“Prison Break : Event Series” Continues with a Bang”

Most TV adventure series have improved over the years giving their programming movie theater production quality. This is the case for “Prison Break: Event Series” now out on Blu-ray. The direction and acting are top notch and the story, although somewhat far fetched, has very good tension and action qualities needed to keep a TV audience’s attention.

If you are a fan of the first 4 seasons of Prison Break or just like a gritty hard hitting show that can keep you compelled to the very last episode, this 9 chapter reboot’s a good one. All the main characters that were in it at the end have returned and are ready to start another sequel of the successful TV franchise.

Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) with Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) in PRISON BREAK EVENT SERIES

When the last episode of Prison Break finish airing we found key player Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) had been killed and buried and his brother Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) completely devastated over it. As the newest season starts we find Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell (Robert Knepper) getting out of prison seven years later. He collects his effects from the guard who hands over an envelope that had been newly mailed to him.

Opening the envelope T-Bag finds a nearly indecipherable copy of a photo of Michael recently taken at a prison called Ogygia in Sana’a, Yemen. Shocked he goes to visit Lincoln who rebukes T-Bag due to the bad blood between them. T-Bag hands him the photo and goes on his way. After showing it to Michael’s wife Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies), who has remarried to Jacob (Mark Feuerstein) since her husband’s death, she can’t believe it’s true.

Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) in PRISON BREAK EVENT SERIES

When Sara gets attacked by an unknown assailant, Lincoln has second thoughts. He contacts C-Note to help with a plan to go to Ogygia to see if Michael is still alive. So begins a story of determination mixed with the will to live as Lincoln, C-Note and Michael try to figure out why they are being targeted.

Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, and Sarah Wayne Callies Rockmond in PRISON BREAK EVENT SERIES

Prison Break: Event Series is a non-stop odyssey with no ads that will have you on the edge of your seat beginning with the first episode. Nicely crafted, the acting, direction and locations are outstanding and the theme and world events bring the series up to modern day. The nine chapters play like three movie sequels in the nearly 7 hour span on the Blu-ray. The adventure never stops, only slowing down a bit to introduce one new character after another.

The 9 episodes are packed with action. I like the way they start the new series by recalling the past bringing new viewers a chance to meet the key players and skim the reasons why they find themselves in a fix. It also gives followers a quick dash of adrenaline and sets viewers up for the continuation of “life on the run”.

Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) gets questioned in PRISON BREAK EVENT SERIES

The original Prison Break ran for four seasons from 2005 until pulling the plug in 2009. It started with Lincoln being falsely charged with murder and sent to prison on death row. His brother Michael creates a bogus robbery in order to get himself in the same jail and from there an escape plan gets hatched leading to his death in the finale. I had never watched the original series, but it is now available as a collectors set with all FIVE seasons on Blu-ray (includes this reboot season).

BONUS FEATURES:

For season five there is one extra.

“A Return Home: The Making of “Prison Break” Event Series” Creator Paul Scheuring, Executive Producer/writer Michael Horowitz and key actors that include Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell and Mark Feuerstein talk about why they reboot the series, the characters, locations and much more.

If you choose the “Prison Break Collectors Box Set” you will have a total run time of 3884 minutes and the following extras.

“Audio Commentaries”, “Alternate / Deleted Scenes”, “Making of “Prison Break”, “If These Walls Could Speak”, “Beyond the Ink”, “Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes & Interviews”, “The Plan, The Execution and The Bullet”, “Director’s World”, and “Fade Out: The Final Episode”

https://youtu.be/Tr9ESD9YGGo

“Prison Break: Event Series” has been rated TV-14 for violence, language and innuendos.

FINAL ANALYSIS: If you like adventure with a lot of suspense and thrills, check it out.

Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Rockmond Dunbar. Sarah Wayne Callies, Robert Knepper and Amaury Nolasco
Creator: Paul Scheuring
TV Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Thriller, Crime
Running Time: 390 minutes (6 hrs. 50 min.)
Video Release Date: June 27, 2017
Original Theatrical Release Date:
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD-Master Audio 5.1
Video: Widescreen, 1080p, Aspect ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Number of Discs: 3 Discs
Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Released in: Blu-ray, DVD

The comments within this review are the critic’s expressed opinions.

Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com