Defending their
country, deceiving their friends, no one is immune from the eyes
and ears of MI-5. Enter the thrilling world of MI-5, the clandestine security service,
and meet the people who make up the elite team, specifically
agents Tom Quinn (Matthew MacFadyen), Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes),
and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo).
They tackle organized crime, terrorist activities, embassy sieges,
weapons proliferation and anarchists, not to mention the conflicts
and power struggles back in the office.
CRITIQUE
MI-5 rules, it simply kicks ass. It tells complex, dangerous, and
relevant stories that creates high octane, powerful drama. The
filmmakers behind the series create top notch work, from the excellent
cinematography to the great-looking sets and locations, and from well
researched and sweet scripts to solid acting by the principal actors.
The sometimes emotional but more frequently action-oriented music
score also serves the show very well.
As
much as I love this series, it seems it's not designed for everybody.
I read a review of the Volume 2 DVD set and the reviewer gave the show
a low rating which really surprised me, however this was due to the
reviewer not having seen the first season. Also, the reviewer didn't
care for the characters/actors or stories, so there is definitely a
difference of opinion. I never thought about this before, but perhaps
the average audience might not be able to follow the complex plot
threads introduced in each episode. MI-5 doesn't make it easy,
though, which might put off some people.
However, I feel MI-5 is smart about the way it introduces the
storylines and keeps the plot threads moving; it doesn't come out
plainly and tell you what's going on right to your face. Well,
sometimes it does, but never in a way that feels forced.
MI-5 also portrays its characters realistically, the drama of the
events impacting their lives and professional career. The main focus
of the second season is on Tom Quinn, whose character really goes
places. I dare not spoiling anything about what's happening to him
during the course of the season, but the drama and intensity that
builds around his character from show to show gets bigger until in the
very last episode (Pit of Secrets) everything comes full circle
and Tom becomes somewhat of a haunted soul. The last thirty or so
minutes had me on the edge of my bed (I watched the last three
episodes by myself in my bedroom one morning), and the last five
minutes were so powerful they affected how I felt for the next couple
of days; I kept thinking about the character and the tragic events
that happened to him. Needless to say I was deeply involved with the
characters and stories this season.
Disc 1:
Legitimate Target, Nest of Angels Disc 2: Hackers, Blood and Money Disc 3: I Spy Apocalypse, President's Visit Disc 4: Clean Skin, Seventh Division Disc 5: Military Strikes, Pit of Secrets
THE VIDEO
The BBC presents MI-5
in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Image quality is good but not
great. Compression noise and artifacts present themselves in
several areas of the presentation. There's also a bit of
softness to the image, and pixelation also occurs. Colors are
quite strong and vibrant, and pretty clear. Black levels are
deep and dark tones are mostly consistent. Grain also shows up
in many
scenes, but the widescreen presentation itself looks real good.
THE AUDIO
The BBC presents MI-5
in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Dialogue is clear
and easy to understand. Sound effects, background noise, and a
smart/hip score come across pretty well. A 2.0 soundtrack is
also featured. English subtitles are included for all of us who
can't understand every accent.
THE EXTRAS
There is a wealth of information present on the five discs that make
up the Volume 2 package, with many featurettes (on each episode
and other topics), a dozen or so interviews (with the cast and
creative crew), audio commentaries (on five of the ten
episodes) and deleted scenes (18 minutes worth) available on
each disc, plus other extras like trailers, photo galleries,
secret credits, and DVD-ROMmaterials.
I've read about
complaints from other people who say the menus for this DVD are
confusing or overly complicated, but I find them rather cool. To read
about them, check out my review of the Volume 1
DVD set.
I
will not go in depth about all the extras because frankly it would
take me over thirty minutes to write and I want to finish this review
(I've pushed it back for months already).
FINAL THOUGHTS
I
love MI-5 and the second season improves on the first. The DVD
is packed with extras and the show looks real nice in widescreen. Fans
of the series have got to pick up this set. Beginners should start at
the beginning. I highly recommend this DVD; it's a Collector Series
item.
The
third season of MI-5 premiered on the A&E two months ago. I
watched the first two episodes to see how the cliffhanger from last
season was resolved; they did it well. The downside with the TV
broadcast is the loss of fifteen minutes of footage that is cut to
accommodate annoying commercials, plus it's shown in fullscreen. I
initially planned to watch the new season on A&E but decided it would
be better to wait for the DVD where I could watch the entire season in
one sitting if I wanted to.
