6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Sci-Fi | 100% |
Comic book | 86% |
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
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Would The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series have been as successful as it was without the presence of Rod Serling bookending each episode, first via narration and then subsequently actually on screen? While the writing was almost always superb throughout the several seasons of the series, there were certainly peaks and valleys, and of course Serling did not script the entire run of the show. But his clipped, oddly cadenced, idiolect became part of the national consciousness throughout that run, and Serling became, intentionally or otherwise, the unifying principle knitting the entire series together. By way of contrast, look at the somewhat similar The Outer Limits, which had to make do with an omnipresent narrator and Dominic Frontiere’s memorable theme music in order to create some semblance of an organic whole. It’s notable that The Outer Limits barely scraped through two seasons, while The Twilight Zone managed to hold on for five, at least some of which is probably attributable to Serling’s presence. Even other hosted fantasy-horror-science fiction anthologies like One Step Beyond and Thriller admittedly couldn’t match The Twilight Zone’s staying power, so there is probably only so far a winning anchor figure can take a show. But what about an anthology whose unifying “figure” is not in fact a host, or a narrator (or even an evocative music score), but the remnants of an exploded planet? That’s the conceit behind the fitfully entertaining French series (in English, it should be noted, though some optional French language episodes are included as supplements) Métal Hurlant Chronicles, culled from the legendary annals of the eponymous French fantasy magazine which matriculated stateside many years ago as Heavy Metal. Heavy Metal of course has had its own fleeting relationship with film and/or video fame, with both Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000 attempting to cash in on a ready built audience who had been collecting the magazine for untold years. (A third feature entitled War of The Worlds: Goliath has a tangential relationship to the magazine, as well as to H.G. Wells’ classic tale of an alien invasion.) A number of rather iconic filmmakers have announced various Heavy Metal projects through the years, with none of them ultimately coming to fruition. Métal Hurlant Chronicles features a dozen brief episodes culled from the pages of the magazine, and as might be expected there are (as in the aforementioned case of The Twilight Zone), peaks and valleys.
Métal Hurlant Chronicles is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. According to the IMDb, Métal Hurlant Chronicles was digitally shot with Red Epic and Red One cameras, and it boasts a generally impeccably sharp and well detailed image. Many (in fact probably most) episodes have undergone various bouts with color grading, with some episodes offering elements that are virtually desaturated (see screenshot 1), and others offering more traditional sci-fi ambiences courtesy of being bathed in a deep cobalt blue. Despite these gambits, detail and fine detail are more often than not excellent, and in some cases superb. A lot of the CGI and other special effects work is pretty soft looking, and at times kind of shoddy, as if it had been rushed in post production (see screenshots 13 and 16 for just two examples). There is some minor banding on display in the lightest gradients, but otherwise this is a problem free presentation which should please the series' fans.
Métal Hurlant Chronicles' lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is often nicely immersive, even bombastic, but there are occasional odd prioritization issues that tend to bury dialogue, or at least to foist foley and other sound effects to the foreground, at times creating a bit of sonic clutter. That said, taken as a whole, the series offers excellent fidelity, a really fulsome low end (especially in episodes that offer chances to show off LFE), and commendable dynamic range.
Disc One:
- King's Crown (1080p; 23:45)
- Shelter Me (1080p; 9:20) comes with a big "spoiler alert" warning.
- Scott Adkins (1080p; 9:53)
- Darren Shahlavi (1080p; 4:05)
- Matt Mullens (1080p; 7:13)
- Whiskey in the Jar (1080p; 7:32)
- The Endomorphe (1080p; 16:01)
- Loyal Khondor (1080p; 15:40)
- Second Chance (1080p; 10:27)
- Back to Reality (1080p; 7:20)
Note: All of the above episodes feature optional English subtitles.- Red Light/Cold Hard Facts (1080p; 22:39)
- The Last Khondor (1080p; 28:23)
- The Second Son (1080p; 25:52)
- Back to Reality (1080p; 25:04)
- King's Crown (1080p; 4:36)
- Shelter Me (1080p; 4:36)
- Red Light (1080p; 4:36)
- Cold Hard Facts (1080p; 4:36)
- Three on a Match (1080p; 4:36)
- Master of Destiny (1080p; 4:37)
- Pledge of Anya (1080p; 4:37)
- Whiskey in the Jar (1080p; 4:35)
- The Endomorphe (1080p; 4:36)
- Loyal Khondor (1080p; 4:36)
- Second Chance (1080p; 4:36)
- Second Son (1080p; 4:36)
- Back to Reality (1080p; 4:36)
Métal Hurlant Chronicles is a bit of a roller coaster ride, quality (and "twist") wise, but when taken as a whole there's probably enough here to keep most science fiction fans relatively engaged. The series might have done better to have followed Rod Serling's approach with Night Gallery instead, where several shorter segments typically comprised any given episode. Technical merits are generally very strong, the supplemental package is also good, and Métal Hurlant Chronicles comes Recommended.
2011
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