7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 2.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A satirical look at three different families and the trials they face in each of their own uniquely comedic ways.
Starring: Ed O'Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler FergusonComedy | 100% |
Family | 65% |
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, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
For a barometer of America’s cultural climate, look no further than the network TV sitcom, which, for decades, has served as a telltale indicator of the country’s attitudes on family life, relationships, accepted morality, and social norms. Leave it to Beaver was like an advertisement for quaint 1950s domesticity. By the late 1960s, The Brady Bunch tackled the then-novel concept of the blended family. In the ‘70s, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H, and All in the Family—along with its many spin-offs—addressed social issues and rapidly changing values. The Cosby Show gave us a positive example of an African-American family in the 1980s, while Roseanne, Married with Children, and The Simpsons plumbed the darkly comic depths of dysfunction. Seinfeld and Friends showed the lovelorn, sex-obsessed lives of singles at the end of the 20th century, and at the beginning of the millennium, the nation’s collective self-awareness was reflected in Arrested Development and The Office. But what of the newborn 2010s? A prime contender for America’s next looking glass is Modern Family, a half-hour comedy that shows the country for what it is—complicated, diverse, but still, in many ways, surprisingly traditional.
Shooting your kid with a pellet gun...better or worse than spanking?
Shot natively on high definition video, Modern Family makes the transition to Blu-ray easily, with 1080p/AVC-encoded transfers that look sharper, cleaner, and less prone to the banding/macroblocking compression quibbles you get with broadcast TV. Color is realistic and vibrant, with consistently balanced skin tones and rich primaries—see Fizbo the Clown's multi-hued outfit, Cam's flamboyant paisley shirts, or the lush tones of the Hawaii episode. Black levels are deep and defining, and contrast is right on the mark, giving the picture a strong sense of presence. Clarity is no slouch either; the handheld camerawork means there are occasional soft shots, but most of the time the image is crisp and resolved, letting us make out fine facial features and wardrobe details. You'd really have to nitpick to find complaints about the show's presentation—highlights are occasionally overblown, especially on brightly colored objects, and there are a few instances of mild banding. Like I said, though, mere nitpicks. Overall, the show looks fantastic.
You should know by now exactly what you're getting, audio-wise, with a family sitcom—a dialogue-driven, front-heavy experience that only occasionally calls on the rear speakers for ambience and cross-channel effects. That's exactly what we get with the show's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround presentation. With expectations tempered accordingly, there's no reason at all to be disappointed here. The dialogue is unfailingly clear and balanced throughout the season, from hushed whispers to frantic yelling. The surround speakers don't get much play beyond extremely quiet environmental effects and the rare pan—like Jay's model airplane puttering through the space behind our heads—but this is no big deal. Modern Family isn't Iron Man 2. The incidental music sounds decent—full and vibrant—but I'll warn you, the track that plays over the menu on each disc gets old really fast.
Deleted, Extended & Alternate Scenes (1080p, 14:54, 20:45, and 9:24)
Each disc contains several scenes that were trimmed for time but are no less funny that what made it on air.
Deleted Family Interviews (1080p, 8:51 and 1:36)
Likewise, here we get more family confessionals.
Gag Reel (1080p, 5:41)
You know the drill—flubbed lines and crack ups.
Real Modern Family Moments (1080p, 10:25)
The show's creators/writers talk about the real-life incidents that inspired many of the moments on the show.
Before Modern Family (1080p, 12:53)
Each cast member gets a chance to explain what he/she was up to before being cast on Modern Family.
Fizbo the Clown (1080p, 4:13)
Eric Stonestreet tells us how the Fizbo character he created as a child got incorporated into an episode of the show.
The Making of Modern Family: Family Portrait (1080p, 9:15)
A quick production documentary of the season finale.
Modern Family: Hawaii (1080p, 5:19)
A profile of the special vacation episode that was shot on location in Hawaii.
Will Modern Family eventually become the sitcom that defines the 2010s? Only time will tell, of course, but the show is definitely off to a great start—it's funny, relevant, smartly written, and perfectly cast. There's also a lot to love about this Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox, which features a strong audio/video presentation and a good selection of bonus features. Modern Family earns my Ty Burrell-as-Tom Selleck thumbs up!
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