Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Twilight Zone: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 22, 2020

Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone fused popular entertainment avenues with biting social commentary to wonderful result, ascribing timely topics to fantastical narrative components. It was in some ways a precursor to Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, both shows of superficial fantastic concept grounded in the realities of the (then) here-and-now. Filmmaker extraordinaire Jordan Peele, along with Simon Kinberg and Marco Ramirez, has revitalized the show for contemporary audiences, bringing the material a freshness in production and an updating to the societal reflection that dominates the stories. The show is captivatingly good; the episodes are not only written to a polish but acted and constructed with great care and attention to the finesse, nuanced detail necessary to not simply rework a classic program but to give it a refreshed, revitalized new life for contemporary audiences that supports, not supplants, Sterling's classic works.

Official synopsis: Enter another dimension with Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern take on the all-time classic. Hosted by Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Jordan Peele, each of these ten Season One episodes of the CBS All Access Original Series is its own mesmerizing, mind-bending journey into another dimension. Featuring contemporary, socially conscious storytelling, this anthology includes standout cast members like Oscar nominee Kumail Nanjiani in his Emmy nominated role, Seth Rogen, Tracy Morgan, Greg Kinnear, Sanaa Lathan, Adam Scott, DeWanda Wise, Zazie Beetz, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Cho, and others..

The revamped Twilight Zone ups production values and infuses itself with a modern flair. But it's otherwise not a radical departure from the original Serling classic. This new iteration has been widely touted and lauded for its timely social insights, overt like its predecessor but not so radically charged or simplistic in messaging so as to lose a broader appeal. The show is carefully assembled to merge storytelling and commentary, entertainment and insight with both grand flavor and great passion for the material, all the while ensuring a quality viewing experience within more traditional and succinct parameters. Whether exploring fame in today's social-centric and digitally dominant landscape, racial strife, fear of difference, immigration, or other topical points of interest, the show always has something to say in the guise of something fantastic. It's a classically minded Science Fiction show, then, with its micro lens pointed inward and its macro lens pointed outward, though unlike a Star Trek or even Rod Serling's original the demarcation between the two is perhaps not quite so exaggerated as it has been in the past.

What makes the show work so well -- in this iteration or the considering the classic from the 1950s -- is that marriage between purpose and entertainment. The show deals in both in spades, merging the two in blissful and symbiotic connection. Indeed, The Twilight Zone is not simply about strange phenomena. It's about ascribing a purpose, though not necessarily a reason, to it. Or vice versa, if one might be so inclined to see the show or any given plot or theme, in that way. And that is what makes it so good. It's not black and white (literally here, though there is an option to watch the episodes in colorless format) but it's also not made in so many shades of gray that they seem to melt together, either. There's a balance of content in play that is obvious from the script to the finished filmed product, with production, cast, and everything that goes into making each episode an organic example of the fantastic and the insightful feel so accomplished. And there's not a dud in the season, from the opening episode that explores fame in the modern world to the fantastic season finale that makes a Twilight Zone episode in the behind the scenes area of The Twilight Zone. It's all sharp, smart, and very well acted and constructed. If there was ever going to be a program to rival Rod Serling's timeless original classic, this is it. Kudos all around.

The Twilight Zone: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Twilight Zone: Season One's digitally sourced 1080p transfer excels with few shortcomings across the season run. The image is stout and bold, sharp and natural across a diverse number of set pieces seen throughout the run, from comedy clubs to space stations, from diners to Twilight Zone TV show sets. No matter the location -- interior or exterior setting -- the picture holds firm to a satisfying sharpness and crispness throughout. The digital picture is smooth but not at the expense of texture, clean but not at the expense of accuracy. Facial details are excellent on both close and medium distant shots, revealing complex components with proficient intimacy and intricacy. Colors are excellent, again through a very broad range of locations and character clothes that enjoy firm foundational definition and exceptional nuanced tonal variances. Skin tones are accurate across a broad range of characters while low light and nighttime black levels border on perfection. Source noise sprinkles in from time to time, as does a little banding here and there, but these issues are never serious. The black and white content on discs four and five looks wonderful, too, maintaining the same core textural excellence while presenting the grayscale with gorgeous variance throughout the range. This is a very strong presentation from CBS/Paramount.

