8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
Includes all episodes and the 20th Anniversary Special sneak peek by Morgan Spurlock
Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank AzariaComedy | 100% |
Animation | 90% |
Family | 72% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
french track dubbed in Quebec
English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ah, the forbidden fruit of my childhood. If you, like me, were one of the sheltered adolescents raised in a tightly wound conservative home in the early '90s, you're all too familiar with the siren song of The Simpsons. Banned by many a parent, the hit television series cut a swath through Red State America, offending the easily offended and upsetting organizations who labeled its satirical shenanigans crass and amoral. Alas, I'm sure you're also all too familiar with the steady decline in quality the series has experienced since its inception. Its once shocking gut-busters have been replaced with mild, grin-inducing humor. Its long forgotten bad boy image has been quashed by more brazen, boundary-pushing animated shows, Family Guy chief among them. Its celebrity appearances and smart pop culture references have become predictable and formulaic. As much affection as I still have for the show, it's impossible to deny The Simpsons has lost its luster. Be that as it may, the series' twentieth season has proven itself to be a more satisfying return to form. While it still lacks that special sauce acolytes have been craving for nearly a decade, I found myself laughing out loud during many an episode, more so than I have in years.
"Mom... we're still relevant, right?"
The Simpsons Movie notwithstanding, The Complete Twentieth Season marks the television series' first foray into high definition. But because the changeover didn't officially occur until the season's midway point, the 2-disc Blu-ray edition offers two decidedly different visual experiences. Both feature a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, both are presumably faithful to their separate sources, and both feature bold, vibrant colors. However, the first nine episodes (presented in their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1) suffer from mediocre clarity, inconsistent contrast, image instability, frequent aliasing and noticeable banding, none of which bodes well for high definition releases of earlier seasons. Thankfully, the remaining episodes (presented in 1.78:1 widescreen) look substantially better. The series' lineart is much cleaner (although the characters occasionally appear disconnected from the backgrounds), its picture more steady and reliable, and its detailing far more revealing. Aliasing and banding are still prevalent, but few other issues hinder the proceedings. As it stands, viewers should brace themselves for a truly schizophrenic season, the first half of which looks strikingly similar to the set's standard DVD counterpart, the second half of which delivers a more worthwhile presentation.
Fox's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is more reliable, but has difficulty overcoming the limitations of the series' oft-times two-dimensional sound design. That's not to say the mix doesn't pack any punch, just that it doesn't have the opportunity to land many blows. First the good. Dialogue is crisp and clear from episode to episode, voices remain perfectly prioritized regardless of what madness Springfield tosses at our beloved townsfolk, and towering robots and collapsing buildings receive reasonable support from the LFE channel. Regardless, the entire season is a front-heavy affair. Even when the rear speakers dive headlong into the fray, they come up short, awkwardly mingling with the rest of the soundfield. Directionality is unremarkable and front-to-back pans are a tad stocky, especially when compared to the smooth side-to-side pans that allow hurtling ships and hurried school children to dart convincingly across the screen. Is there room for improvement? In the mixing studio perhaps. Ultimately, anyone familiar with the show will be pleased with Fox's lossless offering. It isn't going to garner much praise, but it does a fine job handling what little it's given.
For whatever reason, The Complete Twentieth Season only has one special feature: a teaser for Morgan Spurlock's 20th Anniversary Simpsons special (Disc 1, HD, 4 minutes). Not the hour-long documentary itself, mind you, merely a preview of said special. That's right... the discs don't trot out any audio commentaries, 20th Anniversary retrospectives, or production featurettes. It essentially includes nothing of note. Suffice to say, fans of the series will be terribly disappointed.
More a long-running institution than must-see-TV, The Simpsons hasn't aged as gracefully as other venerable television shows. Its wit and charm have waxed and waned over the years, and its once-scathing satire has lost much of its edge. That being said, the series' landmark twentieth season is still sharper than many of its weaker outings and deserves some attention. Sadly, Fox's 2-disc Blu-ray release will put the most ardent fans in a foul mood. Its scattershot video transfer hobbles along for nine low-quality episodes (before dramatically improving), its DTS-HD Master Audio track is a bit underwhelming, and its supplemental package is a barren wasteland of missed opportunities. It's a decent release, sure, but it doesn't offer the kind of 20th Anniversary bounty most diehards have been hoping for. Crack your wallets accordingly.
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