—the musical numbers may be stylized, but the image never is—and the picture looks especially fantastic during outdoor, daylight scenes. Skin tones, throughout, are perfectly balanced, black levels are deep, and contrast is nicely tuned. If you caught the show on Fox in high definition, you can expect a slightly more pristine look here, with fewer compression bugaboos, but there are still a few small problems that keep the presentation from higher marks. Darker scenes are often peppered with bluish chroma noise, some fine color gradients look a little splotchy, and there are a few instance of mild banding. None of these are overt distractions, though, and don't let the 18MBPS bit-rate scare you off—Glee looks terrific on Blu-ray.
Unsurprisingly, Glee's sound design—presented here via lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks—is all about the music. As you'd hope, the various pop songs and show tunes sound fantastic, especially if you've got a capable 5.1 home theater set-up. The music has real presence, clarity, and dynamic punch, without ever sounded overly compressed or bottom heavy. During the bigger numbers, the instruments and voices are spread throughout every channel, creating an enveloping soundfield that puts you right in the school auditorium. When we go back to reality, however— the day-to-day drama of school life—the mix is much less active. You'll hear occasional ambience in the rear speakers—the clamor of between-period hallways, cheers from the audience at sectionals, etc.—but there are also plenty of instances where there could be more immersive sound design and there simply isn't. No big deal, though. Where it counts, Glee's audio delivers. The dialogue is unerringly clear, and the music sounds great turned up loud. Numerous subtitle options are available, all appearing in easy-to-read white lettering.
Behind the Pilot: A Visual Commentary with Cast and Crew
A Blu-ray exclusive, here we get to watch the pilot episode—presented in it's extended director's cut form—with the cast and creators of the show.
Expect lots of reminiscing, laughs, and occasionally bizarre comments from showrunner Ryan Murphy. Instead of having a small picture-in-picture
window, the episode and the video of the commentators are equally sized and placed side by side, letterboxed to preserve the episode's aspect
ratio.
Glee Sing Along Karaoke (1080p, 10:21)
Sing along to karaoke versions of "Alone," "Somebody to Love," "Keep Holding On," and "Don't Stop Believing."
Glee Music Jukebox (1080p)
Available on each of the four discs, use this option to go directly to the scenes of your favorite songs from the season. There's also a "shuffle" function
if you want to watch them in random order.
Staying in Step with Glee (1080p, 6:16)
Choreographer Zach Woodlee and some of the show's dancers teach us how to do the dance number from "Rehab."
Bite Their Style: Dress Like Your Favorite Gleek (1080p, 8:52)
Costume designer Lou Eyrich discusses the distinct look for each character.
Unleashing the Power of Madonna (1080p, 10:36)
The show's music producer and cast members talk about the hugely popular Madonna episode.
The Making of a Showstopper (1080p, 17:22)
An extensive behind-the-scenes look at the process of adapting Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" for Glee's finale.
Welcome to McKinley! (SD, 5:07)
Principal Figgins welcomes us to McKinley and shows us around his office in this mock introduction to the school.
Glee Music Video (SD, 2:44)
A music video for the song "Find Me Someone To Love," featuring the actors from the show.
Full Length Audition Pieces (SD, 4:11)
No, not real life auditions. Here we get to hear the full versions of Rachel singing "On My Own," and Mercedes covering "Respect."
Fox Movie Channel Presents Casting Session (SD, 12:03)
The success of the show totally depended on finding "triple threats"—performers who can sing and dance and act—and here we get to see the
difficulties and happy accidents of the casting process.
Deconstructing Glee with Ryan Murphy (SD, 2:49)
A short EPK-style promo with Ryan Murphy introducing the show.
Dance Boot Camp (SD, 3:12)
A quick look at the actors' first day of dance rehearsal.
Jane Lynch A to Glee (SD, 00:52)
Lynch sits in her make-up chair and recites a line from the first play she was in in second grade.
Meet Jane Lynch (SD, 1:03)
Jane discusses her cranky character.
Things You Don't Know About… (SD)
Here, a few of the actors tell us some random trivia about their own lives. Includes sections for Jayma (00:39), Cory (1:00), Amber (00:58), and Chris
(00:41).
Video Diaries (SD, 17:10)
Short self-shot video diaries from Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Kevin McHale, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, and Dianna
Agron.
If you had told me last week—before I'd had a chance to watch the entirety of season one—that I would end up falling in like with Glee, that, in fact, I'd be geeking…sorry, gleeking out at the possibilities of the season two premiere, I would've given you a heh, yeah, riiiight. But sure enough, I sit here converted, a bonafide gleek. I'll even admit to tearing up a bit during the season finale. (I know, I'm such a drama queen.) Glee is fun, funny, and smartly scripted; it features a cast you can easily come to love and musical performances that'll have you singing along, using your TV remote for a microphone. Fox's Blu-ray is a treat as well, with a crisp high definition picture, lossless audio, and an assortment of special features that's as quirky as the show's cast. Highly recommended!
w/ Bonus Disc
2009-2010
2009-2010
2010-2011
with Vudu eCopy Of Season One Finale
2010-2011
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
Rockin' Rydell Edition
1978
2009
2018
2-Disc Shake and Shimmy Edition
2007
Sing-Along Edition
2018
10th Anniversary Edition
2008
Extended Dance Edition
2009
20th Anniversary Limited Edition Packaging
2004
2010
2006
2015
2011
2005
Extended Edition
2008
15th Anniversary Edition
2006
2016
2010
1980s Best of the Decade
1984
1999
2015