The Twilight Zone: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Twilight Zone: Season One features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Each episode has something that's sonically unique up its sleeve. In "The Comedian," crowd laughter fills the stage with impressive width and depth and clarity while microphone reverb flows about, creating a pleasantly cavernous location, transforming the home theater into a comedy club floor. A Jazzy score accompanies Samir's higher energy and high response gigs, representing some of the best music the series has to offer, right out of the gate. There are some cool sonic bits elsewhere, too, such as in "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" when Justin plugs in his headphones into the mysterious retro-stylish MP3 player, the cabin sounds go silent, and the prerecorded content begins streaming into his ears. It's a great sonic transition. Things hold interesting throughout the season; with the diverse stories and themes and settings and happenings comes a wide array of sound elements that come alive with clarity and stage fluidity that transports the listener into every location. Whether music, action din, or mild environmental support pieces, the track excels side to side, front to back, and through the range, from piercing highs to thumping lows. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized, situated in a natural front-center position.

The Twilight Zone: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Twilight Zone: Season One includes supplements on discs one through four. Note that some supplements are found under the "Special Features" tab while others appear under individual episode listings. Discs four and five house season episodes in black and white. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with an embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Opening the Door To... (1080p): Brief episode recaps and story breakdowns. Included are "The Comedian" (1:27), "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" (1:58), "Replay" (2:18), and "A Traveler" (2:20).
• Episodic Promos (1080p): Previews for individual episodes. Included are "The Comedian" (0:54), "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" (1:01), "Replay" (0:52), and "A Traveler" (1:00).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "The Comedian" (1:00) and "Replay" (1:08).
• Extended Scene (1080p): Scene from "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" (0:34).
• Audio Commentary: For "Replay:" Executive Producer Win Rosenfeld and Writer Selwyn Seyfu Hinds.
• Season 1 Promo (1080p, 1:25): A broad advertisement for the new show.
• Remembering Rod Serling (1080p, 36:51): An in-depth exploration of the original show's creator and the impact The Twilight Zone had on society and television alike.

Disc Two:

• Opening the Door To... (1080p): Brief episode recaps and story breakdowns. Included are "The Wunderkind" (2:10), "Six Degrees of Freedom" (1:19), "Not All Men" (2:21), and "Point of Origin" (2:31).
• Episodic Promos (1080p): Previews for individual episodes. Included are "The Wunderkind" (0:55), "Six Degrees of Freedom" (1:00), "Not All Men" (0:57), and "Point of Origin" (1:01).
• Extended Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "The Wunderkind" (1:27) and "Six Degrees of Freedom" (2:16).
• Music Video (1080p, 1:48): A video from "The Wunderkind."
• Audio Commentary: For "Not All Men:" Executive Producer Win Rosenfeld and Writer Heather Anne Campbell.

Disc Three:

• Opening the Door To... (1080p): Brief episode recaps and story breakdowns. Included are "The Blue Scorpion" (2:08) and "Blurryman" (2:35).
• Episodic Promos (1080p): Previews for individual episodes. Included are "The Blue Scorpion" (0:57) and "Blurryman" (1:00).
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "The Blue Scorpion" (3:11).
• Audio Commentary: For "Blurryman:" Writer Alex Rubens and Executive Producer Audrey Chon.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:45): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Easter Eggs Revealed (1080p, 2:31): A look at some of the hidden references to the original show scattered through this version.
• Crossing Over: Living in the Twilight Zone (1080p): A two part feature. Part One - A Dimension of Mind: Development (28:32) explores the reasons for and challenges of reinventing a classic television program. There is heavy discussion of why the show needed to be reinvigorated for the modern world, remaining true to Serling's original vision, crafting the show for contemporary audiences and times, recurring motifs, and more. Part Two - A Dimension of Sight and Sound: Production (38:03) offers an in-depth exploration of making the show, beginning with Jordan Peele's work as narrator and moving on to look at production essentials, including recurring visual cues, bonding the aesthetics, building a "timeless" visual landscape, costumes, music, cast and performances, and episode breakdowns.

Disc Four:

• Season 1 Promo (1080p, 1:36): An ad for the show in black and white.

The Twilight Zone: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rod Serling's original The Twilight Zone will never be matched, but the 2019 take on the series comes awfully close. It's updated in all the right ways while remaining true to the core content that made the original such a success. Each episode is wonderfully written and perfectly performed, and Jordan Peele is one of only a few men who could ever hope to stand in Rod Serling's place as narrator. The Twilight Zone: Season One is terrific. The Blu-ray video and audio presentation is strong and the supplements are both voluminous and insightful. Very highly recommended.