Lethal Weapon: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Lethal Weapon: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

I'm Too Old for This Reboot

I suspect my reaction was a typical one when I heard that Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon films were being rebooted as a weekly TV series: It'll never work. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover so indelibly defined the characters of LAPD detective Riggs and Murtaugh that no one could possibly follow their act.

But after watching the eighteen episodes of Lethal Weapon's debut season, I have to admit that I was wrong, or at least wrong enough to keep watching. Series creator Matt Miller, a veteran of Chuck and Las Vegas (among others), latched onto what was smart and original about Shane Black's initial Lethal Weapon script, then deftly reinvented it for the weekly one-hour format. Black's clever notion was to endow each half of his buddy cop pairing with a fully developed character and back story before they were forced by their bosses to team up—and then to let those narratives continue to evolve as the two partners went about the business of law enforcement. Riggs and Murtaugh are as much the story of the Lethal Weapon films as the crimes they investigate. By starting them on opposing trajectories, with Riggs wanting to die and Murtaugh eager to live, Black built drama into the relationship itself.

Miller has done the same thing with his version of Riggs and Murtaugh, but with multiple tweaks to update the stories and provide openings for future plot developments. His Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford) is still a skilled combat veteran—a former Navy SEAL, as compared to Gibson's Special Forces vet—but in this version he's a Texan who relocated to L.A. after his wife, Miranda (Floriana Lima), was killed in a car wreck while en route to the hospital to deliver their first child. Miranda was an Angeleno, whose father (Tony Plana) just happens to be the Los Angeles City Attorney, which is how the right strings were pulled to get Riggs placed in the LAPD (and yes, there's more to that story).

The TV version of Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) is still pushing fifty, but he's also recovering from a near-fatal heart attack and bypass surgery. Wife Trish (Keesha Sharp) is now a working woman and, indeed, the family's big earner, with a lucrative law career that supports a sizeable and glamorous house. Trish herself is now pretty glamorous—and professionally ambitious—as opposed to the stoical housewife played by Darlene Love in the films.

Key supporting characters have also been re-imagined. The burly police captain from the movies, whose most memorable line was "I don't give a f*ck!", is now a sleight and far more articulate commander named Avery (Kevin Rahm, Mad Men), who, in a convenient twist, was formerly Murtaugh's partner and remains close to Roger's family. The police psychiatrist mercilessly tormented by Riggs whenever she offered counseling is now a formidable professional named Cahill (Jordana Brewster, retired from the Fast and Furious franchise) with whom Riggs has weekly sessions and whom he comes to regard as a friend, even as he stubbornly refuses to talk about his feelings. Late in the season, we meet the new version of Leo Getz, who is now an ambulance-chasing lawyer (actor Thomas Lennon wisely doesn't try to compete with Joe Pesci's original). And the resident medical examiner, known by the nickname "Scorsese" (Jonathan Fernandez) because he went to film school, joins a long TV crime tradition of eccentric pathologists offering mordant commentary on our heroes and their cases.

What hasn't changed is the basic opposition between Riggs, who cheerfully courts death at every turn (although he has forsworn actual suicide, because Miranda wouldn't approve) and Murtaugh, who daily monitors both his heart rate and his cholesterol intake. Despite Murtaugh's efforts at caution, the pair routinely find themselves in pitched gun battles, demolition derby auto pursuits and perilous altercations with suspects. As he did in the movies, Riggs periodically survives falls from dizzying heights, sometimes taking Murtaugh with him. TV's Lethal Weapon maintains the films' tradition of big-budget stunts; the pilot and one additional episode were directed by McG, who is also an executive producer, and every subsequent episode director seems to be trying to live up to McG's familiar master-of-disaster style (his credits include Charlie's Angels and its sequel). The series is filled with references to Donner's films, including a Christmas episode that opens with a fatal plunge from a top floor apartment onto the roof of a car below, echoing the case that first united Riggs and Murtaugh some thirty years ago.

