Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five Blu-ray Movie Review

"...These are their stories."

Reviewed by Justin Dekker October 15, 2024

The landmark twenty-fifth season of 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal, which also, rather surprisingly, marks the franchise's US debut on the format. All thirteen episodes are here spread across three Blu-ray discs. Stars Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T continue to seek justice for the victims of heinous sex-related crimes in the longest-running live-action primetime series in American television history. Neither a slipcover nor a Digital Code are included.

While producer Dick Wolf has been behind a number of successful projects over his lengthy career, for most television viewers his name is most probably synonymous with the Law & Order properties. The original series starred such stalwarts as Sam Waterson (who made his acting debut on Dr. Kildare), and (I say this with all due sincerity) legendary star of stage and screen Jerry Orbach, both of whom lent a considerable amount of gravitas to their weekly procedural efforts. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit stars two actors with, at least to me, more interesting and unconventional origins. Mariska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson) started her professional acting career in 1984's Ghoulies, a film that has always been a favorite and is considered required viewing every October, while Ice-T (Detective Odafin 'Fin' Tutuola), a former rap star, exploded into the national consciousness with his band Body Count's infamous track "Cop Killer" in 1992.

It is this unlikely duo who confront some very dark, demented, and evil crimes each week that have driven the series which began in 1999 to its landmark level of success. At one point during the early goings of the season, in a very self-aware moment, Hargitay's character marvels at the fact that she's been a part of the SVU for twenty-five years, and it's as amazing to her as it no doubt is to viewers. Not for the faint of heart, the SVU's cases are consistently unrelentingly dark and depressing/disturbing sex-related crimes. Humor is in short supply and would be very difficult to inject given the overall tone of the series. Even the principal cast's quieter moments offer little respite with the tendrils of their day jobs worming into their home lives in unexpected ways. As a result, viewers should steel themselves for a relatively grim season. While largely episodic, there is an overarching storyline that provides a manner of connective tissue through all thirteen stories. That particular story dominates the first episode, "Tunnel Blind", and its events impact and influence the attitudes, moods, and actions of Olivia, Fin, and the others of their team in each subsequent episode.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five's 1080p presentation is in line with what those familiar with Universal's of other television offerings would expect. Fine detail levels are typically very high with facial and hair particulars open for inspection. Every curl, every flyaway hair, and virtually every pore is visible in the stars' faces. The same holds true for environmental elements. Textures on surfaces such as concrete, plaster, and wood all present with high levels of realism, and fabrics sport a rich tactile presence as well. Skin tones are universally healthy, and colors are nicely saturated and pleasing with primaries, especially yellows having a nice pop. Black are rich and deep, with crush being only a minor, rare and fleeting issue. I did not detect any other defects or anomolies.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that accompanies Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five is not anything people are going to use to show off their home theater setup, but it is wholly effective in handling the relatively routine and every-day-life voices and sounds that fill this season's episodes. Character-driven by design, dialogue is handled well and without defects or issues. It is front and center focused and properly prioritized. Sound effects like slamming doors as well as musical interludes and underscoring all display an appropriate bass level to add reasonable depth. Other effects like sirens and screams are handled well and without shrillness or distortion. Directionality is satisfying and objects, typically racing vehicles, move smoothly through the soundfield. It's a solid track.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five does not have any on-disc supplemental content, though a useful episode guide is printed on the inside of the cover art.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Series fans and police procedural enthusiasts will find much to enjoy in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season Twenty-Five which arrives on disc just as Season Twenty-Six's episodes are hitting the airwaves. At this stage of the series, Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T understand every aspect of their characters and their performances are convincing and seem effortless. A no-frills release, the episodes are given a very solid video presentation, and the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is more than up to the task of tackling street-level crime and its aftermath. Ideally, more seasons or an eventual complete series boxed set will follow. Recommended.