Supergirl Season One Blu-ray Review
When SUPERGIRL joined the onslaught of comicbook IP being released by DC as part of their extended universe I was initially pretty concerned. DC hasn’t had quite the reputation of their big & small screen competitor, Marvel comics, in terms of quality content when translating to the screen even though they have some compelling characters. But these days it is all about how you do when you cross over into the multimedia space and have a television show holding up your movie franchise tied into the comics with action figures, etc., etc., etc. in infinitum. But when the Blu-ray came out I was actually pretty excited, having heard some pretty good things about SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE.
The first season of any television series is generally somewhat rocky with characters looking to establish themselves and writers trying to figure out everyone’s voices. Sometimes mannerisms come and go, sometimes a catch-phrase will be used and suddenly just stop, you never know. With dramas like SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE there is usually fewer of these than tend to be attempted in a 30 minute sitcom or comedy series and that is much appreciated as it results in less awkward situations and a better overall show. Speaking of which, SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE is genuinely worth the price of admission. The Blu-ray is crisp and beautiful and it sounds great, but none of that would matter if the performances weren’t any good, right?
Speaking of the performances, this area and the writing were the two areas in which I held the most reservations going into the season. I’m happy to say I shouldn’t have been worried. SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE features some unconventional choices in casting but it generally works and in fact works really well, from casting Melissa Benoist from Glee as Kara Danvers/Supergirl, Jeremy Jordan (from THE LAST FIVE YEARS) as Kara’s best friend Winn Schott, Mehcad Brooks as James Olsen, to my personal favorites Peter Facinelli as Maxwell Lord (who is a cross between Lex Luthor and Steve Jobs) and David Harewood as Hank Henshaw. Long-form television series are so much fun because everyone gets a chance to have some time devoted to them and to developing their character arc and this was a real strength across this first season. Every character got a fair amount of screen time and just about every single one of them had a moment that made me cry too, which… well, it isn’t that big a feat but still. C’mon!
The main story arc across the first season involves Supergirl coming into her powers and using them for the first time, much to her relief… she thought that was her not going to be her lot in life but when her adopted sister nearly dies in a plane accident she chooses to save her life and thus Supergirl is born. Unlike Superman, Supergirl teams up with her sister Alex (played by Chyler Leigh), James Olsen and her best friend Winn to battle the evils that face National City (yes, that is the real name of the city). There is an overarching sense and even outward discussion of the importance of family and the strength that comes from working together that is a valuable lesson that SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE does a nice job of sincerely portraying throughout the season. So much so that you really do care when bad things happen to these characters by the middle of the season. Powerful storytelling done right and in a comic book adaptation?
Yes please. I can’t wait for the next season.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p Widescreen 1.78:1) The video production on SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE is very nicely done and looks beautiful on your HD television.
Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) The audio mix and presentation for SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE is equally well done and sounds great.
SUPERGIRL: 2015 Comic-Con Panel (14:15) Participants in the SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE panel include producers Ali Adler, Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Sarah Schechter; actors Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Brooks, Jordan, and Harewood, and DC creative director Geoff Johns. This is a pretty cool addition to the disc, the kind of thing I wish would be included on every comic disc for those of us who can’t get tickets to Comic-Con.
The Man from Mars (9:37) This featurette focuses on the mysterious man from the red planet, the Martian Manhunter. He’s a great character introduced midway through SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE and definitely worth his own special feature.
A World Left Behind: Krypton (10:41) This special feature focuses on the visual concept behind the design of Krypton used in SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE. Discussion includes Andrew Kreissberg, Ali Adler, and Dan DiDio of DC Comics.
Gag Reel (4:06) SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE features a standard gag reel collected from various outtakes that is fairly standard. I expected it to be funnier.
Deleted Scenes quite a few scenes across 9 episodes. Very good content split across several episodes across three discs.
The Blu-ray for SUPERGIRL: SEASON ONE also features an UltraViolet DigitalHD Digital Copy of the entire first season for download to your compatible device OR an iTunes Digital Copy for you iTunes account.