Blood Ties – The Complete Series (2007 – 2008/Eagle Blu-ray Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: C+
A show
that almost works is better than one that is a dud from the start and Blood Ties is such a show. Lasting two seasons, we covered both in
separate DVD editions and now, Eagle Vision is issuing the show on Blu-ray as
well as combining all DVDs in one set.
Our separate DVD coverage is as follows:
Season One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8644/Blood+Ties+%E2%80%93+Season+On
Season Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9104/Blood+Ties+%E2%80%93+Season+Tw
As I
explained before, the first season was not bad and had promise, but the writers
and producers took the show into the wrong direction in the second season and
killed the show. That is a shame,
because it could have been more than a redux of Forever Knight and many police shows of recent times. Made in Canada, it was no threat to X-Files or Kolchak: The Night Stalker, but could have been a solid show I the
long term. As you start to watch the
second season, you start to realize they have lost some of what worked to begin
with and things slowly go downhill from there.
This is
one of the first Canadian TV shows to make it to Blu-ray and the 1080i
letterboxed 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is a little better than the
DVD versions, but not by much. The
improvements are noticeable if you have seen the DVDs, but is still
disappointing because older HD video was used to shoot the show and digital
video effects are noticeably phonier as a result. The second season only looks minutely clearer
than the first. The DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 2.0 Stereo on all the episodes is not credited properly on the back of
the case, which suggests this set is repeating the same Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo from the DVDs when it is not. The
DTS logo is on the actual BD-50 Blu-ray discs, though. It is warmer and richer than the DVD’s Dolby
tracks, though still not state of the art.
Extras include all that appeared on those DVD sets plus an episode guide
booklet.
Now we’ll
see if Blu-ray gets the show a new audience.
If any of the stars (Christina Cox, Kyle Schmid, Dylan Neal) go onto
bigger success elsewhere, the show will be a curio. If you like Buffy, Supernatural, Angel or similar genre shows, you’ll
likely enjoy Blood Ties. Plus, a vampire comic book artist is an idea
perfect for the Horror crowd, especially one who fights evil.
- Nicholas Sheffo
