Preacher: Season One [Blu-Ray]

Cast: Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga

Release Date: October 4, 2016

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

 

Synopsis:

Based on the cult hit comic book series, PREACHER is the edgy story of Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), a conflicted preacher in a small Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity that allows him to develop a highly unconventional power. Jesse, along with his fearless sidekicks, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), an Irish vampire, and Tulip (Ruth Negga), a trained marksman, embark on a wild, dark journey that is unlike any other.

Based on the acclaimed ‘Preacher’ graphic novels by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon; the series follows the troubled Jesse Custer (Cooper) currently serving as a somewhat conflicted preacher within a small Texas town with the intention of keeping a long ago promise to this father. With more than enough on his plate to handle already, Jesse soon finds himself inhabited by a mysterious entity which provides him with certain powers, such as the ability to control the actions of others by mere voice command. With the assistance of his old love Tulip (Negga) and his quirky new friend Cassidy (Gilgun), Jesse attempts to use his newfound abilities to rebuild the church and do something he feels to be right, but once word of his gift begins to spread he promptly finds himself confronted by a number of strange adversaries who will do whatever necessary in order to eradicate the entity currently within him.

Created for television by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This Is The End, The Interview) and Sam Catlin (TV’s Breaking Bad) as well as featuring a collection of talented folks comprising the cast including Dominic Cooper (TV’s Agent Carter), Joseph Gilgun (TV’s Misfits), Ruth Negga (TV’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), W. Earl Brown (Scream), Ian Colletti (TV’s Rake), and Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), along with a number more, the debut season of ‘Preacher’ introduces viewers to an odd, notably gory and hilariously twisted offbeat series that isn’t afraid to step into uncomfortable territory. Nor does it have any qualm surprising the audience with both the twisted nature, and often pitch black humor that is quite prominent within the series, not to mention a regular way of life for the group of characters it showcases, the majority of which are anything but standup folks. Diehard fans of the ‘Preacher’ graphic novels that serve as the show’s inspiration may have some issues with the series from the beginning, yet it’s worth sticking with and if fans of the source material are able to push through the debut season they might just be pleasantly surprised to find it growing on them a great deal by the season’s conclusion.  I would definitely urge fans of the comics as well as anyone who appreciates a unique and off the beat series to check this one out when you have the opportunity at some point, at least prior to the sophomore season’s debut which is set to premiere on AMC in 2017.

Overall, fans of the series that caught the debut season during its initial run on AMC will likely want to pick up a copy of ‘Preacher: Season One’ on Blu-ray in order to have the option to enjoy any or all of the debut season’s episodes at any time you might desire with outstanding high definition video and audio presentations that are sure to please, along with some enjoyable extras to seal the deal. Those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of the series, yet appreciate a well crafted horror comedy sporting some incredibly dark humor and a mysterious, often bloody storyline unlike anything else on television will definitely want to make a point of trying to give ‘Preacher’ a shot; it’s another solid and unique series on AMC that is definitely worth giving a whirl if you have the chance.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Preacher: Season One’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the show’s original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio on all of the debut season’s episodes. The video presentations look outstanding as a whole and deliver sharp, detailed and warmly colored presentations on every episode of the first season. They hold up impressively even during the numerous fast paced and/or darkly lit sequences within and never result in anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, these are fantastic high definition video presentations from Sony complimented by more than sufficient bitrates and should easily thrill fans of the series.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on all 10 Season One episodes. These lossless multichannel soundtracks provide crisp, clean and often notably active audio presentations on each and every episode. Frequently utilizing all five available channels in order to send the perfectly fitting score, along with some crowd and vehicle activity, action related auditory effects and more throughout the various speakers, yet never causing any dialogue which may be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible. Overall, these are top notch 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtracks that contribute another layer of enjoyment to the overall viewing experience and shouldn’t disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Preacher: Season One’ includes a number of solid extras. Included on the release are ‘Deleted Scene(s)’ from 8 of the season’s episodes, in addition to a ‘Gag Reel’ (running approximately 5 minutes in length), and a few Behind the Scenes Featurettes that focus on different aspects of bringing the show to life and include behind the scenes footage and interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus more. The Featurettes include: ‘The Unfilmable Pilot’ (running approximately 8 minutes), ‘Chainsaw Fight Breakdown’ (approximately 7 minutes), ‘Behind the Killing Machine: Saint of Killers’ (7 minutes), and ‘The Stunts of Preacher’ (8 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

Disc Rating: 8/10

‘Preacher: Season One’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray & DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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