Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Powers: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Greatness awaits?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 11, 2015

What a great time it is to be a TV watcher. Never before has there been so much quality television and, now, so many outlets producing and carrying it. Not very long ago, top-shelf television was reserved for a select few networks; for example, CBS aired Magnum, P.I., NBC carried Knight Rider, and ABC was home to MacGyver. Fox would later join the fray and carry programs like The X-Files and, later, 24, two shows that helped redefine the primetime television landscape. Then came the likes of premium cable behemoths HBO and Showtime, followed by cable stations like AMC, FX, and even Sci-Fi and Starz putting out top-shelf programing that could compete with anything on any channel. Over the last few years, even as these networks continue to put out terrific content seemingly on a nightly basis, the field has once again expanded to include digital outlets like Netflix and Amazon getting in on the action, and to strong critical acclaim. Tech industry giant Sony has now joined the fray with Powers, a show exclusive to its paywall "Playstation Plus" service which provides free monthly games, online gaming access (for the PlayStation 4), and other goodies to members, including, now, a high production value, gripping, and entertaining original program based on the comics of the same name.

Partners.

Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley) used to be what is called a "Power" -- a superhero, essentially -- but he lost his abilities when, as the superhero "Diamond," he sustained serious injuries in a battle with a dangerous enemy known as "Big Bad" Wolfe (Eddie Izzard). Now, he's a cop working for the Powers division that aims to keep the streets safe from Powers who would use their strengths for evil. His partner has just been killed in a botched arrest of a dangerous Power, and he's been assigned a new, never-been-a-superhero partner named Deena (Susan Heyward). When a young girl named Calista (Olesya Rulin) -- who dreams of harnessing and wielding her own powers -- is involved in the accidental death of a Power named Olympia, she and her desires become the center of attention within the Powers division, and with Walker in particular. Walker's investigation leads him to learn that the teleporting Johnny Royalle (Noah Taylor), one of his former superpower friends, may be working with Wolfe on the production of an illegal drug that boosts the abilities of anyone with powers. He also meets Zora (Logan Browning), a young girl with powers who desires to grow further into them. There are others, however, who see the darker side of powers and wish to further control those who have them, including Walker's deceased partner's son Krispin (Max Fowler) and his online friend, Chaotic Chick (Shelby Steele). Meanwhile, Calista forms a bond with her idol, a has-been superhero named "Retro Girl" (Michelle Forbes) who was once romantically involved with Walker.

Powers removes the wide-eyed, glitzy-glamorous façade of the superhero world. While the recent crop of films from the last twenty or so years has done a good job of blurring the line between good and evil and right and wrong through the prism of great power, Powers erases all of the conventions and essentially starts from scratch, building a narrative that's more a reflection of modern society than it is the basic emotional conundrums and destructive forces explored in years past. In Powers, having superpowers means having celebrity. Superheroes -- or "Powers" as the show calls them -- might work hard to save the day, swooping in like Superman to rescue someone tumbling off the top of a building, but they're better known as wordily icons. They're the new fame, the new attraction, the new idol. They're the sports hero, the movie star, the reality television personality, and the Internet sensation wrapped into one. They're not heroes, they're marketable items. They're not role models, they're a fantasy. And with all of that instant fame and recognition comes the very real possibility that they'll abuse their powers for personal gain, or perhaps even worse, people without the powers will do whatever they can to work the system in an effort to find fame and fortune in the only way the world allows. Powers hits those ideas from all corners, with a fine cross-section of characters who represent every extreme and all of the little areas in the middle, each one pushing and shoving to stand apart, bring order to chaos, bring chaos to order, or maybe even a little bit of all of the above.

Where the show shines, then, isn't in spectacular action scenes or seamless special effects but instead the gritty underbelly of the culture in which it operates. It takes a very intimate look at fame -- people who have it, people who want it, people who admire it, people who control it, people who cannot control it -- and the reflection back on modern society is often striking. Powers presents audiences with plenty of delectably complex questions of morality, the celebrity culture, the dangers of delusions, the fall from grace, the desire for more, the addiction to power or even the idea of power. Superpowers are essentially a metaphor for more tangible human qualities, and Powers does a fantastic job of presenting its story with a straightforward, accessible, gripping flow but at the same time making obvious connections to the modern human condition, but not to any extent that interferes with the core story flow. Such symbolic elements seep from each character and every frame; much of the fun comes in piecing together what it has to say behind the façade, but even taken at face value -- away from all the metaphorical goodness -- Powers is a rock-solid TV show that's a blast to watch.

