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WARNER

SERIES INFO

Created By:
Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg
Cast:
Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood
Writing Credits:
Various

Synopsis:
The adventures of Superman's cousin in her own superhero career.

MPAA:
Rated NR

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 1015 min.
Price: $44.98
Release Date: 9/17/2019

Bonus:
• Deleted Scenes
• “Inside the Crossover” Featurette
• “Modes of Persuasion” Featurette
• Gag Reel
• “Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels 2018”


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Supergirl: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-Ray] (2018-19)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (September 12, 2019)

Time for more heroics via Season Four of Supergirl. This four-disc set includes 24 episodes, a run that also features crossover programs from other DC series. The plot synopses come from the package’s liner notes.

American Alien: “Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) is called into action when Cadmus sows fear.”

The episode digs into the notion of hate crimes and the integration of aliens, themes that could make “American” seem timely. Instead, it seems preachy and obvious. A few good threads emerge but the episode comes across as too pedantic.

Fallout: “Supergirl sets out to capture Mercy Graves (Rhona Mitra).”

The anti-immigrant analogies continue apace here, with about the same results. Again, we find a few useful moments but the heavy-handed nature of “Fallout” causes problems.

Man of Steel: “Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer) transforms into a villainous Agent Liberty.”

For a series that seems to support the pro-immigrant side, “Steel” feels like an odd choice, as it appears to justify the bigots. I guess someone thought this would be a good way to balance the series’ opinions, but it ends up akin to an apology for prejudice.

Despite my issues with the themes, “Steel” becomes interesting as a flashback/origin story. Even with its spotty ideas, the show turns into the most interesting episode of this season to date.

Ahmisa: “J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) encounters Manchester Black (David Ajala).”

Although J’onn becomes arguably the series’ most three-dimensional character, Supergirl tends to make him feel dull. That becomes an issue here, as the generally bland take on this role drags down the overall narrative.

Parasite Lost: “Colonel Haley (April Parker Jones) makes a surprising decision.”

Though he comes across like an outcast from X-Men, at least Parasite creates a fairly intriguing villain. I really wish Season Four would move on from the “Trump’s America” analogies, but I have a bad feeling these themes will dominate the whole year.

Call to Action: “Kara Danvers feels down after her debate with Lockwood.”

Some other series might be able to pull off the social commentary attempted in S4, but Supergirl isn’t the one to do it. I understand why the “Apple pie” environment of the character seems ripe for this material in a way other DC series might not, but the series’ writers can’t muster the necessary insight, so we end up with bland, superficial stories like “Action”.

Rather the Fallen Angel: “James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) falls in deeper with the Children of Liberty.”

That implies James starts to embrace the CoL’s nativism, but “Angel” doesn’t follow that path at all. Instead, it goes for fairly easy concepts and becomes another lackluster episode.

Bunker Hill: “Nia Nal (Nicole Maines) begins to embrace her powers.”

Nia offers S4’s most prominent new characters, and “Hill” allows her to develop some. That doesn’t make her an especially compelling role, though, so don’t expect much from “Hill”. More screen time with Brainiac helps, at least – he’s the series’ best character.

Elseworlds: “Barry (Grant Gustin) and Oliver (Stephen Amell) wake up to find they've swapped bodies, but Team Flash doesn't believe them, so the two heroes travel to Smallville on Earth-38 to get help from Supergirl.”

The DC TV universe loves its series-spanning stories, and the three-part “Elseworlds” fills that slot for 2018-19. In earlier years, Warner forced fans to own all the Blu-ray releases to see the whole package, a factor that meant you might miss some parts.

As was the case with Season Three’s “Crisis on Earth-X, S4 delivers the whole three-part “Elseworlds” saga. Don’t expect the whole thing to make sense if you watch it out of step with the other series, though.

Despite these annoyances, “Elseworlds” offers satisfying adventure. The first two parts fare best and become consistently delightful, whereas the third episode gets a little bogged down in the confusing complexities of the plot. Nonetheless, “Elseworlds” adds up to a highly entertaining crossover package.

Suspicious Minds: “Colonel Haley is determined to find out Supergirl’s identity.”

