The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 18, 2015

Key moments of great emotional upheaval are often referred to as "a punch in the gut," a metaphorical reference to the hard-hitting psychological trauma that the best of fiction -- and sometimes, reality -- can elicit when the audience's involvement in a story line, or lines, and/or character, or characters, is upset. Such occurrences usually come as a surprise, and it's that element of shock, as much as the actual event, that engenders that uneasy, queasy feeling of shared pain that blurs the line between reality and, in the case of The Walking Dead, fiction. With The Walking Dead, however, those punches are regularly occurring body blows. Every hour, each day, all of the piled-on plot elements and story details lead almost always to some greater suffering for the characters and the further decay of the world in which they live, whether they're immediately felt and understood or brewing under the surface, ready to explode when the moment is right to inflict maximum physical and psychological damage on already war-weary characters, not to mention emotionally frazzled audiences. But how much can both the characters and the audience take? Have they grown numb to the punches? Has the endless state of upheaval wiped the characters, and the audience, of any real sense of humanity and normalcy? Has the dead world destroyed the core essence of man and replaced it with a dark hole of expectancy where an odd pleasure is derived from pain, where man's inherent goodness has been replaced with a craving for pain or, perhaps even worse, and expectation of futility in the fight to survive? And what of that fight for survival? Has the mere action become the norm to the point that a hint of "normalcy" -- a warm shower, a haircut, and a fresh meal -- seems foreign, unhealthy, unwanted? The Walking Dead's fifth season examines these ideas in some detail, challenging the characters to their emotional core and testing the audience's limits perhaps not quite so openly as the show did back in season three but rather more subtly, and perhaps more darkly, as it explores more of the same themes but manipulates in a smart and engaging but hopelessly depraved manner that's both repulsive and intoxicating at the same time.

What lies ahead...

The Walking Dead is a master manipulator. It knows when to push, which is frequent, and it knows when to ease off, which isn't often and usually a sign of an imminent major turning point, this season that moment coming when the freshly wounded characters Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) take a moment to enjoy a peaceful sunrise and the soothing sounds of a recently repaired music box but are approached by a man who will change the group's lives forever. Season five's major themes revolve around the inward struggle the characters experience, a struggle that's, obviously, directly related to their outward fight for survival but now, it seems, the more prominent obstacle. They've come to understand their physical fate and their abilities -- their collective abilities and their individual abilities -- to survive. They know how to knife a walker, blow its brains out with a well-placed gunshot, or stamp its mushy skull into a pile of unsightly gore. But in this season they're faced with the relentless attacks on their souls, the trauma inflicted not necessarily by a bite on the shoulder or, in many ways worse, a strike from a fellow man but rather the emotional toll their journey has taken. It's the things they've seen, the world to which they've long since said goodbye, the people they've lost, and the people they know they'll lose that haunt them. Their waking, walking world has become routine. Their inward struggles are only, it seems, beginning as they're challenged with the conflicting emotions of endless guilt, poor understanding of the deeper realities, and the reluctance to accept their world as it is and, it seems, as it will always be, a world that may harm their hearts and destroy their bodies but has yet to numb their souls.

Right from the get-go, season five captures the very physical essence the show has to offer. The first episode is essentially a run-and-gun marathon that's endlessly bloody -- whether zombie gore or the violent ends of the living -- and reflective of the show's deeper theme that centers on man's inability to work together, to see eye-to-eye, to see his best come out when the worst surrounds him. Instead, as most every season has shown, the end of the world isn't merely concerned with the physical decay but rather than decline of man himself, reverting not even to the fringe base elements of his essence but, some, anyway, morphing into a disgusting creature that's really human in name and appearance only. The living have essentially turned into the dead -- almost in a literal sense considering the people in Terminus -- and as the season moves forward, it pushes through to explore man in various states of mental disfigurement from three perspectives, one a hierarchical group at a hospital influenced by power, the second a group attempting a return to some semblance of normalcy but doing so with an abundance of naiveté interfering with the dangerous reality that exists beyond the walls, and the third Rick's group that is, in many ways, a microcosm of the world around them but seeming always to end up doing the right thing, even if it costs them dearly in the end. In that sense, the show is superficially treading, for it, relatively well-worn ground, but it's met with an increased exploration of the very real inner consequences, the way the world isn't just shaping people in the moment but morphing them through long-term exposure to death, decay, personal loss, life as survival, and the very real feeling of hopelessness that seems ever-present, even when things superficially appear to be looking up.

