Midsomer Murders - Set Eight
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C Telefilms: C+
Here we
go again, taking a twisted trip down to the strange but supposed quaint town of
Midsomer County in the latest Acorn Media release, Midsomer Murders – Set Eight.
In this eighth set from Acorn Media audiences are offered up another
four telefilm tales that surround the sly detective stylings of Detective
Barnaby and Scott. This delectably
menacing series delves into the tales of a county where, just like the rest of
the world, secrets, lies, and murder get mixed up in seemingly ordinary
life. The series as a whole is inspired
by the Caroline Graham novels that are just as popular as this ongoing telefilm
series. The series stars John Nettles
(Barnaby) and new comer John Hopkins (Scott) as an interesting pairing of a
tenured cop with a green cop.
The
series is interesting in its choice of story lines, but even with great acting
caliber that John Nettles brings, the stories seem to drag and get tedious due
to the lack of characterization and depth.
The audience will never be bored the storylines as they are quite
engaging, but in some manner this reviewer expected more from the telefilms’
main characters.
The
telefilm series this time includes the following mysteries:
The Maid in Splendour
The Straw Woman
Ghosts of Christmas Past
The
technical aspects of this DVD telefilm set are not quite as good as other acorn
releases, but close. The picture is
presented in an anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1/16 X 9 Widescreen that does
have nice qualities but often demonstrates a washed quality making the colors
off, along with varying light/dark issues.
The sound displayed in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is nice but is too soft,
lacking that extra ‘umph’ at certain scenes. The Extras are drab only displaying a not so
exhilarating interview with John Nettles (Bergerac), and basic text features
such as Midsomer Map, Caroline Graham biography, and cast filmographies. To better these sets the studio should
consider more behind the scenes action or commentaries with the writers.
A nice
little set of telefilms that can grab any mystery fans’ interest.
- Michael P Dougherty II
