8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Legion, based on the Marvel Comics by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, is the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens), a troubled young man who may be more than human.
Starring: Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Bill Irwin, Jeremie HarrisComic book | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 34% |
Surreal | 16% |
Supernatural | 11% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
American Gods: Season 1 emerged as probably my favorite new television series I reviewed in 2017, but with the relatively recent rather odd mass exodus of several cast and crew from the show (including co-star Gillian Anderson and perhaps most troublingly co-developers and co-showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green), it remains to be seen if the series’ sophomore season will match its first. There’s another Bryan, namely Bryan Singer, serving as Executive Producer of the first season of Legion, though his name has recently been removed from the show in the wake of sexual harassment allegations that have plagued him. In this case, however, the show’s creative impetus probably won’t be derailed since Legion is very much the creation of Noah Hawley, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite so-called “multi hyphenates” in the world of television, after having shepherded Fargo to the small screen. Much like American Gods, Legion traffics in near hallucinatory imagery a lot of the time, though in this case it’s due to supposed “point of view” perspectives of focal character David Haller (Dan Stevens), a man who has had a history of institutionalization due to supposed erratic behavior and at least one suicide attempt. The series is deliberately off kilter from the get go, depicting David’s fractured state of mind after having spent many years in a facility called Clockworks, a place where (like many patients with mental illness) he’s been heavily drugged. The story refracts through several timeframes and incidents in the early going, making the narrative intentionally manic, though by the second episode things start to calm down enough (at least relatively speaking) that at least broad outlines can begin to be discerned. It turns out (as any fan of Marvel Comics will already know) that David is in fact not insane, but is a mutant (i.e., he's one of the X-Men), one whose powers have been perceived as an “illness” by the supposedly normal people surrounding him.
Legion: The Complete Season One is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer largely in 1.78:1, though with some interstitial sequences in 2.38:1 (see screenshots 21-23 for what the wider aspect ratio looks like). I frankly didn't quite get the change in aspect ratio, though it's handled very artfully (typically with a slow "slide" back and forth), though it seems like the wider ratio is designed to indicate we're experiencing a memory or quasi-reality (though even this isn't that consistent, at least in my understanding). Though digitally captured with Arri Alexa Minis (according to the IMDb), the imagery has been significantly tweaked at times, including with the addition of digital grain, giving it a rather nicely thick and textured appearance. There's intentional softness, even gauziness, on display, including lustrous backlit shots of Syd (see screenshot 2) where effulgent glows tend to eradicate at least a bit of fine detail. On the whole, though, this transfer boasts excellent detail levels and a very appealing looking palette, one that isn't always "natural" (due to David's deteriorated psyche) but which is typically quite varied looking. As is usually the case with Fox Blu-ray releases, there are no problems with compression hurdles or image instability.
Legion: The Complete Season One features a really nicely immersive and at times even spooky sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. David's "inner voices" tend to populate the surrounds with sibilant whispering that's quite effective, and other scenes, as in the calamitous breakout from the Division III interrogation site, offer potent bursts of LFE courtesy of gunfire and explosions. There's consistent directionality with regard to effects and even dialogue. Fidelity is fine across the board and dynamic range is very wide. There is at least one curious case of censorship where an expletive has been deleted, a kind of odd decision for a Blu-ray release that may indicate someone simply ported over a broadcast track without thinking about it.
- Uncanny Romance (1080p; 3:09) looks at the relationship between David and Syd.
- Production Design (1080p; 2:38) is a brief overview of the show's rather interesting combination of styles and eras.
- Powers (1080p; 2:39) is another brief piece focusing on some of the mutants' abilities.
- Make Up (Making the Devil With the Yellow Eyes) (1080p; 3:00) is an interesting (if again brief) look at crafting one of the recurring visions David experiences.
- Visual Effects (1080p; 2:34) features John Ross, Visual Effects Supervisor.
- Costume Design (1080p; 2:58) features Carol Case, Costume Designer.
- Locations (1080p; 2:24) has Hawley talking about being deliberately obfuscatory in trying not to identify where this is all happening.
Legion is a rare show that combines a really impressive stylistic approach with a story that regularly provides excitement and intrigue. Stevens is fun in a role that requires him to be rather confused quite a bit of the time, and the supporting cast is colorful and varied. Technical merits are first rate, and Legion: The Complete Season One comes Highly recommended.
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