8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sons of Anarchy, a dark drama set in Charming, a sheltered community watched over by a renegade motorcycle club intent on protecting the town from the newcomers that threaten it.
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Mark Boone Junior, Katey Sagal, Kim Coates, Tommy FlanaganCrime | 100% |
Thriller | 65% |
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
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Dutch
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It used to be that ads on television about so-called private matters seemed to be the exclusive domain of women (think
of products like Depends or Summer's Eve), but we’re in an
apparently more enlightened age now when any number of potentially highly embarrassing “male issues” are
trumpeted over the airwaves with of course the concomitant chemical antidotes for any given problem. There’s one
“new” situation which is being called “low T”, which supposedly makes middle aged guys feel sluggish and less
amorously inclined than they might have been in their twenties and thirties. One recurrent commercial shows a beefy
guy applying liquid testosterone to his underarms like a machismo version of deodorant. But for those who may
be feeling a bit under supplied of the male hormone and who don’t want to be undergoing a regimen of extremely
expensive daily ointment applications, may I suggest a much simpler alternative, namely merely tuning into Sons of
Anarchy. If you’re unable to absorb the element by osmosis, my hunch is there will be enough oozing through your
flatscreen that you can make your own ointment for much less money than your local pharmacist might charge.
Sons of Anarchy continues to be a densely plotted and often penetrating series which explores the roiling
dysfunctions in a northern California biker gang, a gang which just happens to also be involved in a glut of illicit
activities while they attempt to more or less control the goings on in their hometown of Charming (one of the most
intentionally ironic names any series has ever offered). The show has often rightly been called Shakespearian, with
main character Jax (Charlie Hunnam) repeatedly
compared to Hamlet. Season 5 might be thought of as a melding of both Hamlet (at least in terms of its ever
accruing body count) and Macbeth, if one accepts Jax’s duplicitous mother Gemma (Katey Sagal) as Lady
Macbeth and Jax himself as the would-be new “king”. Sons of Anarchy is a show bursting at the seams with
complex interrelationships and almost too much back story to handle at times, so viewers and/or readers are
encouraged to initiate or remind themselves of what has gone before by looking at our previous reviews of the first four
seasons by my colleagues Ken Brown and Casey Broadwater:
Sons of Anarchy:
Season One Blu-ray review
Sons of Anarchy:
Season Two Blu-ray review
Sons of Anarchy:
Season Three Blu-ray review
Sons of Anarchy:
Season Four Blu-ray review
Sons of Anarchy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The series, which is shot on HD video, continues to boast a very strong, sleek appearance in its fifth season, one that makes the most of some rather battered faces that crop up with fair regularity, including on the three principal characters of Jax, Gemma and Clay. This season seems to exploit darker environments more than previous seasons, perhaps a fitting visual metaphor for some of the dour turn of events that occur, and as with previous seasons, occasionally there's minor noise that pops into the image. Contrast remains strong, however, though it occasionally looks intentionally pushed, especially in some of the escort service sequences (see screenshot 4, where the whites are perilously close to bloomig). Colors remain accurate looking, though this series has always rather surprisingly tended to shy away from really bold palettes, and tends instead to focus on blacks, browns, dark blues and beiges.
Sons of Anarchy continues to offer a well detailed lossless 5.1 mix delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio. This season has perhaps a bit less of actual motorcycle footage than some previous seasons, though when the bikes do roar into action, they are accompanied by some great panning effects and, in the case of some unforeseen tumbles, occasional LFE. As with previous seasons, the surrounds are regularly filled with nicely rendered ambient environmental sounds which significantly open up the sound field and often create a really nice sense of aural space. Dialogue is cleanly presented, and the series continues to incorporate source cues which also sound excellent in the 5.1 rendering, where the low end is particularly forceful.
Disc One
I'm almost tempted to say that there's been a ping ponging quality where (putting aside the debut season) Sons of Anarchy's even numbered years have been phenomenal while the odd numbered seasons have perhaps been just slightly less so. But this is a matter of degrees, for the series continues to be one of the most amazingly visceral on the air right now. This season has some standout moments, including a couple of really devastating moments that will probably deeply disturb longtime viewers. The acting, writing and direction continue to be exemplary, and this season has some superb recurring roles for Jimmy Smits and Harold Perrineau. This Blu-ray set offers excellent video and audio and comes with appealing supplements. Highly recommended.
2008
2009
2010
2011
Bonus Disc
2011
2013
Blu-ray + Beanie
2013
with Digital Comic Book
2013
2014
Exclusive Slipcover
2014
2013
2015
1997
1990
2011
2014
2007
2013
2011
2016
2006
2019
2001
2007
2013
2000
2016
Theatrical Edition
1997
2015
1996