Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Heroes: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

The good, the bad and the ugly

Reviewed by Ben Williams March 18, 2009

"Heroes" has been an interesting show to follow during the course of its nearly three seasons on network television. Originally created as NBC's response to the popularity of "Lost," the show was a huge ratings success in its initial season, making stars out of the cast members and setting high expectations for the show's second season. Hampered by the departure of many important members of the writing staff, the Writer's Guild strike of 2007-2008, as well as, perhaps, unreasonable expectations from fans, the show has since fallen into decline. What remains is a show that barely resembles itself; a show that has lost its way. The "Heroes Blu-ray Franchise Collection" presents the first two seasons of the show in one package. Within these nine discs, fans can follow the show's banner first year, followed by its disappointing and anti-climactic second season.

I know she's fireproof, but why didn't her clothes burn?

Season 1:

“Heroes” follows the lives of a wide-ranging group of characters that have begun to exhibit special abilities. The story is crafted like a mystery with each episode offering small tidbits of exposition to move the story along. “Heroes” offers characters from just about every walk of life: Claire “The Cheerleader” Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), Hiro “The Japanese Guy” Nakamura (Masi Oka), Peter “The Soft-Hearted Dreamer” Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), Matt “The Cop” Parkman (Greg Grunberg), Sylar “The Psychopath” (Zachary Quinto), Nathan “the Politician” Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar), Niki “The Stripper with Multiple Personalities” Sanders (Ali Larter) and Mohinder “The Scientist” Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy). All of these seemingly unrelated characters are drawn to an impending apocalyptic event in New York City where there special abilities will either save or doom the city.

“Heroes” is, without a doubt, a very complex narrative. Series creator Tim Kring has done a masterful job of weaving a complex array of plotlines into a coherent series that offers something for just about everyone. That’s not to say every element of the show is worthwhile. Take for example the plot involving Niki and her struggle with multiple personalities that take control of her body and go on murderous rampages. I was bored to tears with the whole Niki story. Fortunately, any one thread is represented by only a fraction of each episode. So, as soon as I would grow tired of Niki, the show would move on to something more interesting. I was most interested in the plotlines involving Sylar, Peter and Nathan Petrelli, Claire Bennett and Hiro Nakamura. Clearly, these characters are the center of the show’s universe and every time one of these characters is on screen, the show is infinitely better for it. Peter Petrelli, in particular, is the most compelling of all the heroes. He brings an interesting twist to the show as a character with no ambitions beyond helping others and fulfilling his romantic outlook on life. As the show progresses, Peter undergoes a dramatic change as he slowly awakens to the reality of his abilities. I was also particularly impressed with the story surrounding Isaac Mendez, a painter and comic book artist who has the ability to paint scenes from the future. Isaac’s paintings showing an apocalyptic event in New York help to create a sense of impending doom and add a layer of urgency to the show. Of course, the fact that Isaac is also a heroin addict makes for the kind of subject matter that isn’t often tackled on network television.

Regardless of all the special powers and superhero stories presented in the show, "Heroes" succeeds because the show is so firmly planted in reality. All the major characters are just average people who are faced with extreme situations. This common man mentality helps to make the characters easier to relate to. Unfortunately, the show hasn’t followed this same approach in subsequent seasons, but there is some hope that if "Heroes" can get back to this focus on ordinary people in extraordinary situations, the show will return to form. In the mean time, "Heroes" Season 1 stands as a prime example of what can be achieved when great storytelling is brought to television

Season 2:

Things start slowly for "Heroes" second season, and the introduction of two new characters, Maya and Alejandro (Dania Ramirez, Shalim Ortiz), Central American twins on the run from the law, really bog things down considerably. The problem with these initial episodes is that there doesn’t seem to be any unifying theme behind the various plots of the show. One of the strengths of the first season was in how the interrelation of all the characters became more apparent as the episodes progressed. “Heroes: Season Two” feels disjointed as though the writers were literally looking for a story to magically appear. There are places in the first half-a-dozen or so episodes where some of the actors just appear to be floundering - - as though they aren’t really sure what point they are making or where the story is going. The show also appears to have been effected by severe budgetary constraints. The show’s normally above average special effects are very inconsistent in season two with some shots looking great and others looking like they were slapped together.