1. Pilot: Cop and ex-Navy SEAL Martin Riggs relocates to L.A. after the loss of his wife and unborn son to start life anew. There he is partnered with veteran LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh, who has just returned to duty after suffering a near-fatal heart attack. After foiling a bank robbery and solving a drug-related murder, the pair forge a rocky working relationship.



2. Surf N Turf: When Riggs and Murtaugh respond to a noise complaint at a boxer's home, they are drawn into a case involving illegal gun runners and advanced military technology, but Riggs becomes personally invested in the outcome when one of the targets reminds him of his late wife.



3. Best Buds: Riggs and Murtaugh follow a violent case involving a drug cartel, theft, two killings and, unfortunately, Murtaugh's former training officer, who may be involved.



4. There Goes the Neighborhood: A string of burglaries hits close to home for Murtaugh when one occurs in his neighborhood and gets personal for Riggs when another ends in a casualty.



5. Spilt Milk: While Murtaugh delves into the psyche of a former Navy SEAL wanted for criminal activity, Riggs' connection to the suspect threatens to interfere with the case.



6. Ties That Bind: The investigation of a young model's murder leads Riggs and Murtaugh to one of L.A.'s wealthiest families, and Riggs is jolted when an old friend of his wife's is also linked to the case.



7. Fashion Police: Riggs and Murtaugh look into the murder of one of L.A.'s fashion expeditors and discover an underground DEA operation.



8. Can I Get a Witness?: Riggs looks after an 8-year-old boy who witnessed a deadly casino heist, while Murtaugh tries to prove that he's still "a motorcycle guy".



9. Jingle Bell Glock: Holiday celebrations are curtailed by a homicide linked to the deranged nephew of a drug lord who has a history with Riggs. Meanwhile, Riggs recalls past Christmases with his wife; and Murtaugh is annoyed by a neighbor's holiday decorations.



10. Homebodies: While investigating the murder of a "designer drug" dealer, Riggs and Murtaugh are caught in a turf war between a new generation of drug dealers and a Koreatown gang.



11. Lawmen: Murtaugh and Riggs square off with the L.A. Sheriff's department when their investigation into the death of a Texas Ranger leads them to a possible abuse of power. The investigation is complicated by a dark secret from Capt. Avery's past.



12. Brotherly Love: Riggs and Murtaugh investigate the theft of a car containing massive amounts of cocaine from an impound lot—and are brought up short by a brilliant defense attorney: Trish Murtaugh.



13. The Seal Is Broken: While investigating a series of violent crimes targeting members of the same church, Riggs faces a moral dilemma when the one-year anniversary of Miranda's death plunges him to a new low.



14. The Murtaugh File: Dr. Cahill finds herself in the unaccustomed position of being the one who has to answer questions after Riggs and Murtaugh discover that she is being targeted by a stalker. At the same time, Riggs discovers that Murtaugh also has a file in Cahill's office and is determined to learn what's in it.



15. As Good As It Getz: Riggs and Murtaugh must work with DEA Agent Karen Palmer (Hilarie Burton) to protect an attorney linked to the Mexican drug cartel.



16. Unnecessary Roughness: Riggs and Murtaugh are drawn into the world of college sports recruiting while investigating a murder involving a high-school football star who is being aggressively recruited.



17. A Problem Like Maria: Riggs, Murtaugh and Palmer learn about dangerous new cartel operations, but Riggs's attachment to Palmer worries both Capt. Avery and City Attorney Delgado.



18. Commencement: Riggs makes a shocking discovery that leads him on a perilous search for the truth about Miranda's death.

Lethal Weapon: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lethal Weapon was shot digitally (on the Arri Alexa, according to IMDb) by a revolving crew of cinematographers, of which the most frequent was David Moxness (Fringe, among other TV credits). The TV division of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment continues its unfortunate practice of bit-starving its releases, crunching episodes onto as few discs as possible. In the case of Lethal Weapon, the eighteen episodes of Season One have been stuffed onto three BD-50s, six episodes per disc, with a miserly average bitrate hovering between 12 and 13 Mbps. While it's certainly possible to achieve an acceptable image with digitally acquired material at such rates—broadcast and streaming services make do with even less—you'll never achieve the great image that the material deserves and of which Blu-ray is capable. (For examples, look at Sony's TV Blu-rays or those released by WBHE's corporate affiliate, the Warner Archive Collection.)

