The war between the humans and the Espheni rages on. Tom Mason and his group, who are named The 2nd Mass, have been making large strides for humans. While traveling for almost a month to Charleston, they’re attacked at the outskirts of the city. During the attack, the group is separated and have to go their separate ways for the time being. Fast-forward 4 months and the people are running around like fugitives. Starving, scared, and outnumbered; they’re not finished fighting for the earth yet.
FALLING SKIES is in its 4th season on TNT and it is going strong. It has been renewed for a season 5 and the sci-fi show keeps entertaining. The show does and has always reminded me a bit of the 80’s TV series “V”, especially in this season. There are groups that are trying to teach the human children that the Espheni are their friends. Its also reminds me of when the Nazi’s were spreading their propaganda in Germany during World War II. Of course the show explains the correlation but it does make sense for the enemy to brainwash the young.
As far as the acting goes, the characters stay diverse and never stale. Part of that may be the situations that they’re thrown into but for example, Noah Wyle’s character is the stoic leader that he needs to be but he never gets too discouraged. He has really rounded out his character from the past seasons and it has made him a fan favorite. I also enjoyed Will Patton’s character but at times his acting feels over the top and it makes some of what is happening feel fake.
Cast
Noah Wyle as Tom Mason
Maxim Knight as Matt Mason
Drew Roy as Hal Mason
Moon Bloodgood as Anne Glass
Will Patton as Captain Weaver
Sarah Carter as Margaret
Connor Jessup as Ben Mason
Colin Cunningham as John Pope
Doug Jones as Cochise
Mira Sorvino as Sara
Scarlett Byrne as Lexi
Treva Etienne as Dingaan Botha
Robert Sean Leonard as
There is nothing better than a TV show that makes the conscious effort to keep the video looking sharp. The detailing is clear and it’s accompanied by solid contrasting. It is clearly filmed digitally and the effects are par for TV. For the most part, the video has a hue that’s an unnatural dullness to make the struggles of the show feel more real. There are definitely times when there are bright colors on the screen. There is a sanctuary in the show that is lush with greens, brighter reds, and blues. As for issues, there are some blocking and a little black crushing, especially in the first few episodes where the lighting changes frequently. These are only the minor problems but, overall, the video looks great.
The audio for the show is a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix that is strong where it needs to be. Every speaker is used for keeping the enveloping sound that the show relies upon. In between the action, there is plenty of dialogue that comes clearly through the front speakers with the score and ambient sound coming through the rest. The speech is clean as well as the effects and there is a robust LFE when it is needed.
Bonus Features:
-Episode Extras: Every one of the 12 episodes includes a featurette that has a bit of behind the scenes info about creating that episode.
-Tom Mason: A Man of Tomorrow: This featurette explores the character Tom Mason played by Noah Wyle. It gives good insight into the evolution of the characters from the first season and into the 4th.
-2014 Comic Con Panel: The cast and crew did a panel for the 2014 SDCC. It shows the interacting between fans and the stars through Q&A.
-Episodic Prequels: Included are 7 “prequel” mini episodes.
Hal & Ben
Pope
Maggie
Lourdes
Anthony
Cochise
Group.
-Character Interviews: There are also interviews with the stars of the show. They’re short at about a minute apiece.
Episode List:
-Ghost in the Machine
-The Eye
-Exodus
-Evolve or Die
-Mind Wars
-Door Number Three
-Saturday Night Massacre
-A Thing with Feathers
-Til Death Do Us Part:
-Drawing Straws
-Space Oddity
-Shoot the Moon
Disc Details
2 Blu-ray Discs
UltraViolet Digital Copy
Edition Ratings
TV-14
Region Coding
Region Free
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audio Mixes
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles
English SDH
French
French SDH
Spanish
Danish
Finnish
Norwegian
Swedish
FALLING SKIES is one of the top sci-fi shows on TV right now. It has a good following and there really is no question why. There are seldom slow parts in the season and loaded with action/dramatic moments. The Blu-ray looks excellent and very clean. The audio is strong and it is one of the facets that make the show, as well as the release, excellent. The release has a good amount of features that are very informative and tie in with the show. If you’re a fan or you’re been collecting the seasons than this is one not to miss. I give it my seal of approval.
