Prison Break – Season Three (Blu-Ray/20th Century Fox)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B- Episodes: B-
The
breakout hit FOX series Prison Break
returns to Blu-Ray for a climactic Third
Season. Whereas a previous reviewer
called the series ‘trash TV,’ ‘shallow,’ and ‘bound to implode,’ this reviewer
only sees the series improving with time.
There is no doubt that the series is a farfetched venture in action
television; the outlandish and dramatic nature of the series only makes it that
much more appealing. With the
superfluous amount of reality television that is hitting the airwaves in 2008,
it is series such as Prison Break
that keep television grounded by showing that a fun series can exist without
delving into the realm of unnecessary and vulgar debauchery.
Prison
Break is a series that the viewer must watch from beginning to end without
missing a beat; the Third Season is
no place to jump in. The Third Season of Prison Break opens
where Season Two left off (not
reviewed on this site), with Schofield in Sona Prison (in Panama) and Burrows
on the outside after being exonerated at the end of Season Two. Schofield is
hired by ‘The Company’ that kidnapped his son (LJ) and lover (Sara) and is told
to break a fellow prisoner named James Whistler out of Sona. The trick to Sona Prison, however, is that it
is totally run by the prisoners on the inside and only guarded around
penitentiary’s parameter; this due to a riot a few years earlier. While Schofield plays his hand on the inside,
Burrows keeps the wheels turning on the outside to help his brother out in any
way possible; meaning dealing with certain dangerous and heinous individuals
from The Company. The season is full of
cliff hangers, double crosses, and a plethora of other tense moments; something
no fan wants to miss.
Whereas
the abbreviated season (due to the writers’ strike) seems a bit rushed at times
with one catastrophic event occurring after the next, the season still comes
out on top as being entertaining and well written. At no point does any episode seem frivolous
or poorly executed, each episode adding its own value to the overall story arch
of the series. The series harks back to
old prison or pirate escape films that whereas very outlandish at times, the
viewer still believes that on some level each event could really occur. Well done.
The
technical features on this 13 episode 4-Disc set are quite good and an upgrade
from the Season Two Blu-Ray
release. The picture is a solid upgrade
in its 1.78 X 1 AVC @26 MBPS presentation having a wonderfully full color
palate, great picture depth, solid blacks, and no little to no distortion. The sound is once again presented as a DTS HD
5.1 Master Lossless Audio track that projects with a much fuller and precise
sound then the series has ever had to date.
The dialogue has a good punch and the action sequences as well as the
peripheral sounds are clear and booming.
Overall, the Third Season is
an upgrade form Season One’s Blu-Ray
release, but where is Season Two?
The
extras are not immense or thrilling, but there are a few to wet fans
appetites. The special features include Season 3: Orientacion Featurette, Breakout
Episode Featurette, Director’s Takes Featurette, and Between Takes Featurette.
Each featurette is full of interesting comments by cast, writers,
director, and more. The featurettes
essentially cover the whole season overview, a single pivotal episode, the
director’s thoughts, and a bunch of behind the scenes with the cast and crew features. Interesting, but this reviewer would not say
they hold a great rewatchable quality.
Prison Break: Season Three is a beyond amazing trip and
Blu-Ray is definitely the way to take that trip.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