Still, despite sacrificing the material's finest detail and most refined depth and textures, the Blu-rays do achieve a pleasingly watchable image, replicating the series' colorful imagery with sufficient vividness to convey the multiple locations and classy production design typical of a high-concept TV show, especially one set in L.A. (Where else would TV cops routinely be called to ritzy locations featuring expensive cars, lavish hospitality and the latest in high fashion?) The digital clarity of the original photography covers up a multitude of sins in mastering; the show's richly varied palette keeps the eye entertained; and artifacts are fleeting and minor (mostly light banding). Lethal Weapon looks fine on Blu-ray, though you could probably get just as good an image on Netflix, Amazon or Vudu.

Lethal Weapon: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The news is better on the audio front. Lethal Weapon's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix is a lively and aggressive affair, as befits a TV show with such distinguished ancestry. Gunfire, car crashes (lots of car crashes) and a wide variety of blows, impacts and shatterings are forcefully rendered with broad dynamic range and an immersive presence that uses the entire surround array. Dialogue is clear and appropriately prioritized, and the soundtrack benefits from an imaginatively mixed combination of song selections and music cues from several composers, primarily Tree Adams (The 100).

Lethal Weapon: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no episode commentaries (say, from Miller or McG), and the absence of any feature on the series' elaborate stunts is a missed opportunity.

• Extended Pilot (Uncensored) (disc 1) (1080p; 1.78:1; 47:01): At an additional length of 57 seconds, this "extended" version doesn't add anything of consequence, and despite the "Uncensored" label, the language remains PG-13. Instead of using seamless branching, Warner has supplied this second version in its own separate encode, with lossless audio and an even lower bitrate (averaging around 10 Mbps).



• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 1.78:1): No intertitles or descriptions of the scenes are included.
• Disc 1
• 1. Pilot (4:03)
• 3. Best Buds (1:54)
• 5. Spilt Milk (0:40)
• Disc 2
• 8. Homebodies (3:22)
• 10. Can I Get a Witness? (1:55)
• 11. Lawmen (1:29)
• Disc 3
• 15. As Good as It Getz (1:45)
• 16. Unnecessary Roughness (0:54)
• 17. A Problem Like Maria (1:09)
• 18. Commencement (8:49)



• Reloading Lethal Weapon (disc 3) (1080p; 1.78:1; 15:41): This is the only extra of substance. Actor Jonathan Fernandez ("Scorsese") interviews series creator Matt Miller and executive producer Jennifer Gwartz about the show's conception and the search for the right actors to play Riggs and Murtaugh.



• Gag Reel (disc 3) (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:53): As gag reels go, this one is brief.

Lethal Weapon: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're old enough to remember Damon Wayans as the reckless younger half of an investigative team with Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout (also written by Lethal Weapon writer Shane Black), it's somewhat unnerving to watch him settle so comfortably into the older and more cautious role in this latest incarnation of an iconic buddy cop pairing. It's a credit to Wayans, and also to Clayne Crawford, that they were not only brave enough to step into such oversized shoes, but sufficiently skilled to walk in them gracefully. Lethal Weapon's second season debuts on September 26, 2017, and the story's larger arc has already arrived at a point that the movies didn't reach until the end of the first sequel. After that, the movie narrative got soft and sloppy, with Lethal Weapon III and IV having to work overtime to manufacture drama out of a relationship from which most of the conflict had been rung out. It will be interesting to see whether the TV series' creative team can avoid the same trap. As for the Blu-rays, they're light on extras and bit-starved like all of Warner's non-Archive TV releases, but they're adequate—and, against all expectations, the show is entertaining escapist fun. Recommended.