7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
From Executive Producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and show creator Courtney Kemp Agboh (The Good Wife) comes Power, a visionary crime drama set in two different worlds: the glamorous New York club scene and the brutal streets of the drug trade. James "Ghost" St. Patrick has it all: a beautiful wife, a gorgeous Manhattan penthouse, and the hottest, up-and-coming new nightclub in New York. His club, Truth, caters to the elite: the famous and infamous boldface names that run the city that never sleeps. As its success grows, so do Ghost's plans to build an empire. However, Truth hides an ugly reality. It's a front for Ghost's criminal underworld; a lucrative drug network, serving only the wealthy and powerful. As Ghost is seduced by the prospect of a legitimate life, everything precious to him becomes unknowingly threatened. Once you're in, can you ever get out?
Starring: Omari Hardwick, Lela Loren, Naturi Naughton, Joseph Sikora, Shane JohnsonCrime | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The adult-oriented drama TV market seems teetering on a breaking point with, it seems, as many shows covering as many angles as there are junk reality programs scattered all over a bunch of networks nobody has ever heard of. In fact, it seems the "involved adult drama" is the new reality show, the latest craze from which everyone wants a piece, right on down to outlets that are firmly in the streaming business like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Power is one of the latest entrants into the crowded, about-to-burst field. It's another show from Starz, the company behind some of the most ambitious and most wannabe trendy-come-lately shows alike. Examples of the network's handiwork include Spartacus, Black Sails, Da Vinci's Demons, and Turn. Like many of its contemporaries, Power offers a somewhat compelling, dark, and involved look into an otherwise inaccessible world of, well, power in modern day New York where legit business, secret dealings, illegal activity, and personal crises collide. In short, it's pretty much the same, thematically, as all of the other new slick and muscular shows out there, switching things up with a new setting and characters but keeping the core basics intact and never straying from the formula that's made these sorts of programs a success but also driven the type to the brink of overexposure and irrelevancy.
It's all ours.
Power's 1080p transfer impresses in every episode. While it's not perfect -- light noise is sprinkled throughout and blacks are occasionally a little too deep and crushing -- there's much here to like. The image is naturally sharp and very well defined. The HD vide source doesn't create a dull, flat image but instead a healthy, vibrant one, one that showcases complex, intimate skin textures with ease and consistency, not to mention the sharp, expensive clothes; pinpoint luxury appointments in James' home; little odds and ends around the house; or complex cityscape elements like brick and concrete. Colors are rich and pleasing with brighter, well-lit scenes offering a healthy, stable, and precise variety of colors. Even in the show's many lower-light moments there's an obvious balance and authenticity, particularly evident on bright city signage. Banding is never a problem, even in those many lower-light moments.
Power: The Complete First Season features a rich, detailed, and aggressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is the unquestioned highlight here, with deep, penetrating bass often the defining force. General beats and notes are detailed and electric in delivery, often spilling into the stage from every speaker for a fully immersive 360-degree surround experience. Club beats are particularly satisfying, but score and the opening title moments are equally potent. The track also produces a good number of lifelike ambient support effects, particularly at street level where sirens, passing traffic, and pedestrians all help to create a believably robust environment. Even small details, like buzzing fluorescent lights, impress in delivery. Gunfire is satisfactorily potent but not fully lifelike, particularly shots fired in enclosed spaced. Dialogue plays evenly and accurately from the center, the finishing touch on a top-end listen.
Power: The Complete First Season contains several brief extras on disc two. Optional episode recaps are included.
Power isn't a powerhouse of television novelty, but it's a driven, well-crafted, strongly acted, and surprisingly rich and addictive show that, even as it only plows through familiar territory, takes audiences on a detailed, involved ride of dueling worlds of legitimacy and illegal activity. The show masks its shortcomings well and provides an entertaining escape into a dark but welcoming and familiar world. Power: The Complete First Season delivers first-class video and audio. Supplements are far too thin. Recommended.
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1984
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