Season five moves at a relentlessly quick pace. There's always a new development right around the corner, endless peril, and new surprises awaiting with each scene, never mind episode. A few expository scenes can drag, but the show is beautifully precise in its craftsmanship and ability to tell a complete, sweeping, dense, and detailed story that expands well beyond the borders of its group limits and into significantly deeper themes. Allusions abound throughout the season, particularly in Father Gabriel's church where a scripture pertaining to the body and blood of Christ features prominently, but there's almost countless more examples of nonreligious, but in many ways spiritual nonetheless, allusions that portend terrible things. It's not that The Walking Dead really needs to hint at what's coming -- fans know what to expect, and it's the specifics rather than the broad events that make it interesting -- but it has been, and here remains, a skillful manipulator that's completely unafraid of not only pushing the envelope, but ripping it apart, and with every episode, at that. Perhaps the season's best comes in "What Happened and What's Going On," an episode that embodies everything the show is about, both the physical and emotional distress the world has to offer as well as the technical details -- the acting, the direction, the set dressing, the visual effects -- that make it special. That said, season five is home to some terribly unconvincing digital effects that stand in stark contrast to the brilliance of its practical zombie makeup and gore. Various kills that go all-digital -- which is most of them, it seems -- can pull the audience out of the moment when soft, fuzzy, clearly fake blood and guts spill through the stage. A shot in which Daryl shoots a small creature in one of the later episodes is laughably bad, but that's a small gripe in an otherwise brilliant show and terrific season.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season follows in the footsteps of previous seasons with an attractive, mildly gritty, film-quality 1080p transfer. Grain is evenly distributed and consistent in volume. It looks good and helps accentuate the show's varied surfaces, including bloodied, sweaty, bruised, and worn faces that always seem covered in accumulated grime and filth; various examples of rough and worn and frayed attire; wooden pews in the church; trees and fallen leaves; woodland terrain; pavement; and even rusty railroad tracks. Image clarity is superb, and only a handful of shots ever push even the slightest bit soft. Colors are pleasant, engaging with a commendable evenness that manages to accentuate the rather dreary, uninviting general scheme but also popping with authority when gory oranges and reds dominate against the relatively earthy and gray backgrounds. Black levels are attractively deep and natural with only a mild push to purple evident in a couple of nighttime shots. Flesh tones appear natural to character complexion (and a fair bit of makeup). The picture suffers from no readily evident bouts of banding, aliasing, blocking, edge enhancement, or other unwanted intrusions. This is a glorious presentation that's arguably the best looking season of The Walking Dead yet.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season features an involved and engaging Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Music -- particularly the opening title music -- plays, as always, with a room-filling depth, easy spacing, well defined details, and a solid low end. The show takes place in a number of outdoor locations and presents ample opportunity for immersive atmospheric support. Light buzzing insect sounds, chirping birds, flowing water down a stream, rustling leaves, and other minor but mood-crucial elements play with unrivaled simplicity and accuracy with naturally scattered placement all over the stage. Distant gunfire pops here and there with commendable presence, and up-close shots, while perhaps not quite so pronounced and ear shattering as they should be, enjoy a good bit of heft and definition. Zombie moans and groans are perhaps the most chilling detail; whether up-close hissing or distant grunting, whether an individual walker or an entire herd, the track pulls the listener in with frightening realism every time the show's gory undead characters appear. Heavier effects are equally impressive, whether driving rain and booming thunder in episode ten or a few weighty explosions heard here and there throughout, the sense of power and definition that shape the track's most energetic moments are impressive. Dialogue is center-focused and enjoys natural clarity. This is a top-shelf winner of a soundtrack from Anchor Bay.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season contains several audio commentaries throughout the set. Disc five houses featurettes and deleted scenes. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Audio Commentaries:
  
