7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj continue their trek for love and happiness.
Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal NayyarComedy | 100% |
Romance | 28% |
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
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (2 BDs, 3 DVDs)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
On its surface, The Big Bang Theory is a picturesque sitcom. Eccentric, niche-culture nerd-herds roam its fertile plains, gathering near comic shop watering holes for socialization and sustenance, indulging in the freedom of high ratings and widespread popularity, and exiling any outsider who isn't willing to adopt its geek-chic customs and rom-com mating rituals. But the seemingly idyllic comedy is experiencing tremendous creative upheaval. The once witty banter and saber-sharp pop culture references of its first two fan-favorite seasons are now little more than a distant memory, and chasing hope that the show will recover has become something of a fool's errand. Had Season One arrived with the Phantom Menace scripting of Season Five, the series would have been yanked off the air in early 2008, if not sooner. But "getting back to the problem at hand..."
Sheldon: | What to do with a washed up experimental physicist? |
Leonard: | I am not washed up! |
Sheldon: | Oh, Leonard. Lots of people love you and want to help you. But they can't until you admit the problem! |
If you've caught any of The Big Bang Theory's previous seasons on Blu-ray, you know what to expect from The Complete Fifth Season's decent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation. Color saturation comes on a bit strong, as is par for the series' course, and less-than-exacting edges, inconsistent clarity, and some arguably negligible encoding issues -- artifacting, banding and the like, minor as each one may be -- round out an at-times problematic image. That said, most of the eyesores are inherent to the series' semi-low-rent production and photography. Primaries pack Kryptonian punch, skintones are healthier than a bouncing baby Skywalker, black levels are comic-panel inky, and detail is more than up to the task at hand, pummeling its fifth season DVD counterpart into the pavement. Textures aren't all that refined, mind you (or discernible in some cases), but they aren't hyper-sharpened or smeary either. If nothing else, it's easy to scope the titles of books sitting on the racks in the comic shop, so none of it is inadequate. With a higher bitrate or perhaps an extra disc for its 24-episodes, would it look any better? It's hard to tell. Ultimately, videophiles won't cheer, but fans who've already picked up and pored through the series' first four seasons on Blu-ray will be equally pleased (or displeased) with the presentation.
You know the old adage: front-heavy dialogue and eruptions of pinched audience laughter do not a memorable DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track make. With stagy conversations dominating the soundscape, interrupted only by brief cues signaling the end of a scene, there isn't much to go around. Sound effects are fine, voices are fine, pans are fine. There just isn't anything worth mentioning with the LFE channel or rear speakers. Flat and uninvolving at its worst, merely sufficient at its best, I can't really recommend this one. Of course, it's a fair representation of the series' flat, uninvolving, merely sufficient sound design, so I can't really fault it all that much either. I'll just leave you with one big "meh."
The Big Bang Theory's march into oblivion isn't finished yet, but the past-its-prime series spends its latest 24-episodes pushing deeper and deeper into mediocre sitcom territory. How long it can survive is really up to you. How long will you keep coming back, expecting the best and chowing down on the worst? As long as you continue coming back to the trough, they'll keep filling it with the same slop. Nuff said. Warner's Blu-ray release of The Complete Fifth Season is a lot like the previous seasons' Blu-ray releases: unremarkable. Season Five's video presentation is solid but its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track underwhelms and its emaciated supplemental package only has 45-minutes of meat on its bones. If you're a big fan of The Big Bang Theory and already have every other season sitting on your shelf, have at. If you're a casual fan, you might want to wait for a drop in price. If you've already been drifting away from the Theory fold, though, you may want to seriously reconsider subjecting yourself to the series' worst season yet.
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