The Last Ship: The Complete Fifth and Final Season - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Last Ship: The Complete Fifth and Final Season

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

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Movie

I’m actually astonished that The Last Ship survived for 5 seasons. Not because it’s bad mind you, but rather because I was always reticent that a pure action based military style show could last this long if it wasn’t on cable TV. Broadcast TV hasn’t been too kind to military action shows over the years, canceling most of the really fun ones with only a season or two under their belts before getting the ax. Couple that with the fact that Michael Bay was the driving force behind the series and I was convinced that TNT was going to drop the boom on the show sooner or later. Luckily it didn’t, and while there has been a few hiccups along the way (the most notable one being season 3, which floundered a bit) the show has been consistently FUN and entertaining throughout it’s 5 season run.

I remember starting the first season of the show back in 2015 when I got my first review copy and was instantly hooked on the show. The Last Ship didn’t make any bones about the fact that this was an action show first and foremost. It didn’t squander hours of run time with pointless romances, or making alliances with others against a zombie horde, but rather rammed the accelerator in full gear and charged into the action with guns blazing. I enjoyed the simple military style action of the show, and the fact that they kept the episodes down to 10-13 per season meant that there was no need to trim the fat of filler episodes. It also had one of the most engaging and unique plot lines out there at the time. Commander Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) and his battleship, the “Nathan James” was the last ship of the American fleet. They had been out on silent war games out in the Arctic only to come home after a year and find out that most of humanity was wiped out from a virus named The Red Flu. Aboard their ship they struggled to get back home to the U.S. to see what was left, all the while using their skills to try and come up with a vaccine for the Flu that seemed to plague the rest of the world.

Season 2 wrapped up the whole Red Flu story line, with a vaccine created, and the U.S. reforming a new government after all of the infighting and destruction that happened during the outbreak of the virus. Season 3 was probably the series biggest faux pas, as it struggled with finding a balance after the virus was eradicated. Season 4 was the show stabilizing itself, as it found new ideas and methods to keep the “Nathan James” afloat and busy without feeling like the retread of Season 3. However, Season 5 brings us back full circle with a new threat. One that will completely destabilize the new U.S. government and once more require the “Nathan James” to actually be “The Last Ship” once more.

It’s been a few years since everything calmed down, with the crew of the “Nathan James” having moved on. The U.S. has a small fleet of battleships and cruisers, and Commander Chandler is now Admiral Chandler, retired and teaching at the Naval Academy. However, things have a way of dragging an old warrior back in, and this time it’s another virus, but not the one you might thing. An upstart government in South America has overthrown their leaders, and attacked the U.S. in a way that we haven’t seen since Pearl Harbor. A sophisticated cyber virus knocks out all of the military computers just in time for a bombing run of planes to come in and destroy the newly formed U.S. Navy fleet. The only one that survives the bombing is the “U.S.S. Nathan James” which arrived late to the “party”. With only a fraction of the forces they once had, Admiral Chandler and his men once more rally around legendary ship and set out in order take vengeance on an enemy that wants to set the U.S. back to the frightened band of survivors it was during the days of the Red Flu.

Season 5 of The Last Ship is pure action. While it features most everyone you’ve come to know and love over the series, it changes things up a bit. Tom Chandler is no longer in command of the “Nathan James”, but is instead the strategist on the ground this go around. Mike Slattery (Adam Baldwin) is overseeing his old ship and it’s more of a three pronged attack on the South American terrorists. The “Nathan James” by sea, strike forces by land, and a military strategist working to figure out how to stop this computer virus so that we can win this war once and for all. It’s pure fun, pure action, and I loved every minute of it. The 10 episode season brings things full circle with the “Nathan James”, and pulls a few tricks out of it’s sleeves that I wasn’t expecting. People die this time around, several of them long standing members that really had my jaw hitting the floor in shock over their deaths. Eric Dane still dominates as Tom Chandler. He’s the powerhouse behind the series, and his stone jawed demeanor is one of the biggest appeals of the show. His story line is probably the most powerful, as it brings the whole thing full circle to when he first started the series, and ends the show in a bittersweet way that really works for his characters. Sure there’s some minor issues along the way, but all in all The Last Ship ends on really fantastic note, being one of the best seasons since the show started.




Rating:

Rated TV-14




Video:

The Last Ship has always enjoyed a good to great looking video quality to the Blu-rays and DVDs that Warner has put out (expect for season 3, which crammed too many episodes on too few discs and had some artifacting issues) and the final season continues on with that quality level. The two BD-50s house 5 episodes each and the individual episodes looking great on my 120 inch screen. The show is a very natural looking show, with little color grading at all except a few scenes down south of the border which employs a yellowish hue. Details are sharp and clean along the battleships, the faces distinctly detailed, and the black levels are nice and silky. The show’s tendency to take place in the bowels of the “Nathan James” keeps the show dim for a good chunk of the season, but topside in the sunlight shows off some really nice colors that pop whether they’re in the jungles of Columbia to the topdeck of the “Nathan James” herself. There’s some banding here and there (a spotlight on someone’s face, some underwater shots, as well as a few dark scenes in the guts of the ships), but overall this is a very crisp and clear looking digital TV show.






Audio:

The one thing that the series has ALWAYS excelled at is delivering jaw dropping lossless audio on their Blu-ray releases. Most TV shows are “good” in the audio department, but The Last Ship brings forth a full on action track complete with earth shattering bass, wild surround usage for the battles, and an all encompassing feel to the non stop assault of the show’s war like nature. I sadly only was able to review the DVDs for season 4, and while the Dolby Digital track was good, I missed the full lossless TrueHD experience and was instantly reminded of that fact when I popped in the Blu-ray. The 5.1 TrueHD track is vibrant, POWERFUL, and just rife with energy from beginning to end. While there is plenty of dialog heavy sections of the series, the show really thrives off of the non stop action and battles that the “Nathan James” and her crew get themselves into. This time the series is split up into ground battles AND sea battles, so we’re privy to the sounds of M4 small arms fire in the jungle, as well as the dull thudding of the “Nathan James” and her anti aircraft batteries alike. Bass is deep and impressive, and the surrounds are filled with the whistling of machine gun fire, or the splashing of shells hitting the water around the ships. All in all, it’s a very impressive track that is one of the most fun parts of these home video releases.
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Extras:

• Inside The Last Ship
• Tales From The Bridge

Final Score: ​

As sad as it is to see old friends go, I’m happy that the series was able to come full circle and complete the show instead of just unceremoniously getting canceled with no real wrap up to the shows arc. The fifth season really brings home the goods with one of the best seasons since the first two seasons, and solid conclusion to the fate of the “Nathan James” and her old CO, Tom Chandler. The series has really been a blast to watch, and one of my favorite action shows of the last several years. Once again Warner Brothers brings us a very VERY nice audio and video experience with the same minimalist extras we’ve come to expect from the series’ home video releases. If you’re a fan of the show I wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up, and if you’re new to the show Warner is also releasing a series box set as well where you can pick up all 5 seasons to binge at once.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin, Charles Parnell, Kevin Michael Martin, Marissa Neitling, Travis Van Winkle
Created by: Steven Kane, Hank Steinberg
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: TV-14
Runtime: 440 Minutes
DVD Release Date: March 12th, 2019

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Never seen this so will keep an eye out for it.