Walker: Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Walker: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 29, 2024

Jared Padalecki was half of the one-two punch that was Supernatural's Winchester Bros. Along with Jensen Ackles's grim-n-gruff fan-favorite Dean, Padalecki's soft-hearted Sam traversed the countryside hunting, battling and staking everything from vamps to angels to other creatures of lore, all of which was more compelling than the reboot of Walker. Nothing against the former Sammy W, but he's decidedly miscast as the CW's Cordell Walker, the iconic Texas Ranger Chuck Norris immortalized in the '90s over the course of nine seasons and more than two-hundred episodes. Norris wasn't as natural an actor as Padalecki, but he nailed stoicism and hard-kicking toughness with ease. The new Walker is... tamer, warmer, more cuddly and certainly less worthy of the hundreds of Chuck Norris jokes the elder statesman of asskickery embodied. It's hardly Padalecki's fault. He does fine work with what he's handed. The series would actually be a notch better if it were named something entirely different, rather than drawing comparisons to its predecessor. But marketing is as marketing does. Episodic lawman-ing could certainly be worse.

Walker, a reimagining of the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-2001), stars Jared Padalecki (Supernatural) as Cordell Walker, a widower and father with his own moral code. Upon returning home to Austin, Texas, after being undercover for nearly a year, he discovers there’s harder work to be done at home as he attempts to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son, August (Kale Culley), and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenaged daughter, Stella (Violet Brinson). At work, Walker’s former colleague, Larry James (Coby Bell), is now his Ranger Captain, and both men need time to adjust to their new dynamic. Walker also finds unexpected common ground with his new partner, Micki Ramirez (Lindsey Morgan), one of the first women in Texas Rangers history. The intense first season closely follows Walker as he takes on new challenges while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.

While not all the series' criticism should be directed at Padalecki, his baby-faced charms, aw-shucks mannerisms and at-times oddly whiny emoting does little for the Walker mythos, much less Norris's rugged appeal and no-nonsense, kick-punch-repeat charisma. It pairs marginally well with the character as reimagined by showrunner Anna Fricke, but it lacks grit and strength, emphasizing Walker's family man roots while pairing his tale with struggles that are a bit too messy for messy's sake. Not all TV heroes need complications ad nauseum, nor does every gunslinger require the most pressing reasons to draw down. (Especially in Texas.) Here, though, so much time is invested in making Walker relatable that the writers forget to make him fun. Or enviable. The kinda guy you'd hope to be on your best day if trapped in an alley with a gang of thugs. The supporting cast isn't much help in that regard either, hewing much too close to the typical CW bench-sitters that litter every other modestly budgeted crime procedural and episodic neo-western. Very little leaps off the screen, and less has personality or, better still, the sort of moxie you can't quite put your finger on but can roundhouse kick the hell out of a baddie. Again, Norris wasn't what you think of when the word Emmy comes to mind, nor was the original Walker, Texas Ranger anything other than a predictable '90s cornball action romp. But it mattered, dammit. Somehow. Wait... did it? Or was I just fourteen and going along for the ride?

Whatever the case, the new Walker isn't going to earn a whole lot beyond further seasons on the CW. It's fine. The writing's fine, the action's fine (sparse as it is), the acting's fine, the storylines are fine, the moral compassing is fine, the drama is, well, fine enough. Perhaps a shorter episode count -- ten rather than eighteen to twenty -- would give the writers' room more focus; force the team to pack more impact into each episode. As is, though, the plotting is languid and the pacing is as slow as a tumblin' tumbleweed. The martial artistry (the former series' mainstay) lags and lacks too, with Padalecki and company giving their all on a few sequences but mainly relying on gunplay, stuntwork, quick cuts and modern editing to cover the seams. With more dramatic and action-oriented power, it all might go or get somewhere. Instead it moseys along without a care in the world, even while it pantomimes care, danger, stakes, heart and humor to inconsistent ends. I can't overstate: Walker isn't a bad show. Simply an average one. Great for a rainy day when there's nothing else to watch, but a waste of time if your queue is piling up with must-watch shows you don't want spoiled on your social media feeds.

Walker: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Walker doesn't break the CW mold, eschewing cinematic flair in favor of paint-by-number digital photography. It doesn't look bad... it just doesn't look all that good either. Fortunately, Paramount's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is technically sound, remaining faithful to the original image and keeping the likes of banding, blocking and other unsightly anomalies at bay. The series' palette is full of rich color and bold primary power, yet skin tones remain lovely and lifelike throughout, as does contrast, which is consistent and consistently pleasing across all eighteen first season episodes. Black levels are nice and deep, even though they never entirely bottom out or boast inkiness, and delineation is decent (despite a spike in noise when the lights drop low). Detail is striking throughout as well, with crisp edges and refined textures. Nothing here will drop your jaw but it is all clean and precise. All told, Walker couldn't look much better than it does here. My only gripe? Paramount has released Season One with four BD-R 50 discs, which aren't known for playing nicely with every Blu-ray player (Xboxes especially). Season Two features standard BD-50 discs, though. Hopefully any future seasons will follow suit.

Walker: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Walker's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is more than adequate for the task at hand... which involves far more quiet conversations than fans of the original series will expect. Padalecki and company engage in tons of family drama and conflict. Only a small part of the show is devoted to action, and even then it arrives in short, explosive bursts that disappear as quickly as they appeared. LFE output is strong and weighty in these all too brief moments, but largely presents reserved low-end support elsewhere. Likewise, the rear speakers deliver plenty of convincing environmental effects and ambient directional subtleties. But typically episodes are quite front-heavy, with conversations and music dominating the soundscape. Immersion is still on point, just only insofar as the series' sound design allows. Still, this is Walker as conceived and executed, so it's hard to fault Paramount's lossless audio for any disappointment.

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

• Featurettes (HD, 11 minutes) - A pair of short EPK featurettes.

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 9 minutes) - An assortment of deleted scenes spread across all four discs.

• Gag Reel (HD, 8 minutes)

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

Season Two is a better outing than Season One, but Walker's 18-episode introduction still has enough to draw viewers in and keep them around. Is it a great show? No, too predictable, too tropey, and too slow-paced to really grab you. But it's all fine; the kind of fine that makes for a decent rainy day viewing when there isn't much else to watch. Paramount's Blu-ray release, meanwhile, is pretty good, with a faithful AV presentation bolstered by a strong video transfer. More supplements would've helped increase the value of the 4-disc release, but ah well.