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6 Degrees Entertainment

'Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 1'
(Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, et al / 5-Disc DVD / NR / 2014 / ABC Studios)

Overview: In the wake of The Battle of New York, the world has changed forever. An extraordinary landscape of wonders has been revealed! In response, mysteriously resurrected Agent Phil Coulson assembles an elite team of skilled agents and operatives: Melinda May, Grant Ward, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons and new recruit/computer hacker Skye.

Blu ray Verdict: 'Agents of Shield' was a show I had been anticipating for quite some time. I'm a big fan of 'The Avengers' and watch every film dealing with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Basically, what I'm saying is that I had high standards for the show.

When I saw the first episode, I was left feeling satisfied but not mind blown. The show was good but could have been better. It's not something I excitedly look forward to but is entertaining enough and a way to kill an hour or so.

The problem with the show lies in the characters. They seem interesting enough: You have Coulson, whom everyone assumed was dead after the events of The Avengers; Ward, the new guy who has to learn to get along with his new coworkers; Melinda, a highly-skilled combatant spy who doesn't want to be in the field anymore; Fitz and Simmons, the two scientists experts; and Skye, the newest member who got in only after the agents discovered that she had been capable enough to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.

All of these characters have their own personality, so it would seem as if they would all stand out from their own. But the problem is that the show spends so little focus on these characters that you don't really get to see their personality, or get to know them in general. If there is an episode about someone, it will be Skye or Coulson, or maybe even Ward - but none of the other characters really get their own centric episodes.

The plot themselves are so-so, with your standard Stop-The-Monster-Of-The-Week premise. Some are admittedly intriguing (the Graviton guy and the people working with Extremis, for example), but for the most part they're mostly predictable and don't offer anything new.

A so-so plot could work with great characters, but - as I have said earlier - the show isn't doing much with them. I prefer a great plot and great characters (ala Harry Potter), but you can go one or the other and still entertain me. However, AOS doesn't really do either intriguing enough for me.

That's not to say that the show's all bad, though. There is some fun, quick-witted humor sprinkled in every now and then. The show contains smart little references to the MCU films (i.e. the events of The Avengers). And they have moments when they do well with character development - I'm mostly talking about Skye, but it's still better than nothing.

Oh, and I should note that the show contains some gratuitous content although I'm not talking about showing blood in the action sequences or anything What I mean is that it includes things that are genuinely unnecessary. You'll figure it out for yourself, n spoilers here. Also, some of the dialogue is a little cheesy, as I noted above, but felt like it was worth repeating; sorry.

So overall this is a decent show. Once again it's not my favorite, and there is definitely room for improvement, but it's still a show I enjoy. If anything, it's a way for me to unwind and kill off a few extra hours on my evenings. These are all Widescreen Presentations (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Feature of:

Journey Into S.D.C.C. - Hop On The Bus And Share The Thrill Of A Lifetime As The Series Makes Its First Ever Appearance At San Diego Comic-Con, Where The Cast Is Welcomed With Open Arms By A Sea Of Enthusiastic Fans!

www.ABCstudios.com







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