Stories related to the potential reveal of secret identities act as a decades-old superhero trope, and “Minds” brings nothing new to the table. It also works worse than usual because of Benoist – no one notices that Kara and Supergirl have the same scar near their eyebrows? “Minds” moves along some other areas but doesn’t really go anywhere.

Blood Memory: “Nia and Kara visit Nia’s hometown.”

For a while, it appears “Memory” will essentially bypass S4’s usual anti-alien theme, and I like that side of the show, as it’s nice to avoid these overbearing overtones. “Memory” eventually throws some of that material at us, but it’s still a better than average show because it explores Nia’s role.

Menagerie: “When Kara teams up with J’onn, they cross paths with Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Menagerie (Jessica Meraz).”

That synopsis feels misleading, as it implies Alex and Chyler form a team though they don’t. “Menagerie” turns into more of a mystery thriller than usual, and it actually moves along the Children of Liberty elements in a fairly satisfying manner. I wouldn’t call it a great show, but it’s pretty good.

What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?: “Manchester Black breaks out of prison with The Elite.”

When “Truth” indulges Black and his crew, it works well. Supergirl can feel bland at times, and the Elite spice up matters. They’re enough to bring some life to S4.

Stand and Deliver: “Supergirl takes a stand against Lockwood at an anti-alien rally.”

When “Deliver” digs into the Elite, it works well, but when it goes into its heavy-handed immigration themes, it sputters – again. The former still entertains enough to redeem the show.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?: “Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) visits his sister Lena (Katie McGrath) to seek her help.”

Supergirl likes its connection to other Super-films, and that occurs here, as Cryer played Lex’s sidekick in 1987’s catastrophic Superman IV. Though this qualifies as stunt casting, Cryer does fine in the part, though he doesn’t threaten to make us forget Gene Hackman.

Despite that infusion of guest star power, “Brother” feels less than engaging. We get more melodrama than I’d like, and an emphasis on boring J’onn doesn’t help, though it ends on a tantalizing note.

The House of L: “Lex continues to wreak havoc.”

“House” acts as a flashback episode to set up Lex’s current shenanigans as well as the development of the “Russian Supergirl” S4 has teased occasionally. It delves into these areas well and becomes a satisfying tale that points us toward further drama in the future.

All About Eve: “Supergirl faces the destructive aftermath of Lex’s plans.”

I do enjoy the way that S4 brought in the classic team of Lex, Miss Tessmacher and Otis, so those moments add spark to “Eve”. Unfortunately, much of the rest plods into melodrama, so this becomes a spotty show, though some vivid action at the end redeems it.

Crime and Punishment: “Supergirl and Lena search for clues on how to defeat Lex.”

“Crime” feels like a plot-thickener, and it pursues that path pretty well. Throw in some good action and “Crime” moves along S4 well.

American Dreamer: “Dreamer takes over as Kara tries to clear Supergirl’s name.”

As I’ve noted, S4 works worst when it gets heavy-handed, and “Dreamer” suffers from that issue. It comes across more like an editorial than a compelling story.

Will the Real Miss Tessmacher Please Stand Up?: “Miss Tessmacher (Andrea Brooks) sets a trap for Kara and Lena.”

That side of “Real” ramps up the tension and helps the overall story progress. A detour about Alex’s pursuit of motherhood feels less compelling, but most of the episode achieves its goals.

Red Dawn: “Supergirl engages in an epic battle with Red Daughter.”

With little time left in S4, “Dawn” ramps up the action via the inevitable Supergirl vs. “Supergirl” fight. Though I’m not wild about the choreography in use, these parts still fare pretty well, and they carry us toward the finale.

The Quest for Peace: “Lex returns.”

Is it really a good idea to give this episode a title that hearkens back to the disastrous Superman IV? Probably not, but even with that cursed moniker, “Quest” concludes the season on a high note.

Its lows mean S4 doesn’t dazzle, but at least it picks up as it goes. Throw in a good guest turn from Jon Cryer as Superman’s most famous foe and there’s enough here to keep us engaged.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B+/ Bonus B-

Supergirl appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Like prior packages, Season Four came with very good picture quality.

