Tag: sails

Actors: Toby Stephens, Ray Stevenson, Zach McGowan, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
DVD Release Date: November 8, 2016
Run Time: 549 minutes

Season: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

Black Sails is a great show that really hasn’t been giving proper credit since it aired. The show is grand and very epic. The characters are well fleshed out and each season has been improving on the next. The scope of this show is just so huge and it feels like a massive “Game of Thrones” style world…yet the masses have not caught on. Anchor Bay has still been behind giving this show a solid Blu-ray presentation since day one. The 1080p transfer on these episodes are just gorgeous. They make all the work that this show takes to put together and shows it off very well. This release also comes stock with epic Dolby TrueHD 7.1 tracks, which will rattle your bones! Alas, the next season will be the series finale. I am very curious to how how this show cruises to its conclusion in season four.

Official Season Premise: In the wake of the burning of Charles Town, all the New World lives in fear of Captain Flint. But when his campaign of terror crosses over into madness, and new threats emerge to challenge his supremacy, it falls to John Silver to locate the man within the monster, before Flint’s war against the world consumes them all. Meanwhile, on the pirate island of Nassau, it’s a new day. With Eleanor Guthrie facing judgment in London, Jack Rackham sits atop a fortune in Spanish gold, hoping to secure his legacy as a king among thieves. To do so, he’ll have to compete with the return of one of history’s most notorious captains, who holds a different vision for their home, as well as a complicated past with Rackham’s chief ally, Captain Charles Vane. All will be tested when a new opponent arrives to claim Nassau, one the pirates could never have anticipated. It knows them. It understands them. And in the blink of an eye, it will do the one thing they never thought possible… turn them against each other.

The special feature are a little light this go around but some decent content still included. There is a good refresher from what happened last season in the “Season 2 Recap”. The best feature is an episode-by-episode in depth behind-the-scenes look at all aspects of the show in “Inside the World of Black Sails”. The next feature “The Storm” shows how they created the visual marvel in the second episode of this season. “A Pirate’s Last Words” looks into the big season spoiler, which I will not reveal. “Blackbeard: An 18th Century Pirate” focuses on the debut of the legendary character to the show. Lastly “Woodes Rogers” examines one of the season’s newest character. Missing here that would be been amazing would have been some commentary tracks, if you are reading this for season four release Anchor Bay!

Starring: Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper, Zach McGowan, Toby Schmitz, Clara Paget, Mark Ryan, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Sean Michael, Louise Barnes
Rated: TV-MA
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Run Time: 456 minutes

Season: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Ever since “Game of Thrones” blew up on HBO, everyone has been trying to recreate that success. STARZ is the latest to hone in on that with “Black Sails”. This show was described to me as “Game of Thrones” on the sea. I am a big “Game of Thrones” fan, so I figured I would check it out. The show is quite epic for sure. I mean who doesn’t want to see a show about pirates including Long John Silver. I just wasn’t as enthralled as I was with “Game of Thrones”, if we are comparing.The visual effects are stunning but the cast doesn’t really grip me. I have a feeling though this show is going to be going on for a while since the second season starts on January 24, 2015 and the show was already renewed for a third season as well.

Official Premise: 1715. The Golden Age of Piracy. New Providence Island is a lawless territory, controlled by history’s most notorious pirate captains. The most feared is Captain Flint. As the British Navy returns to redeem their land and exterminate Flint and his crew, another side of him emerges. He allies himself with Elenaor Guthrie, daughter of the local kingpin, to hunt the ultimate prize and ensure their survival. Many opponents stand in their way: rival captains, jealous of Flint’s power; Eleanor’s ambitious and intrusive father; and a young sailor recently recruited onto Flint’s crew, John Silver, who constantly undermines his captain’s agenda.

This season comes stocked as a combo pack with a Blu-ray + Digital HD with Ultraviolet included. The 1080p transfers who perfectly with the lavish sets for this production. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track delivers with the action and works perfectly with Bear McCreary’s score.  The special features are jam-packed for this release. There is a behind-the-scenes look with “Black Sails: A Look Inside”. “Dress To Kill” gives into the series’ wardrobe with the costume designer. “Pirate Camp” shows what it takes to get into character. “Folklore Is Finished: Pirate Politics” dives into the shows story. “A Place In History” looks into the shows period. Lastly “Building The Behemoth” looks into the shows production and sets.