Time Warp: Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Time Warp: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

John Woo would be proud...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 16, 2009

A sputtering chainsaw falls past a grown man's face. A nail gun fires into a slab of raw meat. An unprotected hand inches dangerously close to a spinning tablesaw. Shattered glass rains down to the floor. Before long, arrows fly, hatchets land, electricity surges, fire erupts, swords swing, power tools roar, bone splinters, muscle tears, and blood flows. No, I'm not trudging through director Marcus Nispel's divisive reboot of the Friday the 13th series or any of its rather redundant predecessors -- I'm spending quality time with the first season of MIT whizkid Jeff Lieberman and co-host Matt Kearney's Time Warp, an unexpectedly enthralling Discovery Channel show that uses high-speed cameras to reveal the extraordinary within the mundane.

Despite several warnings, I decided to try this at home. It didn't end so well...

From splintering windows to bursting balloons, sloshing water to card-flinging tricksters, and graceful hummingbirds to brazen warriors, Lieberman and Kearney manage to capture some truly amazing sights. Over the course of twenty episodes -- the aptly titled "Stone Breaking," "Dry Ice Bomb," "Fuel Girls," "Taser," "Human Crash Test Dummy," "Samurai Sword Master," "Trial Bikes," "Free Runner," "Liquid Nitrogen," "Bullwhip," "Paintball," "Breakdancing," "Traps," "Cheerleading," "Sharpshooter," "Barefooter," "Stuntmen," "Body Modification," "Lawn Tools," and, one of my personal favorites, "Will it Blend?" -- the series' jovial dynamic duo wince and cheer their way through a variety of everyday events that most people tend to take for granted. A punch doesn't simply connect with a boxer's face, it briefly liquefies his skin and distorts his every feature. A blaring speaker covered in white fluid doesn't vibrate, it turns into a bizarre dance party of misshapen figures who spill and tumble toward the ground. A bullet doesn't just sail through a pool of water, it creates a spinning vortex that adjusts the projectile's course in a matter of microseconds. Through it all, Lieberman and Kearney's cameras catch every detail, transforming even the most familiar objects into new and wondrous discoveries.

More importantly, Time Warp is an entertaining and educational show the entire family can enjoy. My four-year-old son was just as transfixed by the on-screen imagery as I was: we laughed, clapped, and marveled at the breathtaking insanity of it all, usually in unison. Had you walked into my basement at the time, you would have had trouble deciphering who was the parent and who was the child. Moreover, it gave him countless opportunities to ask questions he had never asked, and gave me the opportunity to explore subjects I've overlooked time and time again. Yes, you'll need to remind your kids how important it is to avoid trying any of what they're about to see, and yes, you'll need to be judicious about which episodes you allow younger children to watch, but Time Warp is an altogether rewarding experience that will appeal to everyone, regardless of age. My only complaint is that Lieberman and Kearney's enthusiasm occasionally feels a tad contrived (as does their incessant need to insert themselves into the fray). I'm sure their excitement is genuine most of the time (how could it not be in the face of so many maniacally madcap experiments?), but there aren't many people who would be as enraptured by the nuances of a rolling bowling ball as these two appear to be.

With a successful second season already underway, Time Warp is, without a doubt, worth your time. Following in the relatively rambunctious footsteps of Mythbusters, Lieberman and Kearney's experiments in high-speed photography amount to a fast and addictive jaunt through a world invisible to the naked eye. Give it a try and see if you're are as susceptible to its charms as me. I doubt you'll regret it.

Time Warp: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 2-disc Blu-ray edition of Time Warp: Season One arrives from Image Entertainment with a somewhat aggravating 1080i/AVC-encoded transfer that, were it not for the series' limited production values and use of various video sources, would probably draw more ire from fans and videophiles like myself. As low budget television shows go, Time Warp features a fairly decent, even passable high definition presentation that offers backyard-scientists strong colors, vibrant contrast, and sharp detailing (particularly compared to its standard DVD and broadcast counterparts). Unfortunately, each episode is burdened with artifacting, ringing, rampant noise, oversaturated skintones, aliasing, banding, and a variety of other digital anomalies that consistently distract from the series' fascinating experiments and stunning high-speed photography. I suspect the discs' producers did everything they could to prime the show for this release, but it doesn't make the resulting transfer any easier to endure. Ultimately, shrug your shoulders, align your expectations, and do your best to enjoy Time Warp in spite of its problematic presentation.

Time Warp: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I have to admit I was surprised Image Entertainment took the time to mint a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track for Time Warp's Blu-ray debut. Not only do smaller studios generally reserve high-dollar treatments for their most profitable releases, the series' original sound design is too simplistic to take advantage of such an able-bodied lossless mix. Dialogue is consistent, clean, and well-prioritized, but lends itself to a front-heavy experience. LFE support injects a welcome amount of weight and presence into explosions and effects, but fails to make low-end tones as stable or consistent as I would have preferred. Notable rear speaker activity makes Lieberman's bombastic experiments seem more immersive, but isn't nearly as effective when it comes to enhancing the subtleties of the show's otherwise shallow acoustics. In the end, despite all of the track's bitrate bells and well-bred whistles, Time Warp still sounds like a low-budget television series... just one that boasts a proficient lossless audio mix.

Time Warp: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from the series' Pilot Episode, the 2-disc Blu-ray edition of Time Warp: Season One doesn't include any special features.

Time Warp: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Far from the repetitive gimmick I initially thought it would be, Time Warp is actually a fun, fascinating, family-friendly glimpse into the unseen. While its Blu-ray debut struggles with a few troublesome video issues, a slightly underwhelming DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a lack of proper supplemental material, the series itself is still strong enough to warrant some consideration. Give it a shot and see what you think.