Naomi: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Naomi: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Naomi – The Complete Series explores the DC television universe in a new and exciting way. Created for television by Jill Blankenship (Arrow, The Last Ship) and Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar), with Blankenship and DuVernay serving as executive producers alongside Paul Garnes, Naomi is an adventurous series. Based on characters created for DC by Brian Michael Bendis, the series shakes up the DC ecosystem for something new and unique.

Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) might seem like an ordinary girl at first glance. Outsiders who know nothing about Naomi – or her inner struggles – would see nothing out of the ordinary. Yet this is certainly far from reality and Naomi has a bigger role in the universe than anyone else may have expected.

Naomi is a stronger person than some would believe and she has an unexpected destiny. Tossed in to the multiverse herself, Naomi demonstrates some skills recalling an assortment of past heroes. Can Naomi be the hero the entire world needs?

The series finds its voice and success through its star. Actress Kaci Walfall is the heart of the program. Without Walfall and her dedication to her role, Naomi is a program that wouldn’t be as successful. Providing the series with a unique voice, the star elevates the material and showcases a balance between the dramatic side of the production – the core of the character-centric storytelling – and dramatic elements intertwined with action-packed excitement.

The series features superb costumes by Kairo Courts (Atlanta, Raising Dion). The production looks savvy and sophisticated for a DC television offering. Courts created a number of impressive costume designs highlighting the characters and their personalities. These unique offerings provide a different tone for Naomi that is more original than may television series.

The Naomi production is noteworthy as well. The production design by Rika Nakanishi (Black Is King, First Kill) certainly showcases the city landscapes of the series. Even something as mundane as a big party becomes more interesting in how the series showcases the setting while allowing for these characters to shine.

Though there can be no denying that television lacks the same big-budget atmosphere and success that DC feature-films exhibit, Naomi still finds success. While it finds this success with a smaller screen and a lower production budget, the results are still decent. Imperfect, perhaps, but that is to be expected from a DC television series and fans can’t win every check box when dealing with television productions. (This is something even Marvel television series struggle with.)

The art direction by Lauren Coghlan (Willy’s Wonderland, Single Drunk Female) makes a solid impression and provides some extra intricacies to the series. For a comic book series, the art direction is of vital importance to the series success. The art direction must make the worldbuilding larger-than-life: showcasing a vibrant world that audiences can become lost in.

The cinematography by Cliff Charles (First Kill, Cloak & Dagger) is one of the most charming elements of Naomi. The visual style on display through the cinematographic lens of Charles is something that adds character to the production. The visuals are often bright, energized, and fun. The results add some exceptional beauty to the series and make it easier for audiences to enjoy the unique lore.

The score composed by Amanda Delores Patricia Jones (Adventure Time: Distant Lands, American Horror Stories) is fantastic fun and certainly has a strong creative spirit. Composer Jones adds a sense of fun wonderment to the adventure. The music provides a great backdrop to the character moments and thrilling action scenes. A DC television series needs a solid music landscape to build from and this is certainly a worthwhile addition to the DC universe.

Written by Jill Blankenship (Arrow, The Last Ship), Naomi is a DC series unlike any other. The series story attempts something new and it doesn’t simply follow the standard tropes or expectations of the genre. The unique voice of the series provides Naomi with a more compelling storytelling approach and the series has a more diverse and multifaceted heart as well – something that can be attributed, in part, because of Blankenship and her showrunning.

Directed by DeMane Davis (How to Get Away with Murder, Queen Sugar), Naomi is a surprisingly creative series. Though it provides good entertainment value and excitement – standard tropes audiences expect from DC lore – the production also has some dramatic heft as well. Director Davis shepherds the production as the chief director and made Naomi all the more uniquely compelling in the DC television landscape.

Naomi: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Warner Bros., Naomi is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation from distributor Warner Bros. is remarkably impressive. The Blu-ray release has a top-notch video presentation with an impressive degree of detail and depth to the encode. The encoding is worthwhile and capably handles the action sequences.

The release only has some slight drawbacks. I did notice some mild banding in a few scenes but these moments are fleeting and the average viewer wouldn't even notice or be distracted (as the banding isn't that severe). Nonetheless, I will note that there was some slight imperfections present – even if it doesn't seem that significant when the other positive attributes of the release are significantly more impressive.

The color reproduction is excellent as well and manages to help the experience succeed. Fans of Naomi will be pleased with the fact that the robust presentation excels on the whole. It is always a joy to see a well-encoded Blu-ray presentation – the format is still infinitely superior to the world of streaming (with significantly lower bit-rates). Bit-rates remain one of the best selling points of the Blu-ray format, with significantly better encoding rates.

Naomi: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The high resolution audio encoding sounds crisp and engaging. Dialogue sounds remarkably clear and detailed during the audio presentation. The soundtrack is engaging and the original score sounds bright and crisp with the audio encoding. The surrounds are actively engaged and the soundstage is fun and lively. The results are quite fun, charming, and worthwhile.

Naomi: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, Naomi has a small supplemental package and it isn't as in depth as audiences may be hoping to find. The release includes approximately twenty minutes of additional material and it isn't anything exemplary. Something more in depth would have been appreciated by die-hard fans even though there is nothing too surprising about a short supplemental package for a short lived series.

Naomi: From Page to Screen (HD, 7:59) explores the television series leap from page to DC production.

A Hero Will Rise: Kaci Walfall (HD, 5:40) focuses on the tale of a hero in the making.

The Adaptation of a Hero (HD, 5:50) explores how the adaptation came together.

Georgia Filmworks (HD, 3:02)

Naomi: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Naomi is a creative and energetic DC television series. The production has some outstanding merits with worthwhile cinematography and fantastic production design elements highlighting the comic book world. At the heart of the series success is the charming lead performance by star Kaci Walfall. With an abundance of charm, Walfall leads the series forward. Showrunner Jill Blankenship (Arrow) understands the audience for DC comic book productions and imbues the series with the right ingredients.

The Blu-ray release has an excellent video and audio presentation. The video quality has bit-rates superior to streaming services. The audio features high-resolution lossless sound. The release includes a small selection of bonus features. Naomi fans who want to own the series with the best presentation quality be will pleased with the worthwhile release from distributor Warner Bros. Fans will be pleased knowing it surpasses streaming options and will provide them with a permanent copy to put on their shelf. Recommended.