7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
FBI Agent arrives in the tiny town of Haven, Maine and discovers a long history of paranormal phenomena and unexplained mysteries.
Starring: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat, John DunsworthSupernatural | 100% |
Mystery | 27% |
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 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Stop me if you’ve heard (or seen) this one: a stalwart FBI agent is sent to investigate a horrific crime, a crime which took place in a quirky little backwater where virtually every inhabitant has a secret and seemingly individually and collectively defines eccentricity. Stop me if you’ve heard (or seen) this one: two FBI agents chase down cases with a paranormal aspect, cases no one else (and even one of the agents) can quite believe might really be happening. Most will be able to identify Twin Peaks and The X Files as the shows in question (and bonus points to those who remember David Duchovny had roles in both series), but large swaths of those descriptions could just as easily refer to the Syfy series Haven, a show which takes one part Twin Peaks weird (and sometimes slightly menacing) town and townsfolk and one part X Files Agent Mulder and mixes them up in a surprisingly satisfying stew that may not be especially innovative but which offers some fun escapism and excellent characterizations. Culled, at least tangentially, from a Stephen King novel called The Colorado Kid, Haven concerns the exploits of FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose), who is assigned to track down an escaped convict who has killed a guard and is presumed to have returned to his hometown stomping grounds of Haven, Maine. The series actually shows us the X Files-esque demise of the criminal as he’s hoisted into the air by some unseen force and catapulted off one of the rocky cliffs that meet the shore along Maine’s Atlantic coast (the series actually films in Nova Scotia). Audrey of course has no clue about that aspect of the case when she first arrives in Haven, but she soon experiences the strangeness of the environment there when the road she’s taking into town suddenly opens up and she nearly catapults her rental car off another cliff as she attempts to avoid the chasm. That sets up her “meet cute” with a Haven police officer, Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant). Nathan soon becomes her comrade in figuring out what happened to the escaped criminal, whose body is found on the beach beneath the cliffs, but who is not especially prone to understanding much less believing some of the paranormal phenomena that Audrey begins witnessing virtually from the get go during her investigation.
Haven is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment One with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is often an incredibly scenic presentation due to the lovely Nova Scotia locations. The town of Haven may in fact remind some people of Northern Exposure's Cicely, Alaska, though perhaps a bit more developed. The show makes extensive use of aerial establishing shots and those are among the sharpest and most appealing sequences of the entire series. Unfortunately things are a bit softer with respect to the ubiquitous CGI, which sometimes (though not always) has a slapdash quality to it. The overall series boasts well above average sharpness and clarity, though occasionally drifts into a bit of murkiness, especially with regard to some darker interior sequences such as those aboard Duke's boat. The presentation is largely free of artifacts other than occasional minor crush.
Haven is presented with both a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix as well as a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is really fairly impressive for a weekly television series, with some excellent surround activity,
especially with regard to some of the paranormal phenomena that occurs throughout the episodes. (The series' opener
which has a major storm element is a great example, with swirling wind and hail noises filling the surrounds with some
impressive immersion). Fidelity is great throughout the series, with dialogue, effects and score well presented and very
well prioritized. The series also offers some excellent LFE courtesy of several well rendered sound effects.
One very odd anomaly about this set: Disc 4 of the four disc set has absurdly high volume for the opening
Entertainment One logo and the main Haven menu (which plays with the series' theme music). Once an actual
episode is loaded, volume returns to normal levels, but be prepared when you put in the fourth disc as that opening
Entertainment One moment will blast you out of your chair.
Haven is a very appealing, well written show that shows immense promise. This first season spends a bit too much time on the "trouble of the week," with some individuals experiencing paranormal phenomena that may be too redolent of The X Files for some. The central mystery of who Audrey is and how her story ties into the murder of The Colorado Kid is in the long term more interesting and seems to be where the series is headed in terms of some focal storytelling for the series' second season. With very good video, excellent audio, and some nice supplemental material, the series and this Blu-ray come Recommended.
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