7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When last we left intrepid FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) in Haven, she had begun to uncover parts of her mysterious past even as she repeatedly dealt with the “special” inhabitants of the titular town of this Syfy series, an uncovering which came to a rather abrupt and surprising cliffhanging conclusion when a curt professional woman showed up brandishing a pretty lethal looking gun and announced that she was FBI Agent Audrey Parker. Such are the vagaries of Haven, an often quite compelling series culled from Stephen King’s novel The Colorado Kid, but which will probably remind more viewers of (as I mentioned in my review of the series’ first season) a cross between Twin Peaks and The X-Files. The Twin Peaks angle comes in courtesy of Haven itself, a town full of bizarre characters who may not in fact rise to David Lynchian extremes of perversity but who all have certain secrets, many of which involve paranormal phenomena, which brings in The X-Files angle. The first season of the series did a mostly exceptional job of developing Audrey’s personal story even as it exploited a kind of “freak of the week” approach as it introduced various inhabitants of the seemingly picturesque little northeastern village of Haven. Haven’s second season literally takes up where the first season left off, and if the routine elements of showcasing various Haven inhabitants starts to wear a little thin now and then, the series still does a very good job of establishing a continuing arc for Audrey and a couple of the other main supporting characters in the show. This season also tends to emphasize a wryly comic side of things a bit more than the first season did, something which may appeal to those who love a little irony with their daily helping of rivers running red and people who turn to stone and then crumble like dust in the wind.
Haven: The Complete Second Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment One with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This second season follows largely in line with the video quality of the first season. The show has a generally good, sharp appearance a great deal of the time, with pleasing fine object detail readily apparent in close-ups. The locations (the show is filmed in Nova Scotia) help to establish a sense of veracity for Haven, and some of the aerial establishing shots feature some breathtaking scenery and impressive depth of field. As with the first season, the CGI is kind of a hit or miss affair. Some of the effects are quite winning, while others are lackluster. A perfect example is the season's opening episode, which features the 10 plagues of Exodus descending upon Haven. The onslaught of frogs raining down from the heavens is extremely well done, but the brief shot of dead cattle looks like something a 9 year old did in Photoshop for an art project.
Haven: The Complete Second Season features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that really comes alive in some of the show's supernatural elements. The opening episode has some great panning effects when swarms of insects buzz about merrily wreaking havoc. In another episode when Haven's docks seem to have developed a life of their own, there are some great sound effects attached, including some fulsome LFE. Surround activity tends to be exploited mostly in the special effects sequences, but the good news is every episode has at least one major sequence utilizing these effects. Fidelity is excellent, with dialogue, effects and underscore all well prioritized, cleanly presented and reproduced with appealing dynamic range.
Haven: The Complete Second Season continues the series' kind of schizophrenic approach of simultaneously developing its labyrinthine mythology while at the same time featuring a "freak of the week". It's a fitfully interesting combination that doesn't always work, but still manages to rise above a lot of supernatural laden series television. The third season is probably going to be the make or break year for this still fledgling series, as we should finally either get some definitive answers about what exactly is going on vis a vis Audrey and the town of Haven, or know that the writers are simply padding the show unnecessarily with unneeded new characters and tangential plot lines that are there for the sole purpose of filling out that week's episode. This Blu-ray offers great video and audio and comes replete with some excellent supplements. Recommended.
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Horror on Snape Island | Beyond the Fog | Remastered
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