Blu-ray News and Reviews | High Def Digest
Film & TV All News Blu-Ray Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders 4K Ultra HD Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders Gear Reviews News Home Theater 101 Best Gear Film & TV
Blu-Ray : Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $10.06 Last Price: $24.98 Buy now! 3rd Party 6.08 In Stock
Release Date: April 11th, 2017 Movie Release Year: 2016

Veep: The Complete Fifth Season

Overview -

Onetime VP and now-President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her Emmy®-winning role) finds herself in the midst of a virtually unprecedented Electoral College tie – with her future as President coming down to only a few hundred votes--in Season 5 of the hit comedy series. With Amy and Dan on the ground in Nevada working on a recount, Selina finds herself spinning her wheels in D.C., as her staff continues their mission to make her seem presidential (even though she is the President) while fending off the ambitions of her charismatic Vice Presidential running mate Tom James, who in a twist of obscure constitutional procedure could end up becoming President. Over the course of this season, with the stakes for Selina higher than ever before, Veep continues to prove that in Washington, even the most banal decisions can have ripple effects – with unexpected and often hilarious consequences.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
2 50GB Blu-ray Discs + Digital Copy
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
285
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.78:1
Audio Formats:
Spanish DTS 2.0
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Release Date:
April 11th, 2017

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Veep: The Complete Fifth Season never stops the comedy train from rolling into the station in every scene. Each actor has perfectly adapted to their characters and each interaction and relationship seems like it's lasted for decades. Everyone is comfortable in their role and every comedic bit is perfectly timed and delivered to give us an excellent fifth season.

There are some great parallels with season 5 and the real US election of 2016, but it's fairly subtle in certain ways, whether it be social media posts or an election with so much over-the-top antics, that it all comes across like one big circus and hilarious satire on the current political climate here in the USA as Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) campaigns to get elected to President by any means necessary. With all of her hilarious co-stars and whacky characters in tow, every episode out does the last in terms of comedy.

From throwing lavish parties where Selina corners several people and asks for money to trying to find out which staffer called her the C-word, to a Thanksgiving celebration, to her daughter's new love interest, and even family tragedy - it all shows up in season five with plenty of big laughs. To see how each supporting character transitions into different jobs throughout this season is spectacular and you can't help but think there are plenty of bloopers with the wide variety of insults that are hurled at one another on a consistent basis here.

The writing is top-notch in every episode and throws inside jokes at you, as well as superb rapid-fire dialogue that is delivered flawlessly. Even though a lot of these characters cross the ethics and morals threshold every chance they get, you can't help but want to be friends with them. Veep: The Complete Fifth Season is one of the best yet.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

Veep: Season 5 comes with 2 50GB Blu-ray Discs that are Region A Locked from HBO. There is also a digital download code insert for iTunes or Ultraviolet. The two discs and insert are housed in an eco-friendly hard blue plastic cast with the inside box art, giving episode information. The case is housed in a cardboard sleeve.

Video Review

Ranking:

Veep: The Complete Fifth Season comes with a 1080p HD transfer and is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This season is on par with the past seasons and looks great for being filmed like a mockumentary series, although it isn't in that realm. The detail is sharp and vivid throughout with excellent closeups that reveal individual hairs on the actor's faces, heavy makeup blemishes, and every freckle on Dan's face. Wider shots never go soft either, no matter the lighting conditions.

Like a mockumentary, there are a lot of very quick pans and zooms on characters, which can cause focus issues and softness, but it's part of the style of the show and not a compression or transfer issue. Colors are well balanced and saturated and the primaries pop off screen. Outside of bright blue or red dresses, colors are fairly neutral and warm. Black levels are deep and inky and the skin tones are natural. There are no issues such as aliasing, banding, or video noise, leaving this video presentation with good marks.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with a lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix and sounds great for being a heavy dialogue driven comedy show. Most of this audio presentation is front heavy, but there are moments where surrounds pour out fun noises, such as vehicles driving by, doors slamming, and people chattering in the background. The audio really picks up in scenes where there are tons of people in the room for an event or speech, where the dynamics are in full force.

The score between scene transitions are always great and the dialogue is clear and easy to follow along with the fast pace. There are no pops, cracks, hiss, or shrills here, leaving this audio presentation with solid marks, being a dialogue driven comedy.

Special Features

Ranking:

Audio Commentary - There are four audio commentaries on four different episodes. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, along with a few other actors and crew members discuss the episodes, characters, and storyline so far. These are funny and informative with anecdotes from the set and info about the writing process.

Deleted Scenes (HD, 34 Mins.) - There are quite a few deleted scenes, alternate takes and extended scenes here, all of which are worth watching and extremely funny.

Final Thoughts

Veep: The Complete Fifth Season is laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish and a perfect satire for the recent American elections. Every character has their time to shine in each episode and never gets old or stale. Veep is showing no signs of slowing down, that's for sure. The video and audio presentations are top-notch for this kind of show and the extras are worth listening to and watching. Recommended!