Despite these issues, the writers seemed to have found their story in the second half of the shortened season. Things pick up considerably at this point and the writing, acting and over all feel of the show improve greatly. Unfortunately, right about the time the story was really pulling me in, the season was over. The WGA strike ended any hopes of completely salvaging the season. Bearing this in mind, I have to temper my criticism of the show a bit. I can only imagine how difficult it was for writers, producers, actors and special effects artists to focus on their craft with a strike looming on the horizon. I give them credit for stepping up their game in the second half, it’s just too bad that momentum wasn’t able to be carried any further. Somehow, the show’s producers managed to scrape together something of an ending for this final episode, but it just isn’t enough to really end the season on a high note. Ultimately, “Heroes: Season Two” is a missed opportunity. I hope things get back on solid ground for upcoming third season of the show. “Heroes” has the potential to be one of the best shows on television; let’s hope that turns out to be the case.

Heroes: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Season 1:

"Heroes" comes to Blu-ray in a port of the previous HD-DVD version. Video is presented in the show's original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and has been encoded in VC-1 at full 1080p. To say that "Heroes" is something of a disappointment on Blu-ray is a bit of an understatement. The show has a very uneven look to it and features some distracting digital picture anomalies.

There is a huge amount of digital noise present in "Heroes" and it is delivered inconsistently throughout the series. Some scenes look clean and clear while others devolve into a noisy mess. Black levels are also inconsistent with some scenes presenting deep and well-saturated blacks while others are heavily crushed. Skin-tones are also poorly represented with many scenes veering in to orange skin-tones and others looking perfectly natural. The whole presentation of "Heroes: Season 1" is completely inconsistent and frustrating. Given the show's current ratings struggles, I doubt that "Heroes" will be on the slate for a remaster anytime soon, but this Blu-ray set just isn't up to snuff and needs one desperately.

Season 2:

Universal brings "Heroes: Season Two" to Blu-ray in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, utilizing the VC1 compression codec, on a series of 4 BD50 discs. The transfer is a decidedly mixed bag with scenes that appear bright, vivid and colorful while others devolve into a noisy mess. "Heroes: Season Two" looks almost exactly like the recent Blu-ray release of "Heroes: Season One" - - both are problematic at times. This raises a very interesting question: is this a flawed disc or is Blu-ray technology pushing the limits of the filming techniques used for the show?

"Heroes: Season Two" was filmed - - actual 35MM film and Panavision and Arriflex cameras were used for the entire series. Given these specifications, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of grain, but the noise present on this series of discs is a completely different matter. Perhaps the problem lies in the film's transfer to HDCAM masters for the eventual HD broadcasts of the show? It would be impossible to know, without seeing the show's masters first hand, if these discs represent the true artistic vision for the look of the series. Given that we've now seen "Heroes" in both HD DVD and two Blu-ray releases, looking very consistently noisy and inconsistent, I'd have to err on the side of caution that this is how the show is supposed to look. Bearing that in mind, be prepared for a whole lot of noise. Darker scenes swarm off of the screen with an amazing amount of digital hiss filling every dark nook and cranny. Shadow details practically disappear in the ensuing swarm with black levels displaying a significant amount of crush. Color reproduction is also strange. Flesh-tones vary greatly with various characters displaying a wide range of skin tones often within the same scene. Don't get me wrong, some scenes look great. Plenty of bright, outdoor locations are rendered vividly and effectively. There are even some darker scenes in the show that don't display the messy noise of the majority of the series. "Heroes: Season Two" is just very inconsistent. If your goal in watching this series is to pick apart its technical presentation, then there will be plenty for you to gripe about. Otherwise, one gets used to the look of the show after a while. Perhaps that's the point?

