Horror movies
have developed an unhealthy habit of creating bland characters in order to
lazily ensure that the audience doesn’t turn against the film when those
characters are brutally killed. What has resulted is a genre riddled with bad
acting and one-dimensional characters, and often we don’t complain because we
were entertained enough by the scares. The same doesn’t hold true of “Supernatural,”
a television horror show. Because we are forced to remain with the same main
characters each episode, it hurts that the weakest link in the show is their
development. As much as the show tries to quickly jam in motives and feelings
into script, the only time that the show feels truthful is when the scares begin.
While most shows develop more complex characters as the seasons go by,
“Supernatural” simply puts these characters through such an exorbitant amount
of melodrama that nothing feels grounded in reality.
Every aspect of the visuals is
incredibly impressive. From the stylized cinematography, with shadows and wisps
of light falling perfectly in place to make certain each scene is as creepy
looking as possible, to the monster effects that are disgusting and fantastic, “Supernatural”
is one of the best looking shows on television, and even better looking in high
definition. The show is even filled with attractive actors in nearly every
episode. Unfortunately, “Supernatural” may be great to look at, but there isn’t
much else there.
After a
horrific, as well as mysterious, death in the family, Sam and Dean Winchester
(Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) were raised with the skills to find and
destroy supernatural entities. Sam has moved on to law school, but he is sucked
back in one day when his brother appears to tell him that their father has gone
missing. Although this was originally a large part of the overall show, it has
long since shifted to more complex supernatural storylines involving demons and
fallen angels on Earth. The brothers still travel from town to town in their
spotless black Chevelle, taking a supernatural road trip across the United States
There are only
so many times that the same gags and tricks can work before they just become
tiresome. Blood dripping from an unknown source above onto a character’s face
or shoulder is a favored shot in many episodes. Still, if there is anything
that the show does well, it is the visuals. The contrast filled cinematography
mixed with realistic creatures and monsters is usually helped a great deal by
beautiful scenery in each episode. Ironically many of the show’s most hideous
creatures are found in some of the most breathtaking areas of North
America .
Season nine
starts with a storyline that seems to suggest a major shift in the narrative,
with Sam nearly dying and the fallen angel Castiel (Misha Collins) losing his
grace, but manages to fall into a pattern again after the first couple
episodes. In order to save Sam, Dean prays for help and it is answered by an
angel named Ezekiel (Tahmoh Penikett), who offers to possess him in order to
heal him. This becomes significant in an all-out angel war that takes the main
focus of season nine’s narrative.
The Blu-ray
release includes all 23 season nine episodes on four discs, with an optional
commentary track on three of the episodes. The extras also include unaired
scenes, a gag reel, and three featurettes. There is an interactive set tour, a
fan’s experience of the show’s production, and the panel from Comic-Con
2013.
Entertainment Value:
5.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
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