Blu-Ray Review:
The Simpsons Season 20
By Jason Gillard
*Screenshots are not from the Blu-Ray source.
TV
I have to admit it, I was a big fan when the show first came out, but for some reason I just lost interest. Sitting here typing this review I can see that I have seasons 1-3 on DVD but that's it. I think I stopped watching around season 8. Now the Simpsons are in there 21st season and I am reviewing season 20 on Blu-ray. Yes that's right the Simpsons in HD. About halfway through season 20 the Simpsons started broadcasting the show in widescreen and in HD. It was a big change and they did a whole new title sequence. There were little in jokes like a banner over Moe's Tavern that said available in HD. I have to say that watching these episodes was a lot of fun. The Simpsons still make me laugh after all these years. I also could not believe how amazing the show looks in HD. If you have seen the Simpson's movie than you will have some idea of what the animation looks like now that they have upgraded it. There are lots of great episodes in Season 20. I especially like "Double Double Boy in Trouble" and I liked the Treehouse of Horror episode. I also liked "Mypods and Boomsticks". For me this was a great chance to revisit a show that I had lost touch with. Is it as good as those early seasons? Well the answer to that is no! But it's still a lot of fun.
7 out of 10
Video
The Simpson's Season 20 arrives on Blu-ray for the first time. But what we get here is almost two versions of the show. The reason for that is that they did not make the change to HD until the midway point of the season. So the first 9 episodes are in 4X3. Both the 16:9 and 4:3 episodes are in 1080p; however, the 4X3 episodes have a lot of problems which range from inconsistent contrast, lack of detail, banding etc. Thankfully the remaining episodes look absolutely fantastic. I was trying to think of a way to describe them. The best I can come up with is that they almost look like plastic. They have an incredible sheen to them and is the way the show should be seen in this day and age. Everything looks crisp and brand new. The images seem to jump off the screen. So when you're getting ready to watch this season on Blu-ray, remember the first 9 episodes will probably look like the DVD sets you are used to and the remaining episodes will be Simpson's nirvana.
8 out of 10
Audio
For the audio the Simpson get a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, that for the most part impresses with what it has to work with. Let's get to the good part first. The dialogue is sharp and clear and very well mixed in with the music and effects. The LFE channel is there to provide weight to their voices and effects like a building collapsing etc. The Simpsons is a very front heavy show and unfortunately even having a DTS track is not going to help that. The rear speakers do chime in from time to time, but really do a messy job when they are present. I don't see how any fan of the show could be disappointed with what FOX has done here. They have produced a well mixed audio track that does a great job of bringing the Simpsons to life.
8 out of 10
Extras
When I remember back to the Simpson's sets I got on DVD I remembered how good they were in the extra department. They always had tons of commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes. So considering this was the show's 20th season and first time on Blu-ray I was expecting a lot. I had remembered reading about the Morgan Spurlock documentary that was supposed to be good and I was pretty sure that was included so I did not bother watching that on TV. Boy was I in for a shock. The ONLY extra is a 4 minute commercial for that documentary. Can you believe that? I don't know what FOX was thinking. If I bought this set and found this out after the fact I would be so mad. What a major letdown!
0 out of 10
Overall
I think FOX is screwing us with this release and for that reason alone I am not going to recommend it. Fox needs to see the error of their ways and give the fans what they want and that's quality content for our hard earned dollar.
6 out of 10