Heroes: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Season 1:

Fortunately, "Heroes" fares much better in the sound department than it does on video. Presented in DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1, the show is actually a surprisingly active sound presentation for a television show. I'd like to commend Universal for opting to include a lossless soundtrack on television title. Other studios make the mistake of skipping this crucial step in high definition media with their television releases and this release proves that lossless sound is just as vital for TV material as it is for theatrical releases.

In spite of its superhero and action plot, "Heroes" is a surprisingly talky show. There's a wealth of great dialogue in the series and the DTS HD-Master Audio track does an amazing job of accurately presenting all the speechified exposition that drives the series. Of course, the show has its fair share of action scenes that pointedly take advantage of the surround channels and fill the room with an abundance of atmosphere and directional information. It's an impressive mix and stands as proof that television soundtracks don't have to be boring.

Season 2:

On the audio side, Universal has taken the high road, giving "Heroes: Season Two" the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio treatment. I have to give kudos to Universal for making a point of delivering lossless audio on all of their releases thus far. Other studios have made the mistake of delivering television content with a simple Dolby Digital track. Just because television is limited by broadcast standards doesn't necessarily mean that studios shouldn't strive for the highest quality possible on their Blu-ray releases.

"Heroes: Season Two" isn't the most lively mix ever created. Much of the show is dialogue driven with a whole lot of character exposition and the occasional action sequence. When action does occur, the mix is effectively ambient with an occasional splash of rear directional surround activity. Dialogue is generally restricted to the center channel without a lot of movement through the front of the sound stage. With that being said, dialogue is crisp and easy to decipher. The show's soundtrack is also nicely represented and even gets the occasional surround flourish. "Heroes: Season Two" easily sounds better than in its broadcast form, so the inclusion of the DTS-HD Master Audio track has definitely paid off.

Heroes: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Season 1:

Universal has graced this Blu-ray edition of "Heroes: Season 1" with a wealth of special features that includes everything from episode specific commentaries to detailed behind the scenes documentaries and BD-Live content.

Here's what's included:

Disc 1:
-Artwork Presentation
-Hero Connections
-73-Minute Premiere Episode with Audio Commentary by Show Creator Tim Kring
-Making Of
-Special Effects
-The Stunts
-Profile of Artist Tim Sale
-The Score
-Deleted Scenes

Disc 2:
-Artwork Presentation
-Hero Connections
-Deleted Scenes

Disc 3:
-Artwork Presentation
-Hero Connections
-PIP Cast Video Commentaries
-Deleted Scenes

Disc 4:
-Artwork Presentation
-Hero Connections
-PIP Cast Video Commentaries
-Deleted Scenes

Disc 5:
-Artwork Presentation
-Hero Connections
-PIP Cast Video Commentaries
-Deleted Scenes

While "Heroes" features a large amount of supplemental material, much of it is of lackluster quality. The ubiquitous deleted scenes and video commentaries on each disc do flesh out the material a bit, but don't really provide much more than a cursory overview of each episode with a bit of light banter thrown in. I wasn't terribly impressed. The features worth your time include the 73-minute unaired pilot episode as well as the documentary related to the show's outstanding score. The unaired pilot episode is an interesting piece of "Heroes" history as it presents many of the same events that appeared in the actual premier episode with a surprising additional plotline. It's an interesting example of how a show can change dramatically before it ever hits the airwaves. The artwork presentations are also worthwhile in that they allow the viewer to linger over the show's fantastic comic book inspired artwork. All told, I wasn't terribly impressed with the extras on the "Heroes: Season 1" Blu-ray. Quantity, in this case, definitely doesn't trump quality.