  
  • Disc One: For "No Sanctuary:" Writer/Executive Producer Scott M. Gimple and Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd. Also for "No Sanctuary:" Executive Producer/Special Make-Up Artist/Director Greg Nicotero and Actor Melissa McBride.
  • Disc Two: For "Self Help:" Actors Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, and Alanna Masterson.
  • Disc Three: For "What Happened and What's Going On:" Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Artist/Director Greg Nicotero and Actor Chad L. Coleman. For "Them:" Director Julius Ramsay and Actors Norman Redus and Sonequa Martin-Green. For "Remember:" Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Artist/Director Greg Nicotero, Executive Producer Tom Luse, and Actor Danai Gurira.
  • Disc Four: For "Conquer:" Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Artist/Director Greg Nicotero and Writer/Executive Producer Scott M. Gimple.
• Inside The Walking Dead (1080i): Brief yet detailed plot recaps and character explorations for each episode. Included are "No Sanctuary" (5:56), "Strangers" (5:24), "Four Walls and a Roof" (4:54), "Slabtown" (4:18), "Self Help" (4:43), "Consumed" (5:27), "Crossed" (4:52), "Coda" (5:45), "What Happened and What's Going On" (3:57), "Them" (4:22), "The Distance" (4:30), "Remember" (4:15), "Forget" (4:44), "Spend" (3:08), "Try" (5:09), and "Conquer" (5:29).
• The Making of The Walking Dead (1080i): As opposed to story and theme recaps, this selection offers a more technical look at the making of each episode. Included are "No Sanctuary" (5:38), "Strangers" (4:39), "Four Walls and a Roof" (5:10), "Slabtown" (3:36), "Self Help" (3:52), "Consumed" (4:42), "Crossed" (4:17), "Coda" (2:54), "What Happened and What's Going On" (4:27), "Them" (3:44), "The Distance" (3:30), "Remember" (3:12), "Forget" (1:53), "Spend" (2:56), "Try" (2:47), and "Conquer" (2:52).
• The Making of Alexandria (1080i, 9:45): A closer look at building the location and its purpose in the season.
• Beth's Journey (1080i, 4:20): A closer look at this character's role in the season and series.
• Bob's Journey (1080i, 4:54): A closer look at this character's role in the season and series.
• Noah's Journey (1080i, 4:26): A closer look at this character's role in the season and series.
• Tyrese's Journey (1080i, 6:53): A closer look at this character's role in the season and series.
• A Day in the Life of Michael Cudlitz (1080i, 7:58): A quick peek into a day on the set of the actor who plays "Abraham."
• A Day in the Life of Josh McDermitt (1080i, 7:56): A quick peek into a day on the set of the actor who plays "Eugene."
• Rotters in the Flesh (1080i, 4:53): A closer look at some of the nastiest practical effects seen in season five.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Scenes from "Four Walls and a Roof" (2:14), "Crossed" (3:16), "Coda" (1:58), "Remember" (2:16), "Forget" (1:39), and "Spend" (4:35).

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With five seasons in the books, does The Walking Dead feel like it's run its course, hanging on by reputation and quality of production or is it clear that there's still more for it to do, more depths for it to explore, more pain for it to inflict? Narratively, season five is much more of the same, and even in terms of plot lines it's not particularly novel (the promise of a new sanctuary even comes into play later in the season, not unlike key plot drivers from several previous seasons). One might even say it's structurally a bit scattered, with multiple story lines and arcs and new characters and, sometimes, even timelines, and several of the threads are pretty easy to piece together even before they're fully realized. Yet that core allure remains, that artful manipulation, that ability to so effortlessly draw the audience into a terrible world, to inflict maximum pain and still keep its viewers coming back for more. It's a challenging show, far more for the emotional upheaval and less so for the gory visuals, of which there are many in every episode. Yet it's also incredibly rewarding, whether one watches for the core story and action or the more significant themes, or both. And with a new spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, it will be interesting to see how new characters in a new part of the world under different circumstances and challenges handle the situation, but one thing seems for sure: the draw of that beautifully inflicted pain will remain a centerpiece. The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season is another winner from Anchor Bay and a certainty to appear on the year-end top-ten list. Gorgeous video, excellent sound, and a nice variety of extra content round out a must-own package. The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season earns my highest recommendation.