6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A team of scientists are thrust into a potentially life-or-death situation in this thriller, which begins with the group being deployed to the Arctic to secretly investigate what could be a disease outbreak.
Starring: Billy Campbell (VII), Hiroyuki Sanada, Jordan Hayes, Neil Napier, Luciana CarroSci-Fi | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
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
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, German, Arabic, Dutch, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Even through just one season -- and now through its second, and final, season -- it was easy to label Helix, brainchild of Creator Cameron Porsandeh and Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica), as a curiosity of television, a show that boldly took incredible risks but did so at great peril to narrative cohesion and stability. Season one went off the deep end, for better or for worse, and season two dives even further into a murky abyss of stuff that makes the show at once both a head-scratcher and the filmed equivalent of a page-turner, always keeping the audience both expectant of what's to come next but never sure from which direction it will come, and a lot of the times even why it comes at all. Controlled, and oftentimes uncontrolled, chaos rules the series, and with so much spinning around, and often to at least moderately unsatisfying result, it's not hard to see why it was ultimately cancelled, even if there's still plenty of room to explore within its topsy-turvy universe. In some ways reminiscent of Lost in terms of its constant state of dramatic upheaval and mysterious underpinnings that see it pulled every which way possible -- and then some -- the show just never seemed to connect, probably because it just never seemed to figure out what it was or where it was going, even after 26 entertaining, but in many ways flawed, episodes.
Where are we?
Helix: The Complete Second Season's 1080p transfer makes for a pleasant viewing experience. The digital photography shows a little flatness but the razor-sharp details and bold colors make the otherwise inorganic façade a quick and distant memory. Various bits of diseased human tissue and gore -- bubbles and bile and other forms of yuk -- are remarkably presented. Julia's kidnapper wears a burlap hood that's one of the most purely complex objects one is likely to find on Blu-ray, and the transfer presents it with remarkable attention to imitate detail. Human faces and general clothing, including patches, look very good, yielding easy complexities in every close-up. Basic bits of background, both in cold and rotted interiors and in lush natural exteriors, shine. Colors are bold and precise; natural greens are particularly vibrant and pop in bright lighting. Black levels are healthy and deep, and flesh tones are likewise precise. Light banding and mild noise intrude in places, but neither present as more than cursory annoyances. Overall, this is a high quality effort from Sony.
Helix: The Complete Second Season oozes onto Blu-ray with a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The stage springs to life with all manner of sonic joy, including precise, wide, and well-defined music throughout the range; fine natural ambient effects; and various bits of action. Many of the track's joys come by way of the small stuff. Gently rolling waves, various creaks and moans on a lifeless ship, insects, rustling leaves, and other little natural elements enjoy precise placement and volume that accentuate various scenes throughout the season and help transport the listener into the environments. Even dialogue finds some quality reverberation in various junctures throughout, one of the best examples coming around the thirty-minute mark of episode one when voices realistically echo throughout a large location. General dialogue is satisfactorily delivered with natural center focus. All told, this is a nicely designed and implemented track from Sony.
Helix: The Complete Second Season contains deleted scenes on discs one and two and a collection of outtakes on disc three. Inside the
Blu-ray case, buyers will find a voucher for a UV digital copy of the show.
Disc One:
In a way, it's a good thing that Helix was cancelled. On one hand, the show often felt just too dense, too chaotic, too unsure of what to do, but on the other hand, it would have been fun to see what kind of insanity a third season could have brought and whether it might have made the entire show make a little more sense or just added to the zany mystique. Either way, it's been a brief but fun little series that might wind up as a cult favorite someday. Sony's Blu-ray release of Helix: The Complete Second Season features excellent video and fine audio. Supplements are unsurprisingly limited. Recommended with season one on the very cheap.
Special Edition
1951
2016
2001
Includes "The Invisible Boy" on SD
1956
2008
40th Anniversary Edition
1977
Ultimate Collector's Edition
1989
2015
2009-2010
U.F.O.
2012
2019
2000
1997
2015
2021
2010
2007
2018
Warner Archive Collection
2020
2016