Season 2:

Universal has gone to the extreme with the sheer volume of special features included with this Blu-ray release of "Heroes: Season Two". Not being merely satisfied with the traditional audio commentary, Universal has included eleven picture-in-picture commentaries that take advantage of Blu-ray's Bonus View capabilities. In addition, a whole slew of behind the scenes featurettes and documentaries have been added to the mix.

Here's what's included:

- Picture in Picture Cast and Crew Commentaries - Kicking off the extensive list of special features are the eleven episode specific picture in picture commentary tracks. There's one here for each episode and they all feature a combination of actors and various members of the production team. The two commentaries featuring series creator Tim Kring seem to be the best of the bunch as he goes into a great bit of depth on the themes of the series. Actor Greg Grunberg is also consistently entertaining. He's obviously very passionate about the show. Whatever your favorite element of "Heroes" happens to be, you're bound to find something of interest in these extensive tracks.
The commentary tracks included are as follows:

· "Four Months Later" with Creator/Executive Producer Tim Kring, Co-Executive Producer Jeph Loeb and Series Star Jack Coleman.
· "Lizards" with Executive Producer Allan Arkush, Series Star Greg Grunberg and Co-Executive Producer Michael Green.
· "Kindred" with Episode Director Paul Edwards, Co-Executive Producer JJ Philbin and Series Star Zachary Quinto.
· "The Kindness of Strangers" with Creator/Executive Producer Tim Kring and Series Stars Dana Davis & Adrian Pasdar.
· "Fight or Flight" with Series Star Greg Grunberg and Executive Producer Greg Beeman.
· "The Line" with Co-Executive Producers Adam Armus & Kay Foster and Series Star Jack Coleman.
· "Out of Time" with Episode Director Daniel Attias and Series Star Masi Oka.
· "Four Month" Ago… with Series Star Milo Ventimielia and Executive Producer Greg Beeman.
· "Cautionary Tales" with Episode Director Greg Yaitanes and Series Stars Kristen Bell & Ashley Crow.
· "Truth & Consequences" with Episode Director Adam Kane and Series Star Stephen Tobolowsky.
· "Powerless" with Executive Producer Allan Arkush and Composers Lisa Coleman & Wendy Melvoin.

The remaining interactive features and featurettes focus primarily on behind the scenes documentaries, character and cast biographies as well as a few throwaway clips. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of the deleted scenes - - they were obviously cut for a reason. More importantly, with so much in-depth information being presented with the visual commentaries, I felt that the majority of the bonus content was redundant. Sure, there are a few lighthearted moments that some viewers will enjoy, but on the whole, these features tend to be repetitive and a little tiring! Universal does deserve praise, however, for making such a massive effort to deliver extra features with this release.

The remaining supplements include:

- Hero Connections
- Heroes Season Two: A New Beginning
- Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint
- Genetics of a Scene
- Maya and Alejandro Run from the Police
- The anatomy of the Cherry Blossom Sword Fight Scenes
- Exploding Man
- The Loft
- The Drucker Files
- Alternate ending
- NBC.com Featurettes
- Hotel Corinthian Explosion
- Maya Y Alejandro Viral Video
- Nathan and Peter Brooklyn Cam
- Deleted Scenes

Heroes: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Heroes" has been one of the greatest television disappointments in recent years. What started out as a remarkably entertaining and novel show, has since devolved into a shadow of its former greatness. Season 1 remains entirely watchable with its focus on character development and unconventional storytelling. Season 2, however, was the beginning of the show's slide into ridiculousness. Universal has presented Blu-ray buyers with an uneven series of releases with the "Heroes Blu-ray Franchise Collection." Picture quality is less than perfect, while audio is consistent and enjoyable. Fans of supplementary features will need days, if not weeks, to properly digest the tremendous number of extras. I recommend this set primarily on the strength of the first season; season 2 remains a disappointment. If the show's current season can salvage this once great show, perhaps this set will be just what the doctor ordered for following the series' many plot developments. Otherwise, this one is probably for fans only.