8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking adventurer seeking to fulfill his destiny as a conqueror, alongside his ambitious brother Rollo and loyal wife Lagertha. Throughout his quest, Ragnar faces a path of betrayals and temptations to protect his freedom, family and life.
Starring: Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Jessalyn Gilsig, Gustaf SkarsgårdHistory | 100% |
Action | 97% |
Adventure | 88% |
War | 67% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A number of show business and/or entertainment news related websites have been touting the new Game of Thrones prequel that is slated to star Naomi Watts, a highly anticipated property that is arising like the phoenix from the already anxiety inducing but not quite real (yet) ashes of its progenitor. But for those dreading even a moment’s withdrawal symptoms from not having new subterfuges to watch in a feudal setting, Vikings perhaps astoundingly may manage to not just outlive the venerable HBO enterprise, but perhaps even outrun it in terms of number of seasons. As fans of the George R.R. Martin (and beyond) sagas no doubt know, Game of Thrones is slated to end after its eighth season, while Vikings has already been renewed for an upcoming sixth season, even though the show has hardly attracted the same kind of notice (not to mention nowhere near the ratings) that Game of Thrones has. Perhaps ironically in one way but understandably in another, Vikings tends to stumble at times in its quest to depict at least some characters who are ostensibly based on actual historical figures. It’s ironic since the annals of Norse history are filled with remarkable warriors and other notables, something which would seem on its battle scarred face to provide Vikings with a veritable field day of potential stories to explore. It’s understandable, though, since “historical epics” often seem to offer cardboard cutouts in the place of actual living, breathing humans. The emotions are often outsized in Vikings, and the show tries to ply the same sort of grandeur in terms of sets and costumes that Game of Thrones often does, but the outcome is perhaps less consistently engaging.
Vikings: Season 5, Volume 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Fox/MGM with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The IMDb lists a variety of Arri cameras as having digitally captured the imagery, with everything being finished at 2K DIs. This is an often really interesting looking series, one that emphasizes slate grays and cool blues and which almost resembles a just slightly colored black and white offering at times. The result is surprisingly well detailed almost all of the time, even despite some extremely dark (in terms of lighting) sequences. Everything from the ornately brocaded outfits to some of the almost baroque hairstyles have typically excellent fine detail and manage to weather the pretty severe grading on hand very well. Occasional "arty" framings and filming styles can introduce a hint of softness now and then (see screenshot 8), but on the whole this is a nicely sharp and well detailed presentation that has no compression anomalies.
Vikings: Season 5, Volume 1 features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The glut of outdoor material, not to mention some of the more action adventure set pieces, offer consistent opportunities for excellent placement of effects in the side and rear channels, and the series' nicely evocative score also tends to waft through the surround channels impressively. The series has enough action elements to at least intermittently engage some forceful LFE as well. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the episodes in this volume, and there are no problems of any kind to report.
Disc One
It's always a little dicey coming into a series this late in its life, as I did with this review, but kind of surprisingly (at least to me), Vikings provided a rather interesting if at times somewhat derivative feeling viewing experience. There is such a novelistic array of characters on hand here that it can be a bit of challenge to keep all of the interwoven subplots clear, but the series benefits from some extremely impressive performances, and the production design is also winning, if perhaps not quite at the opulent levels of a certain HBO series. The visual aesthetic of Vikings is one of its most notable features, and the good news is this set of Blu-ray discs preserves a really distinctive look with excellent looking transfers. The supplemental package here is a little on the sparse side, but otherwise Vikings: Season 5, Volume 1 comes Recommended.
2013
2013
2013
2014
2015
2016
2016
2018
2019-2020
2020-2021
2003
Director's Cut
2004
Director's Cut
2005
2006
2010
2010
2001
2006
The Ultimate Cut
2004
2007
2011
1995
2012
Director's Cut
2004
2011
2019
2000
2010-2013
Aoki Ôkami: chi hate umi tsukiru made
2007
Red Cliff Part II / Chinese Theatrical Version
2009