8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
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, Dutch
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: Spoiler averse readers should approach this part of the review with caution. I've taken care not to offer too much
detail about this final season, but in discussing events of the seventh year of the series, some plot points of previous seasons are overtly
mentioned out of necessity.
To be, or not to be, that is the question. . .Sons of Anarchy has famously trafficked in a Shakespearian ambience from the get go, evoking a kind of modern day Hamlet as Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) tried to come to terms with his legacy and the continuing machinations of his devious mother, Gemma (Katey Sagal). The iconic epigram above from Hamlet’s so-called “nunnery” scene might also be seen as a fitting epitaph for a series which has not shied away from dispensing with characters both great and small over the course of its seven seasons. In fact, Sons of Anarchy’s rather ruthless insouciance concerning whether various individuals live or die has been one of its most defining (and disturbing) elements, and so fans of the series could be forgiven for simply wondering “who’s going to make it?” as the show entered its final season. When a publishing mishap provided a companion book full of spoilers about this very issue before the finale of the series had aired, creator and show runner Kurt Sutter went, well, all SAMCRO himself, lamenting the fact that one of the show’s biggest ever gut punches had been leaked unceremoniously. Those who have been watching the body count accrue for the previous six seasons might consider Sutter’s reaction a bit of hyperbole, for the writing has been on the wall for some time with regard to the life expectancies of at least one or two of the major characters in the series.
Sons of Anarchy: Season Seven is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Shot digitally with a variety of cameras (according to the IMDb), Sons of Anarchy continues its longstanding tradition of looking largely impeccably sharp, clear and well defined in high definition. This season ventures outside quite a bit, and the brightly lit California landscapes pop extremely well, with an appealingly natural palette and in some shots fantastic depth of field. Close-ups reveal abundant fine detail. There are occasional slight issues with inadequate shadow detail in some dimly lit interior scenes (something that has tended to plague the series from the first season), but there are no obvious compression artifacts and overall this is a sterling presentation which should easily please the series' rabid fan base.
Sons of Anarchy: Season Seven continues the generally very strong audio presentation of this series with an involving and immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The frequent use of source cues (including The Boss this time 'round) opens up the soundstage significantly, as do effects like clear panning when motorcycles race through the landscape. Dialogue is very cleanly and clearly presented as well, with excellent prioritization, though directionality in this aspect is at times a bit restrained. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range is similarly very wide.
Disc One:
Despite its breakneck pace, there's a certain amount of lethargy and even entropy that creeps into this final season of Sons of Anarchy, two elements that are probably attributable to Sutter's understandable gambit of not getting to the "endgame" too quickly or easily. Several episodes this season are probably at least a mite too long and too filled with ultimately needless detours, but the show builds up to a suitably Shakespearian denouement. (Some viewers may wonder, though, what's up with all the references to the Eucharist? Surely Jax is not a Christ figure, is he?) Sons of Anarchy has been quite a ride (sorry) for the vast majority of its seven seasons, and Sutter brings things to both a close and a head with sometimes alarming alacrity. Performances continue to be viscerally intense even when individual episodes tend toward hyperbolism. Technical merits are very strong once again, and the supplemental package is very enjoyable. For me personally, this final season took just a bit of a downturn, though it's an incremental and perhaps negligible drop. The series as a whole is of course superb and involving. Taken on its own and with a mindfulness of a certain amount of padding that creeps into this final year, Sons of Anarchy: Season Seven comes Recommended.
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