MI-5: Volume 5 DVD Credits:

Region: 1

MI-5: Volume 5 DVD Release Date: 31st July 2008

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MI-5: Volume 5 DVD Review:

The edge-of-your-seat British television series MI-5 (or Spooks as it’s called in the UK) has had a bit of a troubled history here in the states. It was originally broadcast on the channel A&E, but was unfortunately edited down to fit a one hour time slot on American television. Essentially, about ten minutes had to be cut out of each episode when shown on American network television in order to make room for commercials. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the show only made it to American shores for three seasons before getting cut short. Rumor has it that the content was deemed as being too “un-American” so future seasons would no longer be shown in America.

However, in cases of premature cancellation, the eventual DVD release can usually offer some sort of redemption in today’s day and age. Not only have American fans of MI-5 been able to see Season 4 and onward thanks to DVD, but they’ve also gotten to see the episodes in their international uncut format. The DVD releases of MI-5 have proven to be a treasure trove of entertainment for fans of the genre, packed with great episodes and special features. Unfortunately, this DVD release of Volume 5 stops the winning streak dead in its tracks, but more on that later. First let’s focus on the quality of the show which still stays strong.

MI-5: Volume 5 continues the tradition of the series as a hard-edged spy thriller. It often garners unavoidable comparisons to the hit American show 24, and rightfully so, but it’s also a high-class show in its own right. As the American title of the show suggests, MI-5 focuses on a group of people working for MI-5 (a British agency similar to the CIA) and their various conflicts with terrorism, national crises, and the like. The episodes are tightly written and manage to pack a lot of information into their one-hour running times. For the most part, every episode manages to have a self-contained arc of its own, while still contributing to the ongoing narrative of the series.

As with 24, the filmmaking style of the show keeps the energy ramped for the entire running time. Handheld cameras, quick cutting, and split screen techniques all lend to a frenetic atmosphere that sometimes leaves one gasping for breath. Call me old fashioned, but I actually think the style becomes a bit too excessive at times, and I just wish the filmmakers could just slow things down for a minute or two, but such is the way with television.

Although the show lifts a lot of elements from 24, it arguably improves upon some things as well, namely in regards to realism. 24 presents itself as a realistic counter-terrorism thriller, but it actually requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. This isn’t necessarily a knock against the show; after all, that’s part of what makes watching thrillers fun: seeing people do things that are impossible. However, MI-5 offers a much more realistic look at counter-terrorism operations, and proves to be a thriller that is much more grounded in reality, and is actually quite a rare thing to see. Very rarely in the show will you think to yourself “yeah right, like that could happen.” It’s nice to see that the writers can make the show intense without having to sacrifice realism for the sake of entertainment. All in all, if spy thrillers are your cup of tea, then you definitely owe it to yourself to check out MI-5 because it’s one of the best examples of the genre around today.

I regret to inform you, however, that the Volume 5 MI-5 DVD set is not where you want to start. I don’t say this just because it’s the middle of the series and you should start from the beginning, but more importantly because BBC Video really dropped the ball with this DVD. To start with, the extras included are minimal, especially when compared to previous seasons of the show on DVD. Whereas previous seasons of MI-5 have included wall-to-wall commentaries and behind the scenes documentaries, Volume 5 only has commentaries on two episodes, and hardly any documentary material to speak of. Why the sudden drop off in extras? Extras are one thing, but as if that weren’t bad enough, BBC Video has shipped faulty DVDs. Disc 3 of the set doesn’t work in most DVD players, and rumor has it that even for those players that it does work in, it omits one of the episodes and repeats one of the previous episodes. I know it wasn’t just my review copy either because there are a lot of upset people on Amazon, and I have to agree that this type of error is simply inexcusable.

The show itself is of undeniably high quality, but the unfortunate slipups in the presentation DVD keep this DVD from being recommendable. The lack of extras is lamentable, but the faulty third disc puts the nail in the coffin, as it renders one fifth of the entire season unwatchable. I definitely advise interested viewers to check out the show, but don’t waste your money on Volume 5 until BBC Video releases it properly.

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MI-5: Volume 5 DVD review written by: Anthony Berk