Criminal Minds: Season 11 still has some entertainment value mainly for its cast, though it is a letdown after a nice 10th season, but seeing the departure of another veteran cast member makes me wonder if next year will be its last which will be hurt once Thomas Gibson is gone following his much publicized dismissal.
Criminal Minds: Season 11
(2015-16)
Genre(s): Crime, Drama, Suspense/Thriller
Paramount | NR – 882 min. – $55.98 | August 30, 2016
Date Published: 09/05/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE SEASON — 3.25/5 |
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Season Synopsis: In Season 11 of Criminal Minds, the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) braves a relentless enemy that jeopardizes their professional lives and demands unprecedented personal sacrifices. Tackling a network of cunning, cutthroat hitmen linked by the darknet, special agents Aaron Hitcher (THOMAS GIBSON), David Rossi (JOE MANTEGNA), Derek Morgan (SHEMAR MOORE), Jennifer “J.J.” Jareau (A.J. COOK), Dr. Spencer Reid (MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER), technical analyst Penelope Garcia (KIRSTEN VANGESNESS), and a new crew member, forensic psychologist Dr. Tara Lewis (AISHA TYLER), delve into the depths of the dark web — and put their lives in peril like never before. While taking down other serial killers along the way, the team can never rest easy… and they pay a price from which there’s no coing back. Quick Hit Review: I’ve been a fan of Criminal Minds pretty much since the beginning and through the cast change-over, I’ve kept with it primarily for the core cast and even like replacements such as Joe Mantegna taking over in the third season not to mention the return of J.J. a couple seasons back after actors A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster were unfairly fired. Now this astounding 11th season sees the departure of another one of the original regulars with Shemar Moore leaving for a variety of reasons, one no doubt wanting to do something new (and another perhaps due to Thomas Gibson who was fired and is gone from the series in season 12). So with the cast changes and all, I’ve still found the series to be darkly entertaining even if some the cases get redundant and it seems producers want to push the boundaries which is tough since we’ve already had a wife of one of the BAU agents brutally murdered and this season, Derek Morgan gets his own life put in danger and a three-part storyline for the character who gets his due before leaving the agency (which leaves open a possible return for the eventual series finale which I suspect will be sooner rather than later). Outside of Derek’s storyline and a decent enough finish in the season finale, this 11th year for the veteran series has been one of the weaker years, staying afloat due to the ensemble cast. There are a few personal moments like Rossi rekindling a relationship with his daughter’s mother and we finally get to see J.J.’s husband as portrayed by Josh Stewart (his last episode was back in season 9). Otherwise, it’s an OK season but the series is certainly showing its age and I can only hope, as a fan, Paget Brewster’s return, presumably as the new team leader, will give it a bit of new life, though Gibson’s absence will be noticed. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5 |
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To match previous season sets, the 6-discs are housed in 3 slim cases, (2-discs each) the back of each has the episode, plot summaries and whatever features are on the discs. Episode Commentaries are available on ‘Derek’ with Actor Shemar Moore and Writer/Executive Producer Breen Faszier; ‘A Beautiful Disaster’ with Actor/Director Matthew Gray Gubler; and ‘The Storm’ with Writers/Executive Producers Erica Messer and Breen Frazier. Deleted Scenes on ‘Pariahville’, ‘Internal Affairs’, ‘Entropy’, ‘Hostage’, ‘A Beautiful Disaster’, ‘Inner Beauty’ and ‘Devil’s Backbone’ Criminology are a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes available for select episodes including ‘The Night Watch’, ‘The Bond’, ‘A Badge and a Gun’ and ‘Inner Beauty’ To Derek, With Love (19:53) is a send-off for the actor who has been a part of the series since the beginning. The Dirty Eleven (23:56) is a featurette on the big baddies of the season as well as coming up with new stories in its 11th season. The Good Doctor (8:28) is a profile on Aisha Tyler’s character. Gag Reel (2:28) |
VIDEO – 4.0/5, AUDIO – 4.25/5
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| “Criminal Minds”: Season 11 is on the case presented in the originally televised 16×9 enhanced 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture more or less matches up with what was originally shown on CBS with decent-to-good detail levels while obviously the tone is geared more toward blacks than anything colorful. There didn’t appear to be any artifacting or other flaws
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track certainly packs a punch from the boisterous dialogue levels to the opening titles where the subwoofer kicks in providing an unexpected extra boost of depth. The score comes across each channel evenly and any of the numerous action scenes, including car chases and gunfire, provide decent reverberation throughout any media room. (Both copied from Season 10 DVD review) |
OVERALL – 3.0/5 |
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Overall, Criminal Minds: Season 11 still has some entertainment value mainly for its cast, though it is a letdown after a nice 10th season, but seeing the departure of another veteran cast member makes me wonder if next year will be its last which will be hurt once Thomas Gibson is gone following his much publicized dismissal. The DVD release by Paramount is on the weaker side with a couple throwaway featurettes (though the one on Shemar Moore was nice) and a few decent enough episode commentaries. |