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Torchwood: Miracle Day Blu-ray Review

“Torchwood: Miracle Day” is a colossal disappointment.

“Miracle Day” kicks off with the startling revelation that seemingly everyone in the world is unable to die. While this might sound good in theory, those who are supposed to die are in excrutiating pain. On top of that, the world’s resources cannot handle a population that never decreases. To make matters more troubling, the only person who is now mortal is the once immortal Captain Jack Harkness. Who is behind this fiendish plot? What effects will this change have on the world? What does PhiCorp, convicted murderer Oswald Danes, “The Families” (don’t ask), and The Blessing have to do with this “Miracle”? Only team Torchwood (Capt. Jack, Gwen and Rhys) and their new pals (Vera, Rex, and Esther) can get to the bottom of these questions.

After one of THE best sci-fi TV events (“Children Of Earth”), the “Torchwood” creative staff opted to once again go with the season length story arc route (only with 10 episodes this time around). Unfortunately, things changed for “Torchwood” in the fourth series. Not only did the series get a bigger budget and move to Starz Network in the U.S., but it was also partially shot in the U.S. and added U.S. cast members as well. This could have potentially worked in the series favor, but alas the tone of the series changed, the character dyamics changed, and worst of all, Captain Jack received significantly less screentime and became watered down. Worse still, the season arc turned out to be a complete waste of time thanks to plot holes aplenty, meandering non-eventful episodes, idiotic characters (see Esther) and an end “revelation” that will make you wonder why you watched these 10 episodes at all.

Had this arc been 1-2 episodes instead, it might have worked. The arc set-up is undoubtedly intriguing, but having a whole season revolve around it kills any interest one originally had. The result product is nothing more than a frustrating, preachy, maddening insult to “Torchwood” fans.

Summary: I’m not being dramatic when I say that, at this point in time, it appears as if “Miracle Day” has effectively killed “Torchwood” due to less than stellar ratings, RTD not showing interest in more “Torchwood,” and a poor fan reaction. As depressing as this is to say, it’s probably for the best too. My advice? Watch the first 3 great seasons and skip this mess.

Video/Audio:

If you do happen to wind up watching “Miracle Day,” watching it in 1080i is the absolute best way to do so. The series really shines in hi-def thanks to the crisp colors.

The 5.1 DTS-HD audio track does a perfect job of balancing the action sequences and the quieter dialogue heavy moments.

Extras:
* “Doctor Who” series 6, “Sherlock,” “Being Human,” and “Frozen Planet” trailers.
* Character profiles for Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper, Rex Matheson, Oswald Danes, and Rhys Williams. Interviews with the cast and crew chatting about the characters are included.
* Commentary on “The New World” and “The Blood Line” by Julie Gardner and Russell T. Davies. I don’t think anyone wants to hear about these episodes.
* iTunes episode introductions.
* “FX Special”- A featurette on the CGI special effects like the end “creature,” the RPG, bullet wounds, etc.
* “Behind The Scenes”- An interesting featurette that digs into what the season is about as well as provide information about the production itself. Interviews, set footage and clips are included.
* 5 deleted scenes.
* A 10 episode motion comic series that ties in with “Miracle Day” titled “Web Of Lies.” The animation is so poor you’ll be lucky to get through the episodes.

April 8, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Bill Pullman, Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman, Torchwod Season 4, Torchwood: Miracle Day Blu-ray Review