Blu-ray Review Supernatural: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Citizen87645]

Supernatural: The Complete Ninth Season Blu-ray Review

The battle between Heaven and Hell rages on in Supernatural’s ninth season, and the Winchester Brothers continue to get caught in the angel and demon crossfire.

Studio: Warner Brothers

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 3.0 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Other

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese

Rating: Not Rated

Run Time: Approx. 16 Hrs.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, UltraViolet

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)

Region: A

Release Date: 09/09/2014

MSRP: $69.97

The Production Rating: 3.5/5

Angels now walk among us, but not by choice. Deceived by his fellow angel Metatron (Curtis Armstrong), Castiel (Misha Collins) inadvertently completed a spell that casts out all the angels from Heaven. His grace taken away in the process, Castiel now wanders the Earth as a human, with all the condition’s limitations and weaknesses. Castiel's now-fallen angel brethren know this and seek vengeance.Meanwhile, Sam (Jared Padalecki) lies in a coma, slowly dying from the demon trials he endured in his effort to permanently close the Gates of Hell. In desperation, Dean (Jensen Ackles) makes an open prayer to any angel who can help, which brings those looking for Castiel but also Ezekiel (Tahmoh Penikett), a loyal, heavenly soldier offering legitimate aid. His solution is not ideal however, requiring him to possess Sam to give him time to heal from the inside out. Possession requires hiding the truth from Sam though, meaning secrets once more begin to build between the brothers. As they continue their hunt for the demons loose on Earth, and try to survive attacks from the angels as well, it will become harder for Dean to hide Sam’s true condition and the bargain he struck with Ezekiel. The angel’s reasons for possessing Sam may also be less altruistic than they first appeared.The ninth season of the CW’s long-running occult drama walks a path similar to its last, building on the Heaven-and-Hell / angels-and-demons mythology that stretches back to the sixth season, but also rehashing well-worn, dysfunctional scenarios with the Winchesters’ easily fractured, fraternal relationship. But honestly, the Sam and Dean dynamics stopped being a critical part of the series long ago, making their sibling drama often plot filler, if not plot device. Fortunately, the show’s commitment to the Heaven and Hell storylines has meant the increased presence of the well-meaning, but often misguided, angel Castiel and the irredeemably evil demon Crowley, their prominence giving the show spirit in spite of the founding characters' now limited appeal. With a 10th season soon to debut, it’s doubtful the show will deviate too far from what has managed to keep it going for such a surprisingly long time. Diehard Supernatural fans aren’t likely to balk, but then again who else plans to watch the show at this stage of the game?Supernatural: The Complete Ninth Season includes the 23 episodes that originally aired on the CW in 2013 and 2014. The episodes are spread across four Blu-ray discs in the following arrangement:

• Disc One: Episodes 1-6
• Disc Two: Episodes 7-12
• Disc Three: Episodes 13-18
• Disc Four: Episodes 19-23

The 10th season of Supernatural is scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, October 7th at 9/8c on the CW.

Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA

The series is accurately framed at 1.78:1 and presented in 1080p with the AVC codec. Supernatural's cinematography has become less stylized compared to its early seasons, foregoing high contrast, sometimes black crushed, images for ones more natural or "accurate." Fine object detail remains excellent, particularly in skin and hair textures. The color palette tends to be limited, favoring dark colors and tones, but there's a satisfying level of depth across each of the episodes.

Audio Rating: 4.5/5

Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp, clear and intelligible. Support for the score in the surround channels is balanced and seamless, as are the occasionally aggressive atmospheric and directional effects. LFE is deep and robust, though – like the surround activity – somewhat measured in its application.

Special Features Rating: 3.5/5

The number of extras is somewhat reduced from past releases, though the “Men of Letters” interactive feature includes some interesting pieces.2013 Comic-Con Panel (28:51, HD): Includes showrunner Jeremy Carver, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, director Robert Singer, Misha Collins, and Mark Sheppard.Audio Commentaries:

• Episode 16: “Blade Runners”
• Episode 17: “Mother’s Little Helper”
• Episode 20: “Bloodlines”

Behind the Scenes of Supernatural: A Fan’s Perspective (18:26, HD): The mockumentary style behind-the-scenes is hosted by Misha Collins.The Men of Letters Interactive Set Experience: Explore the contents of the Men of Letters “batcave” bunker through the interactive feature. Includes set tours, video featurettes, and blueprints of the bunk. Gag Reel (8:28, HD)Unaired Scenes

• Episode 3 (:29, HD)
• Episode 8 (:52, HD)
• Episode 10 (1:22, HD)
• Episode 16 (1:56, HD)
• Episode 18 (4:15, HD)
• Episode 20 (:46, HD)
• Episode 21 (2:02, HD)
• Episode 22 (1:13, HD)

UltraViolet Digital Copy: Redeem by September 9, 2017.

Overall Rating: 4/5

Warner Home Video delivers another fine high definition presentation for the ninth season of the CW’s Supernatural. There aren’t as many extras this go-around, but what’s there should interest fans, who should have no reservations adding the title to their collections.

Reviewed By: Cameron Yee

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[Malcolm R]

Amazing that this show is still going. I remember when it first premiered. I really liked it, so I figured it would never be renewed. Then when the WB network converted to CW, I figured it would be a casualty then, too. But here we are, starting a 10th season.

The show is a long way away from it's original premise, but I still find it somewhat enjoyable (though the whole angels vs. demons thing is really played out).