Longmire: The Complete Fifth Season - DVD Review

[Michael Scott]

Longmire: The Complete Fifth Season

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Longmire is the little engine that could, and could, and just seems to keeping coulding (yes, I know). What started out as a fun little series that got canceled after a couple of years, found new legs on Netflix has just kept going and going and going. After A&E decided to let the show go, Netflix breathed new life into the series and actually trimmed down the episode list to 10 episodes per seasons, essentially cutting out the filler that plagued some of the first two seasons (which is in no way an insult to A&E’s two years, as they were great, just a bit fattier than needed at times). Season 4 was going to be either the last, or season 5 was back when I reviewed season 3, but the show has kept its popularity levels so high that Netflix actually OK’d the decision to make a 6th season (which airs really soon actually) and maybe even a 7th!

Season 5 is a continually strong season, but I do feel that there is SOME slippage of quality due to the fact that the series had been extended past its original expiration date. Again, not an insult or thumbs down to the show, as I have loved every season and really like season 5 as well. I just have to look objectively and realize that you can’t continue on an upward trend in a TV show forever. Season 5 picks up right after the shocking events in season 4’s finale, with both Doc Donna and Walt getting shot in his own home. Despite being wrong about Jacob Nighthorse (A. Martinez) having something to do with his wife’s murder, Walt stubbornly carries a heavy grudge against the man, and acts as one of the focal points of this season’s conflict. Walt actually being wrong. In fact, that’s really what the year is about, focusing in on how badly Walt can actually be wrong for once and his stubbornness drives a wedge between himself and all the friend’s he’s made for the last 4 seasons.

However, there’s a lot more going on than just Walt’s bitter grudges. With a heroin operation moving in and an investigation into the Barlow Connally’s murder, we get to see Walt become the over the top anti-hero that everyone seems to think he is. The further he goes into the investigations, the more unhinged the lawman becomes, soon turning everyone against him and allowing the public’s perception of the crusty old hard liner to actually become a reality. Whether Walt can turn things around and become the “hero” once more, or fall into the oblivion pit is the question everyone is asking.

Most shows that get rescued have a fundamental flaw to them. How do they continue on after a show is canceled and the plot wrapped up? In the case of Longmire A&E ended on a wicked cliffhanger that gets resolved in Netflix’s debut season revival. However, It’s obvious that Longmire is not a series that is going to die easily. In fact the show runners have given us enough teasers and setup to go on several more years comfortably. I will say this though. The gimmick of “who just died after getting shot?” cliffhanger IS getting a bit played out. I won’t say WHO gets shot again, but the season ends with someone else getting shot, and the viewer wondering just who dies, but has to tune in next season to find out.

The acting has always been really great, especially since it uses a few fading stars like Lou Diamond Phillips and Robert Taylor, along with B levels stars like Katee Sackhoff. In fact, that’s the original reason I didn’t check out the show until season 3 started, was due to the weak looking cast. But they defied all odds and created a show that has stood the test of 5 seasons and still continue to prove my initial assessment wrong. I especially love Robert Taylor and the hulking grouch that he is this season. He’s always been a hard headed, stubborn fool, but this year he takes the cake as he becomes almost the “villain” of the season in many ways. He’s so unlikable at this point that you’re waiting for his stumbling block to bring him down to earth again, and yet you still root for the guy.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

The nice things about TV shows is the fact that they tend to look really similar from year to year. There is a certain consistency due to filming techniques and the same studio handling encoding responsibilities, and Longmire follows in the tradition of past years by looking excellent on DVD. Like usual, the Blu-ray is exclusive online to Warner Archive Collection ,while the standard 480p DVD is available in all major retailers. Season 5 comes on 3 DVD-9s (season 3 was 2 DVD-9s) and looks exceptional, even in only 480p. The image is sharp as a tack and incredibly detailed. The Dusty desert environment is filled with earth tones and soft browns, while the blues and bright primary colors of clothing items pop out from the dusty background with incredible pop. Black levels are excellent, and despite some black crush that intermittently comes and goes, shows off plenty of shadow detail. Even though it's not Blu-ray, the DVDs of Longmire continue to impress.






Audio:

The show’s 5.1 Dolby Digital track is a bit more restrained, giving a lot more emphasis to the dialogue with some mild ambiance to fill out the rear channels than some shows. Gunshots sound well placed and impact, and the music flows through all 6 channels with great aplomb. There’s some decent LFE to add to the low end, and even gives some “jump” moments where that mid bass kicks you in the chest Vocals are still the majority of the audio track, and those are placed firmly up front in teh center channel, with some mild panning effects that happen in the windswept Wyoming town.. A solid track, and one that won’t disappoint fans of the show in the slightest.








Extras:

• Scoring Longmire

Final Score: ​

Longmire continues to impress even after 3 seasons AFTER being canceled initially. Taylor and all other crew members work together to make one of the most memorable modern western shows in recent history, and even though there is a VERY minor dip in my ratings (season 1-3 were 4.5/5 stars) I still find it to be one of the more comfortable dramas out there today. Audio and video are great for a 480p DVD, but I was saddened to see that there is only one minor extra on the disc, leaving it a bit barren in those regards. Highly recommended.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips
Created by: Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 MPEG 2
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: NR
Runtime: 618 Minutes
DVD Release Date: September 26th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Great Watch

 

[Sonnie Parker]

A great show! Love it!

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Never saw this one.. Will try to catch the first season.

 

[mechman]

I agree with Sonnie, it's a great show! Still can not understand why AMC dumped it way back when.

 

[GFOviedo]

I love this show as well, but I've been waiting for the new episodes!