Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Return to explore the boundaries of a mysterious mythology that holds millions of viewers in its hypnotic grasp. This 6-Disc, 22-Episode Season 2 of Fringe contains worlds (and alternate worlds) of excitement complete with shape shifters, cryonic heads, belly-dwelling beasts and people who turn to ashes before our eyes. But the overarching narrative takes three clandestine FBI agents - Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop and Walter Bishop - through a mind-bending investigation of a parallel reality that threatens to destroy ours.

Fringe is one of the more stylized TV shows out there and the image quality is reminiscent of other JJ Abrahm’s productions including the latest Star Trek film. The photography features some heavy contrast with inky blacks and you’ll see the occasional lens flare. The Blu-ray imagery holds up quite well though some may have issue with the slightly heavy grain that is used for artistic reasons. Detail is solid though and dimensionality is good. The soundtrack is relegated to lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, which is a bit of a shame considering the quality of the production. It still sounds pretty good, but I don’t like seeing studios skimp on audio simply because it’s a TV show.

Extras include an extra episode along with quiet a few features that delve into the world of the show, the production and the science. You also get some deleted scenes and gags.

Fringe is definitely one of the more fascinating sci-fi shows of the last decade and I’m anxious for more, which is more than I can say for most TV. Warner delivers a solid Blu-ray set that’s only vice is the lack of a lossless soundtrack option.