Rowan Fielding, an intuitive young neurosurgeon, discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations.
For thoughts on The Mayfair Witches: The Complete First Season, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/DfA60BshMLU?si=JA32doMpDpByEYb_&t=2454]
Video Quality
The Mayfair Witches: The Complete First Season comes to Blu-Ray with a wonderful AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original aspect ratio. The series truly impresses when it comes to attention to detail, as all of the subtle facets of the clothing and production design are easily identifiable in the crystal clear transfer. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast with distinct features showing up in close-up and medium shots. There are no unsightly instances of aliasing, banding, or compression artifacts here.
The color palette skews slightly cool with plenty of visually darker moments throughout the season, but there are more than enough daytime sequences that make an impression. There are some brilliant instances of sumptuous hues popping off the screen. Highlights do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. The black levels are deep and allow for a nice amount of detail in shadows. The Blu-Ray is a winner from RLJE Entertainment.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set comes with an appropriately complex DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that conjures an expansive world. Special consideration should be paid to the series music from Daniel Hart. His work perfectly sets the tone for the story, and it creates a nicely enveloping sound that draws you further into the story. Dialogue always comes through clearly without being overwhelmed by the score or any sound effects. More bustling moments are given the appropriate weight in the mix, but this is not a particularly action-driven narrative. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the rear channels. The audio presentation here is in top form. There are optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided for this release.
Final Thoughts
The Mayfair Witches comes hot on the heels of the sexy and engaging adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Unfortunately, this Anne Rice adaptation cannot come anywhere near the quality of its sister series. The plot often feels like it is lacking a pulse, thanks in large part to its inconsistent pacing and its lack of proper character development. There are moments when you can see a glimpse of what this series could be, but it has not quite come together in this initial outing. The performances are fine, but even they cannot add enough to this to make it essential viewing. RLJE Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation but no supplemental features. We hope the second season can find the right path, but it is not there yet.
The Mayfair Witches: The Complete First Season is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: RLJE Entertainment 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.
