{2jtab: Movie Review}

I’m still not sure how Syfy managed to wrangle up the dough for Defiance, a science fiction series that is the first of its kind due to its multi-platform approach to the narrative.  The show is a truly immersive experience that features an interconnected world that evolves together – television series and videogame -- into one story.  How they brought this show to life, concept and all, with a commanding cast and solid special effects matters not in the grand scheme of things.  The point is that while the episodic writing doesn’t quite live up to the show’s potential, Defiance is popcorn science fiction television that appears to be on the rise.

The year is 2046 and more than three decades have passed since aliens arrived, changing life on Earth forever. In the frontier town of Defiance, a drifter-turned-lawkeeper, Nolan (Grant Bowler), and Mayor Rosewater (Julie Benz) attempt to lead the human and alien residents through the prejudices and politics that threaten the fragile peace they’ve fought for.  Co-starring Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jamie Murrary, Graham Greene and Mia Kirshner, the cast must fight town politics, violent threats and conspiracies they are not even close to understanding.

Consider Defiance a futuristic type of Gunsmoke or Have Gun Will Travel type of show because those Old West influences are proudly worn on its pearl-snapped sleeves.  The show sets up many interesting possibilities with its human survivor and mixed alien cast and it certainly doesn’t waffle on its science fiction premise.  Hell, its setting with only St. Louis’ Gateway Arch being the recognizable item from our current world, is intriguing and prompts many questions.

The writers establish the gritty world quickly and don’t immediately answer the questions we’re already asking.  It’s a good tactic because this doesn’t quite have all the grit and action of Battlestar Galactica to keep us tuned in.

And while it’s never as clean and static as the first few years of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Defiance’s human characters try (mostly) to do the right things as the world and its civilization gets rebuilt.  In one episode, an event that takes place within one culture looks a lot like torture to the rest of the town, and there's an interesting ongoing subplot in which the whole future of the town is seriously endangered thanks to one character's definition of the greater good.

The biggest issue with Defiance is the schizophrenic writing that simultaneously blesses it with good characters and some really awful soap operatic situations.  And while the dystopian setting suits it well, the crappy dialogue kills a lot of good will.  Specific episodes can be recommended, but the whole show?  That’s a hard pill to swallow.

There are 14 episodes in its first season and just under half of them are cringe worthy; those are the found in the first half of the season.  It’s no wonder that so many audience members abandoned ship on or just after the 6^th episode.  Maybe the writers got the message.

Defiance – like the multiplayer video game – is rocky and unrefined.  It’s an enjoyable B movie gallop through the future wasteland but needs to improve if it is to continue beyond its second season (which Syfy already renewed).  Successful science fiction doesn’t play it safe and Defiance needs to get its damn paws pretty dirty if it’s going to survive and live up to its name.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - October 15, 2013
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Language: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD); BD-Live; Blu-ray 3D

Universal's treatment of all fourteen 1.78:1-framed, 1080p AVC episodes is to be commended.  Stark and colorful, the details are fantastic.  The images are rapt with fine detail, depth awareness, and solidity of color gradation. Scenes in motion never lose their digital cool, providing smooth transitions during the show's sequences of hand-to-hand battle.  With great bursts of color, Season One’s visual palette doesn’t disappoint.   The active 5-channel Master Audio tracks come from all sides and produce an imaginative immersive experience.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Aside from a few Deleted Scenes on the first disc, the bulk of the extras arrive on Disc Three, though they're not in great abundance.  One gives the audience an overview of how the mythology between the game and TV show interact, coupled with behind-the-scenes shots of the game's design process.  Another featurette scrunches together the vast production work done on the show -- makeup, visual effects, casting, costume design -- into a brief but engaging glimpse at how the show's taken shape. Gag reels and deleted scenes fill in the gaps.

• Deleted Scenes (5 min)
• Defiance: A Transmedia Revolution (7 min)
• Making of Defiance (11 min)
• Behind the Scenes with Jesse Rath (7 min)
• Gag Reel (3 min)

{2jtab: Trailer}

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