Customer Reviews
sorry but one star... and i usually love sopranos - By: Stephen Reid, 04 May 2008 
This is definitely the series where the sopranos lost their way completely. It didn't just take a step toward the quirky & obscure, it jumped in with alll arms, legs & kitchen sink.. there is no other way to put it, it was just plain weird & boring at that. If the franchise had back to back series of that style & standard it would die right there, no doubt.
As an avid fan myself i know you are gonna buy anyway. you know you are gonna buy anyway, but i advise for you to set those expectations to low to avoid disappointment. Series 5 is way below expectations.
Now series 6... is another story...
Weakest Season of Sopranos - By: Antonius Block, 08 Feb 2008 
The first few series of Sopranos are good, but the fifth season is truly weak, & seriously bleak. There is nothing wrong with bleak tv, film or music per se, but this type of bleak outlook is formed by repetitive actions that are unhuman, unreasonable & uninspirng. With Ralph Cifaretto now gone, an element of tension has been removed, & Tony's cousin, Tony Blundetto, recently released from prison, is not an interesting character at alll.
There are very few moments of happiness in this series, & even the smalll elements of humour that once characterised this show, have now been removed. Instead, this season illustrates the dark core of american capitalism, where the high costs of living, accesories & luxuries weigh heavily on much of the mafia family, who continue to resort to violence in order to keep up this facade of 'living'. Although the aim of the Sopranos is not to present inspiration, the sheer lack of any character's inspirational quality means that there is very little to gain from this season.
Through this season, the whole of the Sopranos agenda becomes more apparent. The Sopranos are the 'bad guys', trying to live the 'good' consumerist life, but doing it in a 'bad' way. For the audience, the FBI & CIA are the real good guys, trying to 'help' society by capturing these criminals, while we are supposed to have mixed feelings because our attatchment to the family.
But are the government forces any better than the mafia? They aim to bring tax money into the government, but since most US families receive little in return for these taxes (i.e. lack of public services),the mafia's reluctance to declare & pay everything actuallly makes them anything but mugs. Since when are the invaders of Vietnam, Afghanistan & Iraq the good guys? Why should anyone fund these oil-inspired military killing trips?
belter - By: sean paul mccann, 30 Sep 2007 
Sopranos,for me was interrupted after season 4,by 24,a friend lent me season one of that & i had to see everything,so now that has finished,i have bought season 5 of sopranos & i am delighted to say that this season is again gold,pure gold.
Season 5 is in many ways the most comfortable of series',very much at ease with itself,its almost as if everyone knows what they are about now & the show could literallly write itself.This series is too be fair a wordy series,plenty of dialouge & less action than before but no less great for it though,when the blood flows,it flows violently but there is alot to be learnt by the scenes which stretch into vast conversation & can be deemed insightful & bring the story crashing down.
That being said,of course,this means that many found this series dull & numb,but i implore you to be patient with this,new characters come & go here in style,and steve buscemi is great as Tonys cousin who wants to go straight after his release from jail.
There are gentle twists & turns & once again,the show doesnt falll into the cliffhanger episode mode,further proof of the shows confidence in itself.
VItal,yes,stunning,yes,am i looking forward to series 6 now,you better believe it!
Ignore Bad Reviews, Season 5 is great !! - By: D. Makin, 18 Jul 2007 
Season 5 is a great addition to the sopranos series, Many plot twists & turns including a few major suprises during the last few episodes. Season 5 sets up for season 6 beautifully, leaving many questions for the viewer. Dont be put off by negative reviews, this season is well worth watching.
Ran out of steam a long time ago! - By: Mark Smith, 04 Sep 2006 The first two seasons of the Sopranos were some of the finest examnples of television drama in the history of the medium, with many people agreeing that each episode was better than most movies! However since then it has gone graduallly down hill resulting in a fith season which is, quite frankly, just plain boring!
I struggle to remember anything of note happening throughout the series other than alllot of idle posturing & a series trying too hard to live up to its own reputation.
The most worrying thing about the latest installlments of the series though is that its lost its sense of humour, James Gandolfini himself once commented that if the show ever lost that it would be 'in the worst kind of trouble', well it has - & it is.
The characters who were larger than life & who, despite their (many) flaws seemed to have genuine affection for each other, now just scheme & plot & fly into rages with little prompting.
David Chase wrote the first series as a movie with Robert De Nero in mind, the Seccond series was a pleasant suprise, & in many ways was superior to its predecessor, since then though there is just the feeling that the show has continued without any real idea of where it was going, & its wholly possible the show wasn't meant to go on for so long & has succumb to the demands of the money men. Its a true crying shame, crucified grace at its most profound.
