1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

1883: A Yellowstone Origin Story



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
You always know you’ve hit mainstream success in the TV world when you achieve a successful spin-off series. After the massive success that has been Yellowstone for Paramount, it was only a matter of time before saw a spin-off series. Luckily for us Taylor Sheridan is going back to what he does best, and creates a period piece historical classic western to tell us the story of how the Dutton family came to the West and put down roots. The series was teased in the last season of Yellowstone, and definitely set the mood for a classic western. Still, I was a bit cautious as spin-off’s are rarely as good as the original, AND Yellowstone had suffered a weak 3rd season that had people groaning at the modern day soap opera antics, so I was a tad worried Sheridan was loosing his touch. Still, this was going to star Tim Mcgraw, Faith Hill, and my personal favorite Sam Elliott (who I would listen to recite a phone book for hours) and the series did not disappoint like I had feared.

The story itself is a straight forward classic western about the Dutton family moving west via caravan through the Great Plains towards Oregon. The Caravan is headed up by hardened cowboys Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) and Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) as they’re trying to keep the city slickers and poor folks heading for a better life as safe as you can be on the prairie. Joining them is James and Margaret Dutton (Tim McGraw and his real life wife Faith Hill) along with daughter Elsa, and Son John. We also get to meet a few sundry other characters in the form of a well meaning saloon girl, some less than reputable people, and a sense of bleak frontier life that was the staple of many a 1960s-1980s western.

The story is a bit slow paced as this is not an action movie. But Taylor Sheridan does a great job with the wonderfully spacious and languid pace of a slice of life western. The show focuses on the Dutton’s first and foremost, but almost equally spaces out time for Sam Elliott’s Shea, and many others along the way. It’s not going to be a wild and intense ride like Yellowstone, but instead is more of an incredibly leather worn and fascinating peek into the past of the Dutton dynasty before they become massive landowners.

Like usual, Sam Elliott is incredible. The man has been doing westerns for over 60 years, and his ability to just fall back into the role of a hardened cowpoke is second to known. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill aren’t exactly known for being legendary actors outside of their Country singing career, but they both do a really well done job at portraying the stalwart Dutton clan beginnings. Sheridan himself takes his time with the show, and even though it could be a bit faster paced, is still able to cast a well done drama that doesn’t have problems with bloat or over done melodrama (Yellowstone season 3 I’m looking at you...grrrr).




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

originally a Paramount+ exclusive, the show gets a very nice 1080p encode that doesn’t suffer the flatness and softness that the first season of Yellowstone suffered from. It’s definitely stylized to fit into the western world, with a wheat and yellow glow to it that is very distinctive for people who grew up with old timey westerns. The digitally shot show is still very revealing in the detail department, though, with fantastic close ups, and even a decent job of de-aging Sam Elliott’s face for some of the flashbacks. Colors are very warm and richly saturated, leaning towards that wheat and honey color that I mentioned before. Blacks are deep and inky, though I did notice a few scenes that showed color banding in the sky and a few hints of crush in the nighttime.








Audio:

Included on the Blu-ray is a solid sounding 5.1 Dolby TrueHD mix with a set of English SDH subtitles. It’s a solid enough mix, showcasing the sounds of the prairie as well as mild ambient noises in the saloons. Still, it’s a very straight forward drama track that doesn’t really showcase a ton of wildly dynamic experiences. Dialog is very clean and clear with nary a sound of impropriety in the mix. Musical reproduction is fairly soft, but still very prominent, and the overall mix is a rather solid balance. All in all, this is a basic dramatic track, but one that does so with all of the check marks in the proper boxes for a good experience, even if it never gets truly amazng.








Extras:

• Cast and Crew Interviews
• A Land of Peril & Wonder: The Journey of 1883 - Featurette
• From Cast to Cowboys: Creating the Pioneer Spirit - Featurette
• 1883: The Road West - Featurette
• Inside 1883 - Featurette
• Behind the Story for each episode

Final Score: ​

Is 1883 going to be a legendary show for Paramount? Probably not, but it was never intended to be either. Instead it does a great job at filling in the background for the Dutton clan’s beginnings, and does so in an environment that is both familiar to Yellowstone, but also so incredibly foreign by sliding so deep into the world of classic Westerns. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great for the most part, with just a few weaknesses in the audio mix. Definitely check it out if you liked what you saw in the flashbacks from Yellowstone Season 4.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissman
Creator: Taylor Sheridan
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Paramount
Rated: NR
Runtime: 558 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 30th, 2022

Recommendation: Very Good Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I do like westerns so will check it out.

 

[Epoxy1]

Isabell May stole the show in this one (IMO). While the show wasn't what I expected (I went in essentially blind), my wife and I really enjoyed it a lot. The ending is quite emotional.

 

[Michael Scott]

she was an excellent side character Dave. I thoroughly enjoyed her addition

 

[Epoxy1]

she was an excellent side character Dave. I thoroughly enjoyed her addition

Michael, I'd argue she was the main character--she narrates the film and most of what happens is seen from her perspective. Regardless, she did a great job.

 

[Michael Scott]

Michael, I'd argue she was the main character--she narrates the film and most of what happens is seen from her perspective. Regardless, she did a great job.

haha, true. my brain still automatically goes to Tim and Faith ast he mains, but you're right. I mispoke. she's one of the better of the main cast, by a good margin

 

[Epoxy1]

haha, true. my brain still automatically goes to Tim and Faith ast he mains, but you're right. I mispoke. she's one of the better of the main cast, by a good margin