Preacher: Season One - Blu-ray Review (Legacy)

[Michael Scott]

Preacher: Season One

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
I never in a million years thought that long running graphic novels of Preacher would make it to TV land. It just wasn’t a show that I thought would be wildly popular. Don’t get me wrong, the comics are FANTASTIC and I’ve been following them for quite a few years. I even dressed up as Jesse Custer for Halloween a few years back! However the cult nature of graphic novels and comic book movies have created a foundation to where some of the more obscure and darker iterations of that world can come to light on the Television screen. Strangely enough I never thought that Seth Rogen would be one of the mind that would bring it to us. However, he and Evan Goldberg (who directs the pilot) do an incredibly faithful rendition of the comics in what I can only describe as one of the strangest, sweetest and most twisted bits of fun I’ve had in on TV in quite some time.

I almost hesitate to describe the plot, being that I know the whole backstory of the comics going back YEARS. In my excitement I’m very liable to just burst and tell you everything. In fact I’m having to write and re-write this portion of the review several times so I just let the secrets come to you in the show instead of blurting them all out. The show starts with a meteor dropping on a church somewhere in the African wilderness, and the preacher to be imbued with some sort of power (before he explodes). That particular scene sets the mood for a country style pastoral setting, with ex bad boy Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper with a thick southern accent) coming back to his home town to teach his father’s flock. Now Jesse has OBVIOUSLY not been a nice boy all his life. He’s got some serious black ops skills and a penchant for wanting to pummel injustice instead of turn the other cheek. Kind of makes him a crummy preacher when he beats down the local bully in a bar room brawl and has everyone’s eye on him. That is until he finds out he has something within him. A power that he can call forth at will that allows him to magically influence people to do EXACTLY what he says.

Jesse isn’t alone in his struggles. Along the way he picks up an Irish vampire by the name of Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun who hams it up with such gusto that you can’t help but love him). A man who like a wee nip of the whiskey and more than his fair share of opiates. Then there’s Jesse’s partner in crime. His ex-girlfriend, who’s sweet and sincere, but can blow things up with the best of them, Tulip (Ruth Negga). Both of which are now (for better or for worse) his partners in the upcoming apocalypse. You see. Heaven isn’t exactly PLEASED with the power that he has in him and has sent down two agents to extract the being and take it back to captivity in heaven. However, there’s just as many foul beings on earth who want this power as well so Jesse and his friends are forced to confront both good and evil in a world that seems to have lost its way.

Season 1 of Preacher acts as the introduction to the world of Jesse Custer and his actions. In fact it can almost be considered low key in comparison to what is going to come (if the show sticks to the comics). We see Jesse as a fairly normal man for almost 1/3rd of the series and we only get a peek at his powers for the next third. Each episodes brings us closer to answers but still keeps itself fairly mild. There is a lot of introductions for characters that are going to play a much bigger role in the upcoming season and we watch as Jesse comes to grip with his newfound abilities (even though we sadly don’t really find out WHAT is inside him until the very end, and even then it doesn’t tell you the whole story). That being said. You don’t need to know the backstory of the “Preacher” graphic novels to go with the flow. Everything is spelled out quite nicely and each episode uses a series of flashbacks and subplots that reveal the true nature of the plot as well as pieces from Jesse’s past. Pieces that make him the guilt ridden man of god that he is today.

I will admit that the low key nature of the show does have its downside. For a show that promises fantastical adventures and brutally bloody monsters like Cassidy the vampire and all sorts of evil coming his way, Jesse doesn’t get in a whole lot of trouble till at least the half way point of the show. Sure we get to see the meat men and a few normal bad guys, but the show is playing it safe and setting up all the backstory first and that means the first season can feel a bit slow and meandering at times. That being said, the show picks up in the second half in a BIG way and for those who made it through past the 3rd, 4th and 5th episodes are going to be well pleased with the direction that the show is taking.




Rating:

Rated TV-MA by the MPAA




Video:

Preacher comes to Blu-ray with a stellar 1.78:1 AVC encoded Blu-ray set that looks amazing. The show is heavily stylized from the get go, with strong amber and honey colored hues that reflect the dusty and earthy scenario for the show. Especially when going back to the old west flashback days. Still, detail is strong throughout the show with the dust and grime of the little poor town visible for all to see, and the intimate clothing details on Jesse’s preacher color look spot on. There was a bit of softness in the opening pilot, but that fades to a more natural and crisper look as the show progresses (something I would assume was done during the pilot and ditched when the show began officially filming). Blacks are good with only the occasional introduction of banding when a flashlight beam pops out at night or the like. Overall a great looking transfer spread across 3 BD-50s for all 10 episodes. Excellent job by Sony.




Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track for the show is quite nice, with strong front presence and it knows when to kick it into high gear when needed. The show can spend quite a bit of time with the dialog as the only real focus going on, and the dialog is crystal clear. I have zero complaints in that department. There’s some ambient noise in the slaughterhouse, or in the middle of the street when people are screaming and yelling in the background, but otherwise it can be mild. However, the show does go into high gear at times, such as when Cassidy makes his escape from the airplane or during the chainsaw fight where he and the heavenly agents are going at it (or pretty much any time Tulip gets tired of being nice and goes to blow stuff up). LFE is tight and balanced, acting as support in the quieter moments and rock n rolling during the action scenes.





Extras:

• Gag Reel
• Chainsaw Fight Breakdown
• Behind The Killing Machine: Saint of Killers
• Deleted Scenes & Extended Scenes
• The Unfilmable Pilot
• The Stunts of Preacher

Final Score: ​

Preacher is a bizarre show, and one that fits right at home with AMC and their zombies and what not gracing the screen nowadays. However, that bizarre is actually what makes “Preacher” so intoxicating to watch and one of my favorite freshman shows of 2016. The Blu-ray edition is well done, with solid extras and great audio and video scores, making it a definite recommendation to buy. I would like to say that while it is not as gory as The Walking Dead, it IS a mature rated show and has the language and violence to match that rating. Preacher happens to come in two different sets. The regular set can be bought at any retailer, but Amazon has an exclusive set with a 4th disc full of special features for those who are inclined for those. Definitely recommended.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga
Created by: Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, German, French DD 5.1
Studio: Sony
Rated: NR
Runtime: 471 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 4th, 2016

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Good Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I never saw this. Will check it out.

 

[Michael Scott]

yup, it was a fun show, and if you're wondering. the term "Legacy" in the title will be a monnicker used for previous reviews I've done in a prior life and am re-posting due to say........season 2 which just came out and I'm finishing up the final touches on...

 

[tripplej]

Good to hear.. Looks like I will have to catch up to get to season 2.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Hmm... I'm not much of a TV watcher, but I'm going to give this show a watch. Sounds cool. Thanks for the review Mike!

 

[mechman]

I've watched them all as they came out on AMC. It's one of my top 10 favorite shows. I never read any of the comic books but something about a preacher teaming up with a vampire to fight bad guys intrigued me.

 

[Michael Scott]

haha, yeah it's a strange show, but it's a blast to watch. THE ONLY thing I'm super complaining about in season 2 is how they made the Saint of Killers. In the comics he's a "humanized" villain, in here he's just a zombie

 

[mechman]

I kinda thought he was a humanized dead guy.

I guess not having read the comics and knowing the back story helps me!

 

[Michael Scott]

by humanized I mean that he had a full personality, and was tortured over his past and missions for god/the devil. A sympathetic villain you might say.