Human Target Blu-ray Review

A San Francisco man, Christopher Chance (Mark Valley), is much more than he appears to be. He is a private contractor, he is a bodyguard, and knows everything there is about security. In order to protect his clients he must be able to fully become part of their life. His life is constantly in trouble while protecting his clients, but he must find the truth behind every mission. Accompanied by his partners Winston (Chi McBride) and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley), Chance will be put his life on the line and become the human target.

The comic book, originally published by DC Comics, was brought to life in this new action show, but not without minor changes to accommodate the small screen adaptation. However, many of the things that were found in the comic are left intact. The first season was incredibly high paced; I guess it was no surprise why the first season was only 13 episodes long. Rarely does a show with this pace manages to capture a good audience and become successful, or at least being able to comeback for a second season. There are only a handful of shows that many of you can name that utilize this pace and works well. Anyway, Human Target quickly puts its characters in action, there are no setbacks, no fillers, no flashbacks to recount a story, just move forward. While this may cause we viewers to quickly lose grip on what’s going on if they miss an episode, it works rather well for the series.

On a more personal level I feel the first season was short, but looking back at things the number of shows helped shape the characters and story. Christopher Chance is brought to life by Mark Valley, which in my personal opinion does a great job the character. Although sometimes there is a feeling that he is becoming a bit bland, but there’s a great fix for that a seemingly great set of supporting cast. Chi McBride as Winston and Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero are both good choices. Chi McBride is perhaps the best trump card, when Chance becomes dull in front of the camera; here comes Chi to save the day. McBride’s comic relief and great acting allows the show to move on quite nicely. It doesn’t hurt when the writing really works well with its characters and gives them the opportunity to evolve as the series moves on and stays up to par. The series was short, but hey it’s very satisfying.

Human Target arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p VC-1 encode framed at 1.78:1. Every now and then Warner gives us quality video transfers for TV shows. Sure, there are good transfers and some bad transfers, but Human Target just simply looks good. Colors are lively and vibrant. Black levels are well reproduced for most of the show, but they do suffer during certain scenes. Detailing is excellent, especially close up shots. Sharpness gets better with each passing episode. There are some issues like banding and a few soft shots that could be attributed to the way it was created. Overall, Human Target looks great on Blu-ray.

Human Target arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 Dolby Digital lossy audio track. We’ve already covered the issue before about the lack of lossless so lets get straight to the point. Dialogue is clean and clear, but sometimes it does become overwhelmed by the show’s action sequences. Human Target does feature a very nice support from the bass giving it that extra power for the action on screen. The rears are more active than what I am used to on a show; however, they aren’t what you are hoping for. The rears offer an extra support for some atmospherics. Human Target is one of those shows could benefic from a lossless track, but currently it sounds decent.

Audio Commentary – This track features actors Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and executive producers Jonathan E. Steinberg and Peter Johnson. The track is found on the pilot episode and is very solid. The track emphasizes on the casting, the show itself, the writing of the show, and more. This track is highly recommended.

Human Target: Confidential Informant– The cast and crew dig into the character of Christopher Chance and discuss the character’s characteristics.

Human Target: Full Contact Television – This featurette talks about the show and goes over all the things that make it come to life.

Unaired Scenes

BD-Live Functionality

Human Target was very enjoyable, even more than I was expecting. The show was fast paced and it moved so much faster than any show that currently is on regular TV (not cable TV) and surprisingly it works well. The Blu-ray features a good video transfer and a decent audio track. The audio could be better without a doubt and this show could benefit from a lossless track, but it is what it is. If you like TV shows that involves high paced action, this is a show for you and I recommend it.