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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All good things..., 16 May 2009
This review is from: Prison Break - Season 4 (plus Final Break) - Complete [DVD] (DVD)
Prison break enters its fourth and final year having trouble finding it's footing, but brings it back with a strong conclusion.
The story picks up with Michael is in pursuit of Gretchen and Whistler, following there break out of Sona, eager to get his hands on the whistler's book and payback for Sara's 'death'. However bigger problems loom overhead, as the company come gunning for anyone sticking there noses into their business. Reluctantly Michael and Lincoln along with Sucre, Bellick, Mahone, Sara, and Ronny (a new and incredibly annoying addition)join an off the books Homeland security operation, headed up by agent Self, and aim to bring down the company by getting their hands on Scylla. However things rapidly spiral out of control as Michael's becomes ill, forcing Lincoln to make some tough decisions as the race to find Scylla comes to a head in Miami. The players make one last desperate scramble to get themselves out of the mess they find themselves in.
The first half of season four revolves around the team getting their hands on the key cards and Scylla itself. It just doesn't quite gel, while its a natural progression for the show, its so far removed from its core concept it feels somewhat misplaced; coming across a a mix between and Oceans 11, the A-team and Mission Impossible at times. Another recurring problem is, a lot of the time, the stories feel somewhat strained, every episode something goes wrong with the plan and as such they have to work around it and at times it just feels like padding slowing down the main story.
The writing itself doesn't seem quite as good as it has been. For example remember season three where the company makes all the effort to get Michael into Sona because he's the only man who can break out? Well in the first episode, over the radio, we hear the prisoners started a riot and all escaped. Its incredibly lazy and Sona is just brushed under the carpet so Sucre, Bellick and T bag can interact with the other cast.
Thankfully the characters remain as interesting as ever (though it does take sometime for T-bag to come into his own again). The rapport between the brothers is strong and while in the other seasons, being on the run or breaking out, this season has it's quieter moments developing the characters a lot more; particularly the relationship between Michael and Sara, Gretchen's past, and Mahone's vengeance sub-plot giving a broader look into the characters as well as introducing new ones.
The final season pulls no punches either. A lot of characters bite the dust, be they introduced this season or being present from day 1. At times its truly shocking and gives that buzz of anything could happen.
Following the mid-season twist the fourth season stalls a bit, the episodes loose their focus and the direction of the story seems all over the place, notably for episodes 13-18, much like how season 2's story began to meander around. Michael's head trip reunion with Westmorland, the hunt for Scylla making no progress and characters simply disappearing.
Regardless the last 4 episodes bring Prison break back for an exciting finish, the story kicks into overdrive as we are treated to a fast paced race to the shows conclusion. The tension returns along with the 'must watch next episode' feeling which had been absent for the majority of this season.
As for the finale itself it's rather good, Prison break goes out on a high as were treated to a cast reunion, including the long overdue return (if rather improbable, but hey it's prison break) of my favourite character as the story reaches it's conclusion, some of the plot devices seem a little eleventh hour but it brings about a satisfying conclusion. The final scene skips ahead four years, with one last trip to Fox River, and ending on a bold and bitter-sweet note.
It's been quite a ride, the show could have easily ended after season 2, and as such the this season lacks the overall quality of the first seasons, it feels a little out of place, some mid season episodes stall the story and its as far removed as possible from its original premise; but regardless it makes a enjoyable and solid conclusion to a good show.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid conclusion, 18 July 2009
This review is from: Prison Break - Season 4 (plus Final Break) - Complete [DVD] (DVD)
When Prison Break first aired back in 2005 I was hugely impressed with the concept, the characters and the story. For me it offered a different slant on the format dished up by many other established dramas while still providing enough interest and cliff hangers to have me coming back week after week.
However....
The problem with a show called Prison Break is after you have broken out of the Prison how do you still keep it (a) interesting and (b) plausible? I feel this was achieved this right up until the end of season 2 when it all got a bit lazy. To be blunt Prison Break had become uninteresting and hard to watch. I felt the show had lost its legs and that the producers were desperately holding on to a fading flower.
