CSI Miami Season 4 Part 1 (Region 2) DVD Review

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The DVD of the first half of the fourth season provides more questions than answers. CSI Miami stars David Caruso as the lead of a group of crime scene investigators. Season 4 Part 1 entertains using a large number of insulated storylines such as Urban Hellraisers about a group of university students who after playing a GTA style game decide to try scenes from the game for real. Even though anyone who has played a game will feel like shouting at the screen at some of the holes in the games design it’s a good episode.

There are also a few elements that develop into later stories and a few big ones on the three discs that are very interesting. What is a surprise is that there are no real bad episodes in this set. You should expect one or two but in this case it’s hard to find one that could really be considered a bad episode. One storyline has one of the CSI’s receive a nail in the head from nail gun and is about figuring out how it happened from the viewer’s perspective. It’s an episode shown from finish to start so you are just waiting for it to happen in a sort of perverse pleasure. DVD extras include a number of episode commentaries but none by David Caruso which is a shame. 

Verdict: +

CSI New York Season 3 Part 2 (Region 2 DVD) Review

CSI New York 3.2

 

As the newest CSI New York half season set, 3.2 provides some longer storylines to keep things fresh. While CSI is famed for closed in single episode storylines, the second half of the third season provides some interesting story arcs. You have a few nods to previous episodes such as Gary Sinise’s character, Detective Mack “Mac” Taylor, after arresting a dirty cop before. This story continues as he is investigated for being suspected to push a suspect off a rooftop in handcuffs off a roof even though he insists the man jumped. Plus there are a few other long storylines to give more depth to supporting characters.

The best episodes of the set are “Sleight Out of Hand”, about a magician performing tricks over three nights and people dying the same way as the trick. Plus the season finale where a group of men break into the lab for a heist. This gives Gary Sinise a good excuse to do a thinking man’s Bruce Willis in a Die Hard impersonation. Out of the 3 discs in the set, there is only one episode which isn’t really worth watching, which isn’t bad by anyone’s standards. In terms of the DVD set, only one extra is included. It is a visit by one of the cast members to a real training facility where members of law enforcement see faked crime scenes and dead bodies. It lasts for quite a while in running time but is really a one or two watch maximum. Overall, CSI New York 3.2 is a great set. While the extras are not great in number it is is a very entertaining set and easily worth a place in anyone’s DVD collection even if not a normal CSI fan, or trying to recover from CSI overload.

Verdict: +

 

CSI Miami Season 4 Part 2 (Region 2 DVD) Review

CSI Miami 4.2

 

The arrival of the second half (3 Discs) of season 4 of CSI Miami is very welcome indeed. For those not in the know, Crime Scene Investigation: Miami follows Lieutenant Horatio Caine (David Caruso) and his team of investigators The end of season four provides an ending to a number of story arcs that have been going on for quite a while and present a few new ones. The good thing about these half season sets is that they present questions and then answer them right away.

Season four’s second half has a few must see episodes like Horatio’s vendetta against a drug cartel and the lengths both sides go to get the other. There are a good number of interesting stand alone episodes too, and a story to complete the season where the FBI come in and take over the lab after money goes missing.  DVD extras are non-existent and that’s a real shame. You would hope for at least something on a modern season boxset but not this time. Overall 4.2 is a must own for the episodes, but its makers should be ashamed for the lack of extras. 

Verdict: +