January 11, 2009

All that glitters is not gold… yeah because it’s definitely blood splattered all over a hotel room. Now that I have your undivided attention, I would like to tell you about one of the greatest shows on TV. Dexter, a Showtime production, is one of the most horrifically intoxicating shows that I have ever seen in recent history.

Dexter, for those of you who are not familiar with the series, is about a serial killer (Dexter) who preys on those that have wronged society (murderers, rapists) and gotten away with their evil deeds. But Dexter also has a day job as a forensic specialist in blood splatter analysis for the Miami Metro Police Department, which is both twisted and humorous at the same time.

The series is now in its third season, has two DVD releases and the people over at Showtime brings its fans a new treat to start the year off with a good start. Well an old toy in a new package. Fans of the series and owners of Blu-ray players can now watch Dexter Season One on Blu-ray. But the real question to ask is… How well does it transition to high def?

I first want to say that I am a huge fan of the series and one of the few reasons that I actually watch TV programming. There are very few shows or series that hold my attention and this is one of them.

Dexter Season 1 on Blu-ray features all 12 episodes on 3 discs, which is a small improvement from the 4-disc standard releases on DVD. The packaging is nearly identical to the standard release except for the fact that the discs feature a rather boring silver finish with the episodes written on them. The original DVD set is still much cooler. Each episode is a wonderful mix of bright surrealism and the dark gritty realism that is Dexter’s life. He hides what he is from those around him, but bares his dark soul to the viewers that choose to watch this sensational series.

One of my favorite episodes is called “Seeing Red” which is the ultimate lead-up to the end of the season. This episode is a perfect example of the series two main styles that. The reason I say this is because this is perhaps the bloodiest episode in the whole first season. It is also one of the finest episodes to discuss the series’ transition to Blu-ray.

Filmmaking: 9
Dexter is one of those shows that are original and wickedly addictive. It is one of the most dark and seductive shows of our modern times. As I mentioned before, I do not watch a lot of TV, these days as the tube is being overrun with shows that I don’t see how on earth they got airtime.

Dexter has a certain quality to it in its presentation. The script is beautifully scripted and is backed up by a stellar cast. Michael C. Hall is at the top of his game in his role as the duel identity vigilante. All of first seasons cast returns to make this one of the most talked about shows on TV.

Visuals: 9
Dexter’s transition to Blu-ray is brilliant and is only marred by its slight grainy scenes. On a 1080p set the colors and detail are simply amazing. Visually, Dexter is amazingly gorgeous from its beautiful Miami scenery to the plastic encased locations where wicked deeds are done. Dexter has a look that is just bright and cheerful and dark and creepy the next. Presented in 1.78:1 1080p AVC MPEG-4 encoded image, Dexter shows all the bloody details brilliantly but it fails in one minor area. During some of the night scenes or darkly lit conversations between certain people does the blacks look washed out and often a bit grainy.

Sound: 10
Dexter has a fantastic soundtrack to it. The beginning track to the show is sinister and elegant at the same time. The entire score to this show is actually well done and precise like a well placed surgical tool. The series original music is composed by Daniel Licht. Licht has done a lot of composing for various horror movies like Thinner, Children of the Corn and Soul Survivor.

The actors also do a fantastic acting job and Dexter’s calm and collected narrative is one of my favorite things about the show. I recently discovered that Julie Bentz (Rita) also does the voice of Miranda Keys in Halo 2 for all you gamers out there. I also like the show’s unabashed language that can only be seen on Showtime or in this 3-Disc Blu-ray DVD Set. Dexter: Season 1 is also presented in English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and Spanish2.0 Dolby Digital for the Latin fans out there.

Value: 9
Dexter Season 1 Blu-ray is brilliant right to the bloody end and features some really cool extras. This set features commentary for the episodes “Return to Sender” and “Born Free” which is a nice feature. The Dexter Season 1 Blu-ray set is also supposed to feature a bunch of special content via BD-Live; however the only thing available to watch is the first episode of Dexter Season 3. Now whether or not this content will be available anytime soon is yet to be seen.

But for those of us that own the standard definition version like myself will find that the features listed on both versions are nearly identical. The only thing that differs is the available promotional episodes. The Blu-ray version is supposed to allow viewers to see the first two episodes of United States of Tara, a show that premiers on January 18 on Showtime.

Overall: 9.0
Overall, I really enjoyed Dexter Season 1’s transition to Blu-ray. For the most part the images are amazingly crisp and clear, only hindered by a bit of grain in the darker scenes. The sound department is just amazing as well with its lossless 5.1 TrueHD sound. The special features would have been nice to see, but if the material isn’t there, well not too much one can do about that.

The Blu-ray version, while looking and sounding amazing might be a purchase not made for those of us that own the standard definition version. For those of you who are just now hearing about Dexter and own Blu-ray Profile 2.0 players then I highly recommend that you pick up Dexter Season 1 on Blu-ray.