Shark Week – The Great Bites Collection (Discovery Channel/Image Blu-ray + DVD Set)

 

Picture: B/C+     Sound: B/B-     Extras: C+     Episodes: B-

 

 

Though still portraying sharks as only menacing, Shark Week – The Great Bites Collection is a good collection of Discovery Channel shows in which Les Stroud and others show how to deal with and hopefully survive any encounters with the creatures.  Not that they are all waiting in the water to automatically kill you, but it helps ratings and sales to sensationalize anything.  Still, the six hour-long shows are well-made and now on Blu-ray and DVD from Image Entertainment.

 

Though it seems a little dated after the underrated documentary Sharkwater by Rob Stewart, it can be compelling viewing.  For more on Sharkwater and what it argues against demonizing sharks, try this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6839/Sharkwater+(2007/DVD-Video

 

 

The six shows include:

 

Surviving Sharks

How Not To Become Shark Bait

Mysteries Of The Shark Coast

MythBusters: Shark Special 2 (where is the first one?)

Day Of The Shark

Dirty Jobs: Greenland Shark Quest

 

 

The 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image may be a little soft here and there, but it looks very good, including consistent color and some depth.  The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 DVD is much poorer with weak Video Black, aliasing errors and you could never imagine the Blu-ray would look that much better, but it does.  The Blu-ray’s DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is pretty good for a show with location sound, not relying on the music to fill the surrounds all the time.  The DVD’s Dolby Digital 5.1 mix holds up better against the DTS, but is no match for it in giving one the feeling of being there.

 

Extras in both formats (all low definition in both cases) include two more Dirty Jobs installments (Jobs That Bite, Jobs That Bite… Harder) and Shark Attack Files IV: Summer Of The Shark rounding out a more ambitious than usual such TV release with enough science to take it seriously.  If only they could change the sometimes panicked attitude.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo