Today (September 3), Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing Revolution: The Complete First Season on both DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack, and this collection is certainly pleasing to the eyes and very well done. All 20 episodes are included within plus a gaggle of extras. Is it worth turning the power on the Blu-ray player to check it out? Keep reading…
The Episodes: This is probably the area where I’ll be the most critical, but I’ll start by saying something nice: Revolution is one of the best looking shows on television, and seeing it on Blu-ray, I completely understand why people are drawn to the newer format. The episodes on this set look AMAZING. As for the content of the episodes themselves, your mileage will vary. There are characters to grasp onto, and some are infinitely more enjoyable than others. For example, Giancarlo Esposito is AMAZING as the power-hungry, almost duplicitous Neville, whose alliances change depending on who has the better deal. I love seeing Elizabeth Mitchell in something again, even though I admit I would much rather see her still playing V’s Erica Evans, and this show makes me miss V even more. New faces (well, new to me) like JD Pardo as Nate/Jason are also interesting, and there are characters that come and go from this group, which also includes folks like Billy Burke, Zak Orth, Daniella Alonso, and Tracy Spiridakos, that audiences can latch onto. The Cape’s David Lyons is also around as the dictator Monroe, whose love for Miles Matheson knows no limits. (Seriously. You think the slash in Eric Kripke’s other show was bad? That one has nothing on this.)
However, I will also be quick to admit the concept didn’t totally fly for me at first. Yes, the show LOOKS great, but I still had trouble buying in to the notion that the world go that much to crap without electricity. The no-electric thing does work well, though, with the show’s title, but I also couldn’t help but wonder why people didn’t pick the weeds in front of their houses with their hands. It’s the little things…
Around midseason is where I felt the show was at its best, by the way, and the season finale is a game-changer that has me looking forward to the season premiere. So, if you’re looking to the set to get into that world, you’re certainly in luck, and I can hope Season 2 is more well rounded.
The Extras: My favorite extras on this set have to be the webisodes that were done almost as prequels to the series. They include actual stars of the show (David Lyons and Giancarlo Esposito), feature some backstory, and generally make up scenes on par if not even better than what we see on the show. GREAT stuff.
There’s a featurette about the show’s amazing visual effects, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and an in-depth look at the series pilot. The Blu-ray Combo Pack also features Revolution at the Paley Fesitval.
In short? Fans get their money’s worth for extras.
Graphics & Sound: I already pretty much covered this. This is a great looking set. The sound is good too. This might be one of the best looking TV sets I’ve seen.
The Packaging: The Revolution Blu-ray Combo Pack is a bit thicker than some other sets you’d find on a shelf. This is because it has 9 (!!) discs, as you get DVD copies of the set as an extra… and an Ultraviolet digital copy code… so really, you have no excuse not to lend Revolution to your friends. The artwork is okay; consistent to the series at least.
Revolution: The Complete First Season hits stores today! Order yours from Amazon.com and support this site: Blu-ray Combo Pack – DVD
