[Blu-Ray Review] ‘Black Sails: The Complete Second Season’: Now Available On Blu-ray & DVD From Starz & Anchor Bay

Black Sails: The Complete Second Season [Blu-Ray]

Cast: Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Hannah New

Release Date: Now Available On Blu-ray & DVD

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

“BLACK SAILS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON” begins where we left off, as the Walrus crew is stranded with an army of Spanish soldiers standing between them and the precious Urca gold. And with their crimes against their brethren no longer a secret, Flint and Silver must join forces in a desperate bid for survival. Meanwhile, Eleanor Guthrie struggles to maintain her grip on Nassau, as a new breed of pirate arrives in the form of Ned Low, a man for whom violence isn’t just a tool … it’s a past time.

As blood is spilled, and tensions mount, Charles Vane must decide which he values more; Eleanor’s life, or the respect of his men. And unbeknownst to all of them, a prize of immeasurable value has already been smuggled onto the island … one whose discovery will alter the very landscape of their world, and force everyone in Nassau toward the ultimate judgment: are they men, or are they monsters?

Picking up immediately after the events which concluded the first season, with the gold in eyesight and his betrayal towards the crew now well known along with his role as captain removed, Flint reluctantly joins forces with John Silver and the two set their plans in motion for Silver to gain the crews trust and Flint to not only gain their support but reclaim his title of captain and subsequently head back to the island to claim his treasure in addition. Meanwhile back on Nassau there is no shortage of trouble either, with Vane and Eleanor forced to make difficult choices when a new and sadistic breed of pirate arrives on the island and threatens everything they have been trying to build.

The second season of ‘Black Sails’ delivers every bit as much excitement, insanity and high seas action as the first season, if not in fact a good deal more. The series continues to impress as these characters we’ve become to really get to know continue to surprise us and really pull us into their world of backstabbing and treachery yet again, a world where pirates do what they must in order to survive and fight another day and no one is ever truly safe or untouchable in the greater scheme of things. With more gorgeous scenery and plenty of relentless gruesome action and battles, the second season of ‘Black Sails’ delivers in every way and fellow fans of the first season who simply haven’t had a chance to check out second season as of yet, I would highly suggest moving it up the priority list.

Fellow fans of this brutal, intense and gorgeous pirate series will definitely want to make certain to pick up a copy of ‘Black Sails: The Complete Second Season’ on Blu-ray to add to their collection. Matching the artwork of the previous seasons’ BD release, it also once again delivers impressive high definition video and audio presentations that are undoubtedly the best possible quality currently available for the series, along with a few enjoyable extras including Behind the Scenes Featurettes and more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) will easily make this release a must own for many.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Black Sails: The Complete Second Season’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the show’s original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio on all of the second seasons episodes. The video presentations look fantastic, delivering a sharp, detailed and gorgeous presentation on each episode, holding up impressively even during the darkly lit and fast moving sequences which are quite frequent in the series, never resulting in anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, these are impressive high definition video presentations that should easily please fans of the series.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack on all 10 Season Two episodes. These lossless multichannel soundtracks sound amazing and are easily the highlight of the release, much as they were with the first season Blu-ray. They provide a clean, smooth and incredibly aggressive audio presentation on every episode, frequently utilizing all seven available channels in order to surround the viewer with the series’ perfectly fitting score in addition to constant wind and water, creaking of wood and other properly fitting elements in the sequences taking place at sea, not to mention a barrage of bullets and other action related auditory effects regularly swarming past during the fight scenes, while never causing any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, these are downright fantastic 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtracks that cannot possibly disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Black Sails: The Complete Second Season’ includes a few solid extras in the form of a few Behind the Scenes Featurettes that explore different aspects of the series and bringing it to life and featuring interviews and comments with numerous members of the cast and crew. The included Featurettes are: ‘Inside the World of Black Sails’ (running approximately 22 minutes in length), ‘Man O’ War’ (approximately 4 minutes), ‘Expanding Worlds’ (4 minutes), ‘High Seas Action’ (5 minutes), and ‘History’s Influence’ (5 minutes).