Beyond its numerous questions of ethics, its study of celebrity culture, and other bits that make it meatier than many Superhero-type programs, Powers satisfies as simple rock-solid entertainment that boasts quality characters, high-end production values, and gripping narratives. Even as the complexities seep through every corner, basic notes ring throughout as the show builds through police procedurals and superhero antics that produce plenty of fun moments of action and even levity amidst the deeper themes that course through its digital veins. Characters are strongly developed, even as the show entertains more than a handful of primaries and plenty of secondaries, all of whom are layered and enticingly so. Every performance is spot-on; Olesya Rulin is a standout as the lost but determined Calista, Sharlto Copley finds plenty of character depth with Walker, and Michelle Forbes is terrific as the aging public figure superhero who finds herself entangled in the world once again. The show boasts satisfactory visual effects but more than that a pleasantly robust scope and sense of fine detail that bring it to life in complete harmony with its more significant, under-the-surface details.

Powers: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Powers: Season 1 arrives on Blu-ray with an attractive 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Sony's digitally photographed program enjoys robust clarity and fine attention to detail and never succumbs to the flatness and glossiness that often hinder digital productions. Details are frequently striking, with intimate skin and clothing textures leading the charge. Nearly every shot appears sharp and accurate, presenting excellent definition even in the further limits of the frame's edges and the show's backgrounds. Urban details are particularly exacting, but various interiors -- even lower-light clubs and similar locations -- find a striking level of visual nuance and precision. Colors are bold and attractive, never going to excess but instead finding a natural balance that presents everything from brightly colored clothes to natural greens with eye-catching accuracy and efficiency. Black levels are commendably deep and true. Flesh tones raise no alarms. The image occasionally produces trace amounts of aliasing, banding, and noise, none of which prove particularly bothersome. All in all, this is a very good presentation from Sony.

Powers: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Powers: Season 1 features a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It can be, and frequently is, very robust, presenting both music and effects with a full-featured surround sound immersion. While some of the most potent elements can go a little sharp, the aggressive posture and sense of absolute immersion help offset any shortcomings when it comes to pinpoint clarity. On average, however, musical definition impresses throughout the range and across any number of styles, including front-and-center score or deep background club beats that give way to dialogue. Sound effects are impressively active, too, with crashes, swoops, sweeps, shattering glass, gunfire, and all manner of action-oriented elements enjoying a wide, healthy stage presence and solid, if not mildly and occasionally flawed (as noted above), details. Dialogue is healthy and clearly delivered with fine center-focused placement.

Powers: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Powers: Season 1 includes extras on all three discs. Optional previous episode recaps (1080p) are available. Note that this set includes the annoying Sony TV show menu system in which every episode and extra is listed on every disc, and when one is selected that's not on the inserted disc, a message promoting a disc change appears. A voucher for a UV digital copy code is included in the retail Blu-ray case.

Disc One:

• Policing the All Powerful: Envisioning and Filming Powers (1080p, 10:10): A look at the concept, themes and the prism of exploring them in the Superhero and Cop genres, the temptations and burdens of using powers for ulterior motives, character qualities, building stronger female characters, and the show's hard and mature edge.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Pilot:" The Door (0:47). From "Like a Power:" What Do You Want Me to Say? (2:42), Peace is Always an Option (1:35), I Need a Little More (1:11) and Calista & Zora (0:29). From "Mickey Rooney Cries No More:" I Will Make You Visible (0:29).

Disc Two:

• From One Visual Medium to Another: The Art and Adaptation of Powers (1080p, 11:01): A look at the series' style, the importance of staying true to the source but fitting the medium, casting, differences in characters between mediums, and character qualities.
• Outtakes (1080p, 2:17): A few humorous bits from the shoot.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "Devil in a Garbage Bag:" Is This Legit? (0:32), Don't Leave Me Behind (2:15), and Everything Can Be Killed (2:08). From "Paint it Black:" You Okay? (0:42).

Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): From "You Are Not It:" Does This Look Like a Search Warrant? (0:42), I'm Never Alone (1:19), Prepping for the Meeting (0:36), I Agree with What You Said (0:47), and Todd Davis Secor (0:36). From "Aha Shake Heartbreak:" Come with Me (0:40), I Like You (1:57), and Leave Now (2:41). From "Level 13:" We're the Good Guys (2:57), I Will Handle Your Father (0:44), and Wolfe Has Escaped (1:33).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Powers: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Powers has opened to excellence. Its first season is narratively relevant, emotionally satisfying, visually robust, and endlessly entertaining. Well-written characters, excellent performances, strongly defined themes, and great production values are evident in every frame. Sony has a winner on its hands, and its release to Blu-ray is welcome for those who aren't console gamers or console owners or who have yet to purchase the PlayStation Plus service. Powers: Season 1 boasts high end video and audio. Supplements aren't many but satisfy basic requirements. Fans who already have access to the show via PlayStation Plus will probably want to spend their money elsewhere, but for everyone else Powers: Season 1 comes highly recommended.