Plot: What’s it about?
Starring as Luther, Idris Elba is a policeman in London whose haunted by the murder of his wife. There’s a new unit in the London police force – “Serious and Serial.” Luther puts together a team to investigate crimes. However, Luther’s own conscience is preventing him from getting his work done. What to do?
The second “season” of “Luther” is essentially two, two hour movies. Presented as four episodes, just as “Sherlock†does, forms mysteries for a single season. The crimes are chilling, and the antagonists are ruthless. In the first part, Luther faces a serial killer who hides behind a mask. In the second, some gamers who take their dice rolls to a murderous level.
Luther’s a conflicted character, and there’s always something going on in his head. Like others, he’s one step ahead of most people but not all of them. The crimes in these episodes are intense, but not what you’d see on TV here in the states. The killers are dangerous, but entirely believable, and that’s what makes them so nice to watch… but uncomfortable as well. Finally, the other story for the season is Luther’s attempt to save a girl from sexual slavery. While this tends to be too much of a diversion at times, it balances out the hard crime in the series and shows a little more humanity for Luther’s character. “Luther†will sail completely under the radar of most Americans, but if you’re a fan of the genre, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. These episodes look excellent, with no real complaints, even minor ones, to be made. The prints are all pristine and show no flaws, even small nicks are absent and grain is never present. This means the visuals can shine throughout, since the materials have no defects to hinder the presentation. As such, the image is razor sharp and detail is very high at all times. I was impressed with the contrast, as black levels are replicated to perfection and never lapse in quality. So shadows look superb and no visible detail is lost, which is important, since this series often has dark visuals. No troubles with the colors either, as hues have a bold and natural presence. These episodes simply look fantastic and whether you’re a fan or new viewer, you’ll be quite pleased here.
Audio: How does it sound?
As this is a dialogue driven series, the included surround option is good, but never moves beyond that level of performance. The music adds some life when its around and some sound effects have some kick, but this is a front channel experience in most instances. The main ingredient here is dialogue, which comes off as crisp and clean, with no volume problems to mention. Not a memorable audio experience, but it presents the material in fine form, so no reason to complain.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes no bonus materials.
