8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
An ex-CIA hitman and a scientist team up to prevent crimes before they happen.
Starring: Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Kevin Chapman, Amy Acker, Taraji P. HensonAction | 100% |
Mystery | 95% |
Crime | 68% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
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
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese only available on Japanese menu settings
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Ten-disc set (4 BDs, 6 DVDs)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
You are being watched. The government has a secret system; a machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I know because I built it. I designed the machine to detect acts of terror, but it sees everything. Violent crimes involving ordinary people. People like you. Crimes the government considered irrelevant. They wouldn't act... so I decided I would. But I needed a partner. Someone with the skills to intervene. Hunted by the authorities, we work in secret. You will never find us. But, victim or perpetrator, if your number's up, we'll find you.
The mastermind behind the secret government surveillance tech is wealthy recluse Harold Finch (Lost's Michael Emerson), and his machine doesn't just see everything, it has predictive capabilities too. (Think Minority Report minus the bathtubbed precogs.) His partner is John Reese (Jim Caviezel), a highly skilled CIA field agent who, despite his best attempts, has a difficult time uncovering information about his new boss, Mr. Finch. It's a shaky relationship to be sure, but it's also an efficient one. Finch monitors the machine and analyzes its data feeds, working to identify crimes before they occur, while Reese handles the heavy lifting, relying on his training and expertise to get the job done. Their efforts naturally attract the attention of the New York City police -- detectives like no-nonsense single mother Joss Carter (Taraji P. Henson) and Finch's man-inside-the-NYPD, Lionel Fusco (Kevin Chapman) -- a potential threat Finch and Reese use to their advantage. But while the operations they carry out are as small and far off the grid as Finch can push them, it isn't long before the unlikely duo are forced to contend with even greater threats; among them the HR, a gang of corrupt cops allying themselves with the mob. Veni vidi vici.
I am zee Batman...
It doesn't get much better than Person of Interest's slick 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. In fact, it's easier to rattle off what's wrong -- or rather what might catch casual viewers off guard -- than to plow through everything Warner's encode gets so, so right. Yes, the series is peppered with grainy, sometimes blocky standard definition security and traffic camera footage, but it's so ingrained in the fabric of the show that the low-fi feeds shouldn't distract anyone. It's all a part of the game. The only issues of note -- a bit of ringing here, a bit of unsightly noise there -- are so negligible and easily dismissed that docking the first season's video score even a half-point didn't cross my mind. Scene after scene, episode after episode, the presentation delivers, and then some. Colors range from subdued to stylized but are always in keeping with the showrunners' intentions and the tone of the show; primaries pack punch whenever given the opportunity; skintones, though sometimes chilly or a touch jaundiced, remain nicely saturated and relatively natural; black levels are deep and inky, regardless of lighting; and contrast boasts a remarkable vitality and consistency at all times. Detail is outstanding too. Soft shots are a rarity; problematic shots even more so. Fine textures are crisp and well-resolved, closeups are quite revealing, edges are clean and refined, delineation is excellent, and the graininess of the image doesn't pose a problem. The encode itself is terrific too, without any serious artifacting, banding, aliasing or crush spoiling the top-notch experience. "Perfect" may be too hyperbolic, but Person of Interest's video presentation comes close enough to warrant the highest of marks.
Warner's hard-hitting DTS-HD Master Audio track is a 360° action-packed blast that grounds every square inch of Nolan's surveillance state in pulse-pounding reality (even when that reality is heightened). The streets of New York are brisk, bustling and busy, brimming with people on the go, bumper to bumper traffic, and the comings and goings of tourists and locals trying to make their way through the gridlock. Rear speaker activity is decisive and convincing, commanding attention regardless of how quiet or chaotic a scene may be. Directionality is precise and exhilarating, pans are perfectly transparent, acoustics are persuasive, and ambient effects seem to creep in from every angle. LFE output follows suit, grabbing hold of any action beat, shootout, explosion or passing train. Dynamics are outstanding, and not just because every pin drop and gunshot are given so much room to work. Dialogue, whether whispered, delivered with menace or shouted in panic is crisp, clear and intelligible without exception, and every last nuance in the series' sound design is smartly prioritized. All the while, the soundfield remains full and fierce, showing restraint when tension is mounting, intensity when a threat is fast approaching, and authority when all hell breaks loose. Person of Interest's lossless track is as impressive as its video encode, making its AV presentation an engrossing experience from start to finish.
Alright, the Combo Pack has officially begun to parody itself. Person of Interest: The Complete First Season comes packaged in a beefy, one-inch thick Blu-ray keepcase that holds a whopping ten discs; one disc on the inside of the front cover, one disc on the inside of the back cover, and four inner flip trays (with flimsy hinges) that hold two discs each. "But wait, Ken," you might say. "The first season's Blu-ray release only includes four BD-50 discs." And you'd be correct. It also includes six DVDs. If that strikes you as more bang, or even more convenience, for your high definition buck, I have to ask: at what cost? How much of the 10-disc set's pricepoint is designed to cover six DVDs? A few dollars? Less? More? And how many people will simply hand those DVDs off to a friend or colleague, thus depriving Warner Bros. of an additional Person of Interest sale? Is that the idea? Or is that some strange form of inadvertent studio-sponsored piracy? I'm sure someone will chalk it up to expanding the series' fanbase, but again, that comes at a cost to you, the individual consumer. Someone else will chalk it up to a desire to offer current fans more viewing options, among them an UltraViolet download of the entire season. But the result? When you buy The Complete First Season (which, let me clear, you should), you're buying three copies instead of one (which has nothing to do with convenience or options and everything to do with shrewd pricing), taking up more shelf space, and dealing with an over-stuffed case sure to crack, snap and chip as it's used. If the goal is to increase sales and the perceived value of television product, this isn't the way to do it.
The inclusion of ten discs is even more comical when you consider the bulky set's supplemental package, which includes little more than an extended pilot, two pilot commentaries, a short featurette and a gag reel. Rant concluded.
Person of Interest excels in almost every regard. When it doesn't, it either comes up with a solution on the spot or lays the groundwork for better things to come. As is the case with any accomplished television showrunner, you can almost sense Nolan narrowing his gaze and whispering, "next season," when something strikes him inadequate or under-realized. And while the cast is a bit of a work in progress itself, it's an exciting work in progress. Yes, Emerson upstages Caviezel. Yes, Henson is out of her league. And yes, the familiar character actors who pop up for an episode or two walk away with the juiciest bits. (Enrico Colantoni, for one.) But Emerson and Caviezel are quickly becoming a television duo to watch and, more importantly, a team-up worth watching. If the show's scripts, action and intrigue continue to improve as well, Person of Interest will soon be more than an addiction. It'll be one of TV's must-see series. Warner's Blu-ray release is terrific too... once you get past its ten discs (four BD, six DVD), overstuffed case and anemic supplemental package. Note how quickly your complaints dissipate after sliding in the first disc. With a near-perfect, if not downright perfect AV presentation, Person of Interest: The Complete First Season easily justifies the price of admission. Nab this one today, barrel through its twenty-three episodes, add the series to your DVR, and catch the show's second season as it unfolds this fall.
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