Getting back to Season 4, which, while not quite on par with Season One was much improved. As it warmed up, my interest returned and the twists and turns became more and more riveting. I began to empathise again, which made a big difference. There are some interesting developments and revelations along the way and an old face or two makes a surprising return. Again, Wentworth Miller is brilliant in the lead role and along with Robert Knepper as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell they remain the strongest characters in the series.
I would say that this DVD is well worth a look. Fans of the show should definitely finish it of. God knows there is a lot worse out there and I do apologise if I have sounded negative. I guess I'm just a bit disappointed that a show with so much potential didn't quite fulfil its promise
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Prison Break's final chapter, 16 July 2009
This review is from: Prison Break - Season 4 (plus Final Break) - Complete [DVD] (DVD)
Prison Break Season 4 starts immediately where s.3 left off: Michael (Wentworth Miller), intent on avenging his beloved Sarah's murder, is back on US soil to hunt down Whistler (Chris Vance) and Gretchen (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) no matter the cost. However, Government Agent Self (Michael Rapaport) has other ideas, and is looking to recruit Michael, along with some other familiar faces from Fox River and Sona, to bring down the Company by breaking into their headquarters and stealing a device known only as Scylla.
Following on from the rather lack lustre s.3, s.4 hits the ground running. Kicking off with thundering action it feels like the shows creators have been taking careful notes from messers Bourne, Bond and Bauer, and the result is splendid. Of course it's a little contrived as the usual suspects are rounded up into a motley crew, but I can personally forgive this improbability in the face of such rollicking entertainment.
The first half of the season continues in much this vein, as the team set about breaking into the Company's impregnable fortress. Without giving too much away the focus shifts in the second half, and here, in my estimation, is where a lot of problems surface. Plot lines become increasingly convoluted, credibility is stretched beyond breaking point, and the whole affair starts to feel rather repetitious and formulaic. Yes, it's still good fun, but after nearly 10 episodes of double crosses, then double-double crosses, of guns drawn, threats made, and all the principles running round and round, one starts to feel that the writers were just trying to make the series last it's 22-episode contract. By the time the final episode comes on in it is way overdue, and although the ending is touching it cannot excuse the mess that went beforehand.
Now there are some great qualities to this season, the action and tightness of the early episodes being one. Similarly (and this is something that has marked Prison Break out on every series) there are some star turns from an ensemble cast. William Fitcher's disgraced FBI agent Mahone is a force of nature with a stomach turning revenge subplot: there is a stricken sort of vulnerability about him juxtaposed with a relentless, world weary deadliness. Robert Knepp's paedophile/murderer-turned salesman T-Bag is wonderfully entertaining again, evoking a broad range of reactions from the audience from laughter to horror, disgust, repulsion, pity and sorrow. However, Miller and Purcell (playing Michael's brother Linc), who should be the cornerstones of the cast, continue to give resolutely wooden performances. Miller especially lacks the range and depth as an actor to evoke anything much at all here, which is a real shame as he is, after all, the hero.
Tacked onto the end of this series is a double episode TV movie, "The Final Break" (billed, perhaps incorrectly in the box set, as episodes 23-24). Without giving too much away this movie goes back to the final episode, filling in the blank left by the now infamous "Four Years Later" flash forward in the series finale. The problem here is that as we already know how this will end there isn't much tension. Indeed, the device of ending the whole show on one more prison break is nice for closures' sake, but it is quite forced and really doesn't do justice to the mastery of tension in the first season when breaking out of prison was a rather more lengthy affair. However it does end on a genuinely emotional note, and gives some closure to all that has gone before.
As such, s.4 is a rather mixed bag. Some great episodes, some fantastic performances, but similarly some rather humdrum plot devices and uninspiring lead turns as well. There are those that disliked the way Prison Break has departed from it's original premise at the beginning of this season: I would disagree, arguing that the premise of the team breaking in, rather than out, was fresh and inventive. However as the writers try desperately to make this somehow go the distance of a whole season, it comes apart at the seams. This is still an improvement on the dismal s.3, but frankly s.1 and 2 stand a head and shoulders taller than 70% of what is on display here.
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