Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Chosen Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 11, 2023

VidAngel Studios has released a wonderful special edition for the second season of the hit TV show 'The Chosen." The previous Season Two release was a two-disc set that contained no extras. This set, on the other hand, is spread across six discs and includes a significant number of bonuses, including biblical discussion roundtables, audio commentaries, music-only audio tracks, and a plethora of featurettes. It also ships in fold-open DigiPak packaging inside a slip box. Note that there is also a season one special edition release, but there is, at time of writing, no such special edition for season three.

For a full season two review, please click here.

The Chosen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beyond the packaging and the extras, one of the biggest questions fans might have is this: does it look any different? With the episodes spread out over four discs rather than two, are there any discernible differences? To be sure, there are some subtle changes. First, the colors are by and large identical from the sampling of stills, shots, and scenes I compared from various places throughout the season. On the other hand, the new image might be slightly sharper with a slightly enhanced filmic appearance. No doubt, the images are nearly identical, but there's just enough of a boost to spot the slight difference. It's not enough to make a purchase worthwhile if video is the only concern, so consider the ever so slight gain to be a bonus rather than a highlight of this set. In essence, the original review, as linked here, applies, understanding that there appears to be that very mild gain to overall textural accuracy and sharpness.

The Chosen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This appears to be the same Dolby Digital 5.1 lossless soundtrack from the original release. Please click here for full coverage.

The Chosen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This six-disc special edition of The Chosen's second season contains episodes and corresponding extras on discs 1-4. Discs 5 and 6 are dedicated to supplemental content. See below for a few brief words on the packaging.  

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: Traditional overlay audio commentaries. For "Thunder:" Director/Co-Writer Dallas Jenkins.
• Sounds of the Story: The episodes are presented with musical score only in The Dolby Digital 2.0 format. Included for "Thunder" and "I Saw You."

Disc Two:

• Audio Commentary: Traditional overlay audio commentaries. For "Matthew 4:24:" Director/Co-Writer Dallas Jenkins.
• Sounds of the Story: The episodes are presented with musical score only in The Dolby Digital 2.0 format. Included for "Matthew 4:24" and "The Perfect Opportunity."

Disc Three:

• Sounds of the Story: The episodes are presented with musical score only in The Dolby Digital 2.0 format. Included for "Spirit" , "Unlawful", and "Reckoning."

Disc Four:

• Audio Commentary: Traditional overlay audio commentaries. For "The Messengers:" Director/Co-Writer Dallas Jenkins and spouse Amanda Jenkins.
• Sounds of the Story: The episodes are presented with musical score only in The Dolby Digital 2.0 format. Included for "Beyond Mountains" and "The Messengers."

Disc Five:

• Biblical Roundtables (1080p): For my money, this is the heart of what makes this set so great. Here are eight discussions that run anywhere from 20 minutes to 41 minutes featuring Dallas Jenkins joined by the show's biblical consultants: Bishop Robert Barron (Catholic perspective), Rabbi Jason Sobel (Jewish perspective) and Dr. Doug Huffman (Evangelical perspective). The break down a number of biblical, historical, cultural political, and theological events from the series and explore their veracity and authenticity from their own unique understanding. Included are Episode 1 (36:31), Episode 2 (31:17), Episode 3 (39:29), Episode 4 (37:30), Episode 5 (40:56), Episode 6 (36:12), Episode 7 (11:00), and Episode 8 (28:32).

Disc Six:

• 3 Miracles of The Chosen Season 2 (1080p, 24:10): Dallas Jenkins explores how some key elements in making season two came together: securing the opportunity to shoot on a much-desired set, making a 15-minute long shot, and the weather clearing on a critical day of the shoot.
• Journey to the Sermon on the Mount (1080p, 46:19): Looking at the life journeys of various extras who appeared in the Sermon on the Mount sequence.
• Bonus Videos (1080p): additional featurettes that explore various aspects of the shoot, the production, and the story.
  
  
  • Women of The Chosen (1080p, 1:01:33): Dallas Jenkins sits down with Lara Silva (Eden), Yasmine Al-Bustami (Ramah), Vanessa Benavente (Mother Mary), and Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdeline) to discuss lives, acting, characters, the story, the show, and more.
  • Heart of Season 2 (1080p, 27:10): Exploring season two story, themes, characters and character interaction, and more.
  • Writers Roundtable (1080p, 1:03:56): Jenkins is joined by Co-Writers Ryan Swanson & Tyler Thompson for an extensive sit-down to discuss the show's history, the writing process, and much more.
  • Season 2 Bloopers (1080p, 6:10): Humorous moments from the shoot.
  • Chosen Insider Podcast Elizabeth Tabish (1080p, 53:14): Tabish speaks with Chris Durban and Kristen Lagore who talk through a wide range of topics.
• Cast Biographies (1080p): A look at some of the key season one cast and the actors who portrayed them. These are text based; the text is read aloud. A photo of the actor in character appears on screen as well. Included are Nathanael, Simon the Zealot, Phillip, Mother Mary, Ramah, and John.
• Slide Shows (1080p): An extensive collection of still photos. Included are On the Set of Season 2, which include 98 photos; Art and Set Designs (98 photos); and Script Pages for all eight episodes.
• Season 2 Trailers (1080p): Included are Season 2 Official (3:01), Season 2 TV (1:00), and The Messengers (1:00).

The outer slip box measures approximately 6.75" high, 5.5" wide, and 1.75" deep. Of course, the folded and closed DigiPak inside shares very similar measurements. The box exterior is predominately white. The front image depicts the swirling gray fish with a dozen that are teal in color, and the show's title in teal, center. A thin gold banner with the text "Season Two 6-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray' is included at the top. The rear of the box offers a blurb, special features listings, a billing block, tech specs, and more. The spine is white with a few more fish, the number "2" in teal in the bottom third area, and VidAngel and Blu-ray logos at the bottom.

The DigiPak shares the same front and rear content as the outer box when closed. It opens to a sprawling 3+ feet in length. VidAngel has crammed a lot of content on the exterior (non disc) side of this package, so the easiest way to break it down is to simply open it up and explore what's on each panel, left to right, at least the predominant contents on each panel. The leftmost panel contains bonus feature listings for discs 5 and 6 and also includes four color character photos. Panel 2 contains a photo and facsimile signature of Creator Dallas Jenkins as well as a timeline and text that focuses on working through a historic winter storm, wrapping season two, the season two debut, and the Christmas special's box office performance. Panels 3 and 4 are the front and back, and are separated by the spine. Panel 5 offers a "Welcome Back to The Chosen!" three paragraph greeting and is another section of the timeline that looks at season two's production beginnings, the Christms episode's online debut, resumption of production in early January 2021, and fan involvement for a key season two sequence. Note that the timelines match up in order when the DigiPak is first opened. The final panel contains episode listings and summaries as well as a quick look at the extras from discs 1-4.

The interior panels are a stark contrast to the outer panels. Rather than white, the backgrounds are black with character portraits and the discs are black-and-white, favoring the former.

The Chosen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Simply put, this is a must-own for any fan of The Chosen. The wealth and richness of bonus content is extraordinary (even if not quite as extensive as the season one set), and the roundtables are where the set truly shines. It will take days to dig through all of the content in this set, and it comes easily, and highly, recommended for serious fans of the show.