Review | CSI: Miami- The Final Season

Jump to a section

Plot: What’s it about?Video: How does it look?Audio: How does it sound?Supplements: What are the extras?

Plot: What’s it about?

Miami might be a beautiful city, but it also happens to rife with criminals of all kinds. The city attracts both high profile crimes and smaller criminals looking to blend in, so the police have to be on constant vigil. Horatio Crane (David Caruso) heads up a team of top level detectives, scientists, and police officers, a special task force that handles the worst of the worst. The cases are tackled by the entire team, with the detectives on the scene, evidence analysis in the lab, and good old fashioned police work. But even with all of the tools at their disposal, some crimes push them to the limit. And when this team is called in, the cases are never simple and usually involve a high level of violence, deceit, and sinister intentions. As Crane and his squad take on some of their toughest cases to date, can even this ensemble continue to deliver justice?

After ten seasons, David Caruso put on his shades for the last time and CSI: Miami rode into the sunset. While Caruso’s sunglasses and one liners would become an internet meme of epic proportions, was CSI: Miami a good show? While I wasn’t a dedicated viewer, I always appreciated how offbeat the cases were and how convoluted the solutions were. Not as interested in facts as some detective shows, CSI: Miami instead focused on wild stories with improbable twists. This of course spoiled the whole “figure it out yourself” angle, since often the answer was obscure or just made no sense. But I liked how outlandish some of the episodes were and if nothing else, Caruso was always hilarious to watch in action. With a colorful cast of characters, insane plots, and those damn sunglasses, CSI: Miami has carved its own niche in the world of television. The show might be done, but it will live on in the hearts of Horatio Crane fans forever more.

Video: How does it look?

The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. These episodes look quite good, with the warm, tropical visuals you’d expect. The images here are sharp and clear, but not on the same tier as an HD presentation, of course. I found detail to be strong however, with no softness and depth is more than solid. The warm colors are present, as are the richer hues seen in the night life episodes, while contrast is stark and dead on. In short, these episodes look excellent.

Audio: How does it sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is effective, with good presence, but also attention to detail. So when the show leans more toward action, the surrounds light up to support that, but smaller moments aren’t lost in the shuffle. The music also adds even more presence, so this is by no means a dull audio treatment. The show isn’t packed with loud action per se, but it sounds great here and fans should be pleased. This release also includes a 2.0 surround option, Spanish language track, and English subtitles.