7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the aftermath of Season Three's fight for survival against a dangerous A.I., the survivors of the Ark face a new and lethal threat dubbed "Praimfaya".
Starring: Eliza Taylor, Paige Turco, Marie Avgeropoulos, Bob Morley, Christopher LarkinSci-Fi | 100% |
Teen | 54% |
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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Spoiler warning: The discussion below assumes familiarity with prior seasons. If you have not
seen Seasons One through Three of The 100 (reviewed here, here and here) proceed at your own
risk.
For the fourth season of The CW's dystopian young adult series, the network cut back its order,
reducing The 100 to thirteen episodes from the sixteen in Seasons Two and Three. The reduction
presented a challenge for creator Jason Rothenberg and his writer's room. Not only did they have
to tell a new season-long story in less time, but they also had to continue servicing the series'
many ongoing character arcs and the expansive "mythology" accumulated over the last three
years. As a result, Season Four moves at lightning speed, zipping from one locale to another,
barely stopping to catch its breath—but something gets lost in the process.
A character-driven adventure tale requires occasional moments of quiet when the action slows
and characters have an opportunity to reflect, reveal themselves and relate to each other. These
are the moments that provide an emotional core to The 100's edge-of-your-seat confrontations
and life-threatening challenges. They also lend weight and consequence to the deaths that
routinely punctuate the series (Rothenberg loves to kill off popular characters almost as much as
Joss Whedon). In Season Four these quieter dramatic beats are routinely shortchanged.
Take, for example, The 100's main protagonist, Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), who retains her
position as de facto leader of the Ark's survivors in Season Four to such a degree that she
effectively supplants the adult leadership of her mother, Dr. Abby (Paige Turco), and Chancellor
Marcus Kane (Henry Ian Cusick). Clarke continues to be faced with impossible decisions, but
there isn't enough time to explore her inner life and personal struggle as Seasons One and Two
did, e.g., in the tragic love triangle with gentle soldier Finn Collins (Thomas McDonell) and tech
wizard Raven Reyes (Lindsey Morgan). Nor is there any equivalent to Season Three's doomed
romance between Clarke and the Grounder queen, Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey), with its
operatic finale in the matrix-like "City of Light". Clarke's most significant relationship in Season
Four is with her fellow Ark leader, Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley), as the pair occasionally pause
(but only briefly) to console each another on the loneliness of command.
Or take the troubled bond between Bellamy and younger sister Olivia (Bob Morley), which was
fractured in Season Three by Bellamy's role in the execution of Lincoln (Ricky Whittle), Olivia's
lover and soul mate. The siblings' connection has to be repaired in Season Four, but
the reconciliation, when it finally comes, has to be rushed through, because other business
awaits. Somewhat more time is devoted to the shifting alliances of resident scoundrel Murphy
(Richard Harmon) and the continuing downward spiral of computer nerd Jasper (Devon Bostick),
whose despair remains impervious to the increasingly frantic entreaties of his best friend, Monty
(Christopher Larkin). While all of these relationships do evolve and change in Season Four,
Rothenberg and his crew too often have to fall back on emotional shorthand, relying on the
audience's knowledge of previous events to fill in the blanks.
The 100 continues to be photographed on the Arri Alexa, with cinematographer Michael C.
Blundell continuing his work from Season
Three. If you only know the series from broadcast and
streaming services, the image on the Warner Archive Collection's three 1080p, AVC-encoded
BD-50s will provide an impressive example of just how much better Blu-ray can look. The
blacks are deeper, the colors richer and the densities significantly improved, lending weight and
substance to the image. The presentation is equally solid in both the many darkened interiors
where people take refuge from radiation and acid rain and the brightly lit island lab where a small
group seeks a solution to imminent extermination. Exteriors take full advantage of the colorful
Canadian locations where The 100 is shot. Noise, banding and other artifacts were wholly absent.
Because WAC limited this season to three discs,, the average bitrate is lower for most of the
episodes than the 30 Mbps seen on Seasons Two and Three. However, I did not observe any
meaningful change in quality as the average rate ranged between 23.5 and 30.2 Mbps. The
encoding has been capably performed.
The 5.1 sound mix for The 100's Season Four, encoded on Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA, continues the series tradition of active and effective audio with deep bass extension, broad dynamic range and superior fidelity. The manifestations of Praimfayah are fierce and menacing, and the blows by opposing warriors land with punch and authority. A battle with armed aerial drones makes effective use of the surrounds; other scenes with impressive audio cannot be described without spoilers. Dialogue is consistently clear. Composer Tree Adams continues his scoring duties from Season Three.
Except for deleted scenes in episodes 1-9, the extras can be found on disc 3.
The CW has renewed The 100 for a fifth season, and it's good thing, because Season Four ended
with a head-spinning cliffhanger similar to the one that concluded the series' first season. With
the advantage of freeze-frame, a few clues can be garnered about The 100's future direction, but
much of what we see in the final seconds remains a riddle awaiting answers. It's possible that the series is being
rebooted for a fresh start. Whatever Rothenberg & Co. have planned, the network has once again
limited them to thirteen episodes; so let's hope that they've learned from the experience of
Season Four how to fine-tune the series' distinctive mix of elements for a shorter overall running
time. Despite the reservations expressed above, Season Four is recommended; as a technical
matter, the Blu-rays are excellent.
2014
Warner Archive Collection
2014-2015
Warner Archive Collection
2015-2016
2018
2019
Warner Archive Collection
2020
1951
2021
2012-2014
2019
2016
2012
2015-2022
2013
2018
Definitive Edition
1980
1977-1978
2009-2010
2017
1956
1965
1975-1977
The Final Season
2019
2018
The Remastered Collection
1978-1980
2010