7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
This series follows the shrewd and confident FBI agent Audrey Parker who has a lost past, when she arrives at the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case. Before long, her natural curiosity lands her in the epicenter of activity in this curious enclave, which turns out to be a longtime refuge for people that are affected by a range of supernatural afflictions. As the townspeople's dormant abilities begin to express themselves, Audrey helps keep these forces at bay while discovering the many secrets of Haven - including one surrounding her own surprising connections to this extraordinary place.
Starring: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat, John DunsworthSupernatural | 100% |
Mystery | 26% |
Horror | 16% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Fantasy | 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: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When shows like The Twilight Zone:
The Complete Series and The Outer Limits shuffled off the
broadcast coil in the mid-sixties, television viewers jonesin’ for something a little supernatural tended to matriculate over to more whimsical
outings like the long running situation comedies Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Fans of those particular series depicting the
comical adventures of magically inclined females may recall that at various points in both series, stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara
Eden got to stretch their acting muscles (at least supposedly) when lookalike characters, evil twins of a sort who had with nefarious
proclivities, showed up to throw various
wrenches into the mix. Haven may not have the outright comic tendencies of either Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie
(though this first half of the series’ fifth season does indulge in a bit more dry humor than some longtime fans may like), but that old
gambit of offering a lead actress a chance to get “down and dirty” is fully on display, as long suffering (and/or befuddled) Audrey Parker
(Emily Rose) is “baaaack”, only this time as a decidedly nasty woman named Mara. For those not up to speed on Haven’s
increasingly convoluted tale of the so-called Troubles (not to be confused with those in Northern Ireland, of course), our reviews of the
show’s previous seasons can be found here:
Haven: The Complete First Season
Blu-ray review
Haven: The Complete Second
Season Blu-ray review
Haven: The Complete Third Season
Blu-ray review
Haven: The Complete Fourth
Season Blu-ray review
Haven: Season 5 Volume 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment One with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The look of this series continues to be quite inviting, helped by having been shot on actual to goodness film, but much as I discussed in our Haven: The Complete Fourth Season Blu- ray review, things can look surprisingly soft a lot of the time and contrast is intermittently on the anemic side. While the palette has a bit more vividness in this season than the fourth, things are still oddly tamped down a lot of the time, a proclivity further exacerbated by some odd grading choices, especially in some of the Mara sequences (see screenshot 1). As has always been the case with this series, CGI is hit or miss, often looking fairly basic and quite soft (there are a number of SFX moments caught in various screencaptures accompanying this review). Fine detail is still often excellent in close-ups, something that may actually tend to bother the more squeamish fans watching the show, as some of the afflictions depicted in this set of episodes are fairly graphic and at times disturbing.
As with previous seasons of this series, Haven: Season 5 Volume 1 features an effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that provides excellent immersion during "Troubled" sequences or in any number of more action oriented moments, which abound in this set of episodes. There's actually a surprising amount of gunfire at times, and punchy sound effects reverberate with a great deal of authenticity throughout a number of episodes. Bigger SFX sequences also offer a glut of sound effects that can swirl around the listener at times. Dialogue is cleanly presented and well prioritized on this problem free track.
Disc One:
- See No Evil with Director/Executive Producer Shawn Piller and Executive Producer Lloyd Segan
- Speak No Evil with with Director/Executive Producer Shawn Piller and Executive Producer Lloyd Segan
- Spotlight with Actors Emily Rose and Lucas Bryant
- Much Ado About Mara with Actors Emily Rose and Lucas Bryant
- The Old Switcheroo — Part 1 with Actor Adam Copeland and Writer Adam Higgs
- The Old Switcheroo — Part 2 with Actor Adam Copeland and Writer Adam Higgs
- Nowhere Man with Writers Brian Millikin and Nick Parker
- Exposure with Writers Brian Millikin and Nick Parker
- Morbidity with Writers Speed Weed and Adam Higgs
- Mortality with Writers Speed Weed and Adam Higgs
- Reflections with Writers Shernold Edwards and Y. Shireen Razack
- Chemistry with Writers Shernold Edwards and Y. Shireen Razack
- Chosen with Writers Gabrielle Staunton and Matt McGuinness.
Emily Rose's fun turn as Mara injects some needed energy back into this series, and I actually liked this first half of the fifth season at least marginally more than the sometimes overly amped up antics of the fourth season. There's still way too much sidebar material here, and hopefully the writers will finally focus on delivering some cogent explanations as the series wends it way toward its conclusion. Haven continues to be more than a bit silly a lot of the time, but Rose makes it at least intermittently worthwhile. Technical merits range from very good (video) to excellent (audio), and as with previous seasons, the supplementary package is quite commendable. Recommended.
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