Overall delineation seemed strong. A handful of wide shots gave us a smidgen of softness, but definition usually appeared tight and accurate. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I witnessed no edge haloes or source flaws.

S4 delivered a palette that leaned on teal and amber. The discs reproduced those colors with good fidelity.

Blacks appeared dark and dense, while shadows seemed clear and smooth. This was a satisfying visual presentation.

Fans who saw prior years will also know what to expect from S4’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio. Given the series’ TV roots, the soundscapes didn’t dazzle, but they opened up the shows well.

This meant a reasonable amount of action from the various speakers. The mixes concentrated on the front but they added a fair level of involvement from the back speakers. These tracks created a pretty good sense of place and popped up life during fight sequences.

Audio quality worked fine. Music was full and lively, while speech became natural and distinctive.

Effects appeared accurate and dynamic, with good range. While the audio’s TV origins held back its potential some, the tracks still added life to the shows.

35 Deleted Scenes come from 15 episodes. These fill a total of 22 minutes, 31 seconds.

As you can tell from the overall running time, the average deleted scene runs around 40 seconds. Of course, length varies, as some barely last five seconds and some go well past the one-minute mark, but we find nothing really substantial here.

That means the scenes tend toward minor additions and marginal exposition. Some added material with Lex and Lena proves valuable but much of the content remains forgettable and superfluous.

On Disc One, we find Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2018. In this one-hour, 59-second program, we hear from Supergirl’s Mehcad Brooks, Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Katie McGrath, Robert Rovner, David Harewood, Jessica Queller, Sarah Schechter, Nicole Maines and Jesse Rath, Arrow’s Beth Schwartz, Rick Gonzalez, Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey, Echo Kellum, Colton Haynes, and Juliana Harkavy, Black Lightning’s Cress Williams, Nalessa Williams, China Anne McClain, Salim Akil, James Remar, Mara Brock Akil, Christine Adams, Damon Gupton, and Marvin Krondon Jones, Flash’s Grant Gustin, Candice Owens, Tom Cavanagh, Carlos Valdes, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Danielle Nicolet, Hartley Sawyer, Danielle Panabaker, and Todd Helbing, and Legends of Tomorrow’s Matt Ryan, Brandon Royth, Dominic Purcell, Courtney Ford, Phil Klemmer, Tala Ashe, Keto Shimizu, Jes Macallan, Nick Zano, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Adam Tsekhman.

In each segment, we get some general thoughts about each of the series and their then-current seasons. They tend to be fluffy and mainly oriented at promotion and praise.

Disc Two brings us Inside the Crossover, a 45-minute program that involves Arrow executive producer Beth Schwartz, Flash executive producer Todd Helbing, Supergirl executive producer Robert Rovner, Batwoman executive producer Caroline Dries and consulting producer Marc Guggenheim.

The show runners go over various aspects of the “Elseworlds” episodes and all their complications. Much of this leans toward happy talk, but we still get a pretty decent overview of the challenges and production details.

As we shift to Disc Three, Villains: Modes of Persuasion goes for 38 minutes, five seconds and features Helbing, Rovner, Guggenheim, Krypton executive producer David S. Goyer, Gotham executive producer John Stephens, licensed clinical psychologist Andrea Letamendi, writer Seth Boston, Arrow producer Oscar Balderrama, and actors Robin Lord Taylor, Cory Michael Smith and Ben McKenzie.

Like the title indicates, “Modes” covers various baddies across the DC TV series. It brings us a fairly insightful take on the characters and their usage.

Finally, Disc Four provides a Gag Reel. It lasts seven minutes, 28 seconds and delivers the usual array of goofs and giggles. It’s way too long to be interesting.

One complaint about the set’s extras: outside of the deleted scenes and the gag reel, all the programs also appear on other 2019 DC TV Blu-ray releases. It disappoints that fans who buy all of them come with the same features.

With an overall narrative that reflects current social/political domains, Season Four of Supergirl can feel heavy-handed. However, it improves as it progresses, so the second half works pretty well. The Blu-rays offer very good picture and audio as well as a decent array of bonus materials. This isn’t a great season but at least it rebounds as it goes.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3 Stars Number of Votes: 1
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Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main