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Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: September 6th, 2016 Movie Release Year: 2015

Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season

Overview -

Season Eleven plunges Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) into extreme peril as they face The Darkness, a sinister new menace unleashed upon the Earth. They continue their monster-hunting missions, battling the usual werewolves, black-eyed demons and even a vengeful ghost in a stuffed bunny costume, but with a sharp new focus: destroy The Darkness. Needing all the help they can get, the brothers turn to fallen angel Castiel (Misha Collins); the King of Hell, Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) and even an unassuming God (Rob Benedict)– only to come face to face with Lucifer and Crowley’s power-hungry witch-mother Rowena (Ruth Connell). Strap yourself in for the Winchesters’ darkest adventures yet as they journey between Heaven and Hell in all 23 electrifying episodes of the epic suspense thriller.

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Four 50GB Blu-ray Discs + Digital HD
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
970
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.78:1
Audio Formats:
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Special Features:
Gag Reel
Release Date:
September 6th, 2016

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Having eleven full seasons fully released with a twelfth season currently airing, it's no doubt that the fun and entertaining series 'Supernatural' has amassed such a big cult following, that there are now conventions and parties completely devoted to the series. Not to mention all of the merchandising and cosplay that goes on year around with this show. 'Supernatural' has become one of the most recognizable shows and memes on the internet with the Winchester men (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) investigating, solving, and fighting the forces of evil.

Like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', this show has an overall story arc per season with a monster of the week setup with episodes here and there having fun gimmicks. Have there really been 242 episodes of this show? Yes there has and there are no signs of this show coming to an end anytime soon, and for good reason as season eleven goes into darker territory and new places. Over the past eleven seasons, we've seen Sam and Dean Winchester battle numerous kinds of monsters, demons, werewolves, and pretty much everything else under the sun and moon. We've also traveled through time with them now as well as some trips to heaven and hell with God, Lucifer and many others who will make the hairs on your arm stand up if you get a glimpse of them.

If you're keeping up with the show, you would know at the end of season ten, that dreaded Mark of Cain was finally banished from Dean's arm and all seemed right with the world for a short while until The Darkness showed up as the main villain in season eleven, wreaking havoc in the big overall story arc. Sam and Dean have to battle a fog that turns people into monsters, werewolves, ghosts and much more sinister works of evil this season as the brothers try and enlist the help of some angels to battle this wicked foe. The brothers travel back in time as well as to hell where they come face to face with Lucifer in order to stop The Darkness.

There is a cool episode seen through the point of view of the Winchester's Impala car and even a good episode that involves pro wrestlers. Lizzie Borden is a topic as well as a song that forces people into some fairly violent deaths. There are some great underlying tones of brotherly love and loyalty through this season that always hit the heart strings too. This eleventh season sure pushes the bounds on where Sam and Dean go and monsters they deal with, but it all works in a fairly tight script and story line, never really losing focus of the big overall story arc. Fans of the show will surely love this season.

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season' comes with 4 - 50GB Blu-ray discs along with a digital copy code. There is also an insert booklet, detailing each episode, and a couple of other 'Supernatural' promo inserts, which is housed inside a blue plastic case along with a cardboard sleeve.

Video Review

Ranking:

Supernatural: Season Eleven' comes with a great 1080p HD transfer and is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Like previous seasons, this image is pretty amazing. Most of the show takes place in very dark situations with low and dim lighting, but luckily, that doesn't hinder any of the detail, which is vivid and sharp throughout. Closeups showcase each wound, individual hair, and bead of sweat nicely here. Great stitching in the costumes as well as the practical monster makeup effects look great too.  Wider shots still look sharp and never go soft, even in the darker scenes.

This digitally shot show never looks like it's been put through the smooth digital car wash, but has a rather filmic look to it, which is always nice. Colors look are bold and pop off screen when in bright natural light. Earth tones look great and the haunting colder blues and grays look well balanced as well. The red blood always stands out as well. The black levels are deep and inky for the most part, even in the much darker scenes with only a hint of crush and the skin tones are always natural. There were some very minor moments of aliasing and video noise, but it's really nothing to write home about, leaving this video presentation with great marks.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with an excellent lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix and is still everything you would want in a series like this. The highs and lows are fantastic with the bass kicking in through most of the action scenes and music cues. There is never a shortage of audio substance here with the surrounds picking up every ambient noise of monsters, werewolves, nature, and city life from star to finish, which makes for an excellent fully immersive experience here.

Sound effects pack a punch with some great directionality throughout the season. Each sound is realistic and thorough. The music of the show always adds to the suspense and horror, as well as some of the comedy elements of the series without drowning out any other sound aspect. Dialogue is crystal clear and easy to follow with zero instances of any pops, cracks, hiss, or shrills. The big action sequences never cross into the rocky territory, but rather delivers a well-balanced chaos of sound where each element is utilized for a great listening experience.

Special Features

Ranking:

All four discs of this season have some bonus features included with the fourth disc having the majority.

Audio Commentaries - There are three different audio commentaries here for three episodes, which are 'Baby', 'Just My Imagination', and 'Don't Call Me Shurley'. The writers and directors of these episodes deliver the commentary track with actors Rob Benedict and Booger himself - Curtis Armstrong tagging along on one of them. These commentaries discuss the story arc of each episode, the technical details and characters with some fun anecdotes from the set. Unfortunately, there are no Sam and Dean commentaries.

Jensen Ackles on Directing 'The Bad Seed' (HD, 5 Mins.) - Ackles, who plays Dean on the show, directed one of the episodes and discusses his work behind the camera, as well as in front.

Deleted Scenes (HD, 12 Mins.) - There are several deleted scenes from a few episodes spread across each disc. More character development is here, but nothing much else.

On the Set with SPN: The Real Fan Contest (HD, 30 Mins.) - This is a cool featurette which shows how two fans of the show got to spend a day on set with everyone.

The Winchester Mythology: Shedding Light on the Darkness (HD, 17 Mins.) - This bonus feature discusses the monsters of season eleven, with an emphasis on The Darkness, Amara, and God.

'Supernatural': 2015 Comic Con Panel (HD, 29 Mins.) - The main stars and crew of the show head to San Diego Comic Con and answer fan's questions, which is always fun to watch.

Digital Magic: Enhancing the Sets with VFX (HD, 8 Mins.) - Here, we see how the CGI of the series was made and put into the live action scenes.

Gag Reel (HD, 10 Mins.) - A long, but funny montage of missed cues, flubbed lines, laughter, and mistakes.

Final Thoughts

This eleventh season of 'Supernatural' never slows down or becomes complacent. Sam and Dean travel through time and even to Heaven and Hell to take on their foes this season, along with a ton different monsters and demons. This series still feels fresh and original in its eleventh season, which is a tough thing to do, but 'Supernatural' does it well. The overall story arc here this season is a great one that keeps the suspense and horror high and leads the way for future seasons. The video and audio presentations are both excellent and the bonus features are all worth watching. I'm gonna say it again - this series is highly recommended!