PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Tru Calling-Season 2 (2003)

Tru Calling-Season 2 (2003)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 9-Aug-2005

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Main Menu Introduction
Menu Audio
Featurette-Tru Calling: Opposing Forces
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2003
Running Time 259:04
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered
Dual Disc Set
Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 2,4 Directed By Bryan Spicer
David Barrett
Guy Norman Bee
Sanford Bookstaver
Studio
Distributor

Twentieth Century Fox
Starring Eliza Dushku
Shawn Reaves
Zach Galifianakis
A.J. Cook
Jessica Collins
Benjamín Benítez
Matthew Bomer
Jason Priestley
Cotter Smith
Liz Vassey
Eric Christian Olsen
Lizzy Caplan
John Reardon
Case ?
RPI $49.95 Music Robert Duncan
Jon Ehrlich
Avril Lavigne


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired
Swedish
Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    And here we have the final 6 episodes of the whole series. The following is a breakdown of how each episode is presented in this set. My full review of the series can be found here.

Season 2

Disc 1

    1. Perfect Storm (42:29)     2. Grace (42:29)

    3. In The Dark (42:31)     4. The Last Good Day (42:33)

Disc 2

    5. Enough (42:28)     6. Twas The Night Before Christmas ... Again (42:34)

    Cut down in its prime, these last few episodes showed how good the show really could be, opening up plenty of potential and then getting ingloriously axed. Still, some great watching here, even if we’ll never know the answer to so many questions posed...

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The transfer quality of the second season is about the same as the first. The original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced is once more preserved.

    The picture is sharp if a little grainy. It never reduced into low-level noise, thankfully.

    Colours are well saturated and nicely balanced.

    There is some very minor background aliasing, but otherwise this is devoid of MPEG artefacts, film-to-video transfer artefacts and has considerably less in the way of film artefacts than its predecessor season.

    The dual-layer pauses are in between the episodes.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Sound is mastered in English 2.0 Dolby Surround. This is a solid if unremarkable mix.

    Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, with no noticeable audio sync faults.

    The music gets a good mastering, with a theme that you find in your head well after the show, and a couple of well placed original tracks.

    There is some decent use of the surrounds, particularly in The Perfect Storm, and a significant improvement here on the first season.

    There was no subwoofer use.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Menus

    All menus are 16x9 enhanced. They are static shots of a character in a pose. The main menus have the theme playing in 2.0 Dolby Stereo.

Featurette: “Tru Calling: Opposing Forces” (6:15)

    Presented in 2.0 Dolby Stereo, 1.33:1 Full Frame with scenes from the show in 1.78:1 letterbox. Sadly, no exposition on the cancellation of this show.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    At the time of writing this review, the R1 version had not been released (it is scheduled for 15 November 2005). At this point, I am unable to confirm the content or the quality. Hopefully the R1 will have some more special features explaining the executives’ decision to cut this show short.

Summary

    The incomplete second season set in motion a lot of story arcs that would never be paid off. I doubt this would work as a big-screen spectacle, so we are probably not going to see a Serenity-style rebirth here. Shame, though.

    Video is decent, though still a little grainy.

    The sound is a solid 2.0 Dolby Surround mix.

    The extras are very light on this time around.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Edward McKenzie (I am Jack's raging bio...)
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Review Equipment
DVDMomitsu V880N Deluxe, using DVI output
DisplaySony VPL-HS50 LCD Cineza Projector with HP 80" Widescreen (16:9) HDTV Mobile Projector Screen. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials.
AmplificationMarantz SR7000
SpeakersDigital Accoustics Emerald 703G - Centre, Front Left & Right, Rear Left & Right Satellites, Subwoofer

Other Reviews NONE