In the fourth and final season, Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) returns as Black Lightning, the superpowered protector of Freeland with the ability to harness electricity. Jefferson isn’t the only one with powers, His older daughter, Anissa (Nafessa Williams) is able to drastically increase her density, giving her invulnerability and super strength. His younger daughter, Jennifer (China Anne McClain), is a fiery teen whose body generates pure electrical energy, giving her the potential to be more powerful than either Anissa or Jefferson. Lynn (Christine Adams), Jefferson’s ex-wife, is an expert in metahuman medicine. Together the Pierce family, along with covert superspy Peter Gambi (James Remar) and the metahuman Painkiller (Jordan Calloway), faces the challenges of the eroded urban community that is Freeland, including a war between a criminal cartel backed by the infamous gangster Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III) and a menacing gang that calls itself The 100.
For in-depth thoughts on Black Lightning: The Complete Fourth Season, please see my colleague Ben Belcher’s essay here.
Video Quality
Black Lightning: The Complete Fourth Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a lovely AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.78:1. As usual, this is a step up from the broadcast and streaming versions of the show, as the disc provides a more consistent and stable image. The levels of detail on display is very impressive, as all of the subtle details in the production design are easily distinguishable. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. The color palette tends to run a bit cooler to create a sense of decay, but certain locations and special effects display some vibrant instances of beautiful colors popping off the screen. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast. There are no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. The Blu-Ray is quite fetching as it showcases the cinematic feel of the series to great effect.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a wonderfully dynamic DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a fully immersive world. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the score or any sound effects. More kinetic moments are given the appropriate power in the mix with a forceful showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the rear channels. The track handles panning effects around the room really well so that everything sounds natural to the world. One of the standout aspects of this show is the hip hop soundtrack that adds a lot of style to the story. This perfectly sets the tone, and it creates a nicely enveloping soundscape that draws you further into the show. The audio presentation here is an A+ effort on all levels.
Special Features
- DC FanDome Panel – Black Lightning: A 32-minute virtual panel hosted by Director/Actor Robert Townsend featuring James Remar, Jordan Calloway, Marvin Krondon Jones III, Christine Adams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams and Cress Williams. The piece starts out with a 90s trivia game before delving into a great discussion about the show and its importance in the culture. It is really great to have this piece representing the show here.
- A Rendezvous In Georgia: A six-minute Georgia tax incentive video sketch is provided here which continues the tradition of having these included on each release.
Final Thoughts
Black Lightning is a show which has consistently established itself as a formidable force amongst the Arrowverse shows despite not being as high profile. The fourth and final season of the show finds the series bringing various plot threads to a satisfying conclusion while continuing to evolve the background of all of these characters. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a couple of fun special features. It is exciting to finally be able to complete the series on Blu-Ray, and fans should be thrilled with the presentation. Recommended
Black Lightning: The Complete Fourth Season can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
