Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Gangster > Drama > Cable TV > The Sopranos: The Complete Series (1999 - 2007/HBO Blu-ray Box Set)

The Sopranos: The Complete Series (1999 - 2007/HBO Blu-ray Box Set)

Picture: A- Sound: A- Extras: B Episodes: A



Hands down, one of the best television series of all time.

The Sopranos was a landmark series that changed television forever; not only for HBO, but for every and any series that would come after it. The Sopranos showed the world that there was a creativity of expression available on the television medium beyond sitcoms of the past and even beyond cinema itself.

The series used the tagline 'Family. Redefined.' and that is the truth. The Sopranos took what could have been a very stereotypical, violent mob series and created something wonderfully familiar, but concurrently distant. As the series kicks off we are introduced to Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a powerful mob boss who (now seeing a psychiatrist) is trying to come to grips with his life. As previously mentioned, The Sopranos is unlike any mob series or film that audiences had seen before and the funny part is that Tony wants his life to be like those familiar films or stories. He longs for 'the glory days' when a man could be a man and being in the mob meant something; at least that is what he tells his psychiatrist. Here is where the 'familiar' part comes in as we are shown that life is not like the movies or those tall tales we were all sold; life is hard, dark, gritty, and full of strife. Nothing is handed to you and you have to fight for what you want and to keep what you have; something that is even for those that live in a life immersed in crime.

It was no easy task to become one of (if not THE) best American crime dramas of all time. It was through its use of the family within THE FAMILY style that made the series so incredibly engrossing and memorable. This is to say, even the mob husbands have to take out the trash and mob kids get bad grades. The seemingly simple things in life were simultaneously simple and complicated as the Sopranos had to go through the daily routine of life (pretending to be normal), while also keeping up appearances in their second family.

In the past, television series were somewhat restrained, with little exploration of the inner workings of individuals and groups and films only gave that 1-2 hour glimpse into a situation or life; with the coming of The Sopranos everything changed as we as an audience went through their lives with the characters. We learned with them, we developed with them, and had an emotional investment (as if we were there) in their lives.

It is no surprise that David Chase had created such a thoroughly gripping, twisting tale as he had worked on other series as a staff writer/producer/editor that had hints of greatness themselves such as Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Northern Exposure. Chase started working on The Sopranos in concept as early as 1995; originally conceived as a feature length film, before convinced to adapt to a premium network television series (HBO took forever to show the pilot, not thinking they had a hit). It is well known that Chase used his own life experiences growing up in New Jersey, fascination with the mob, and own emotional issues with his mother (and subsequent use of a psychiatrist) that inspired him in creating The Sopranos. The vibrant cast of characters and the exploration of their instability, both the inside and out, made the series a hit.

From the pilot onward each episode was a shocker; revealing more and more about the individuals. Whereas the action and crime in the series was surely captivating; it was perhaps the inner turmoil and relationships that kept audiences coming back for more. As previously mentioned, the highly detailed, gritty emotional series that exist today like that of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead would not exist without The Sopranos. The Sopranos exemplified that audiences wanted more from their TV shows and there was no turning back.

Contained in a large Blu-ray box that holds all six seasons (27 discs) of the award winning series the set is beautifully displayed, while concurrently saving viewers shelf space. The picture is presented in a 1080p, AVC encoded MPEG-4, 1.78 x 1 aspect ratio coupled with a lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) 5.1 mix; both of which are near perfection. The image is crisp, clean, and clear from episode one to episode eighty six. Fine detail is observed throughout, seeing every wrinkle, blood speck, and hair with ease. The colors are fantastically bold, with framing/inky black levels to heighten the already wonderful image quality. There was a stylistic choice from the beginning (by the creators/cinematography) to go heavy on the filters at times; in the end giving the series a somewhat bright hue or aura at times. This is most likely to play around with the 'out of body' or psychiatric elements the series explored, but (whereas not distracting) is noticeable. The sound is spot on as it properly prioritizes from beginning to end; with crisp dialogue, solid ambience, and (at times) immersive action. The music (being very timely) in each episode shines on this presentation as it projects cleanly and clearly with no issues to mention. The voices and activities of the Mafia life surround the viewer, making it seem as though we are in the heart of the action.

The extra features nicely flesh out the series offering fans such things as audio commentaries, deleted scenes, interviews, and much more. Extras are:

  • 25 Audio Commentaries with a mix of writers, director, cast, and crew

  • Interviews

  • Behind the Scenes featurette

  • Lost/Deleted/Extended Scenes

  • Music of The Sopranos featurette

  • Defining a Television Landmark

  • Supper with the Sopranos

  • Alec Baldwin Interviews David Chase (2 parts)



Again, The Sopranos is one of the best series to ever air on TV. If you are a longtime fan or have never seen the series, now is the time to buy this wonderfully constructed Blu-ray set.

    - Michael P. Dougherty II


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com