True Blood The Complete First Season
What?
These days television has to be innovative, fresh and most importantly of all, highly entertaining. The market is cut throat and more competitive than ever before with dozens of big budget shows compete for viewers, and ultimately, home format sales. HBO’s True Blood is based on a series of novels written by Charlaine Harris which has been adapted and brought to the small screen by Alan Ball, the creator of the hit TV show, Six Feet Under. A vampire based series isn’t exactly new ground was my initial thought, the genre has been done to death over the years, I mean, how many vampire movies can you think of off the top of your head? True Blood isn’t you average vampire tale however; the plot features a number of unique and interesting twists and turns as well as the most sex and nudity I have ever seen in a TV series. All signs point to: bring it on.
Vampires have been living among us for years. A form of segregation is in effect, the blood suckers are a minority among us and as a result, have their own spokesperson who talks openly on television about vampire rights and equal opportunities for their kind. A synthetic Blood known as Tru Blood is even readily available to order over the counter at most supermarkets and bars. They may live among us but the vast majority of humans don’t like vampires and most vamps despise humans. When local girl Sookie Stackhouse forms a relationship with Bill Compton a local vampire trying his best to fit in, the small town of Bon Temps becomes the centre of a serial killer investigation.
Unlike most new television series, True Blood had me hooked after the first few minutes. Some cynics may say the outrageous nudity had more than something to with it, but honestly, the original twist on an age old genre, coupled with a handful of great characters were the real reasons. Each of the twelve episodes are shot with great style and pacing; I found myself checking the counter after the fast few episodes had ended because they simply flew by. Not only is the vampire story itself entertaining but the sub plots revolving around the serial killings and the taking of drugs (well, V – vampire blood) provide more than a side interest. True Blood is great fun first and foremost, sure the series could be seen as a commentary on racism, but the show is as entertaining as any series I have watched in the last few years.
Optics:
The budgets are getting bigger and the shows are looking better and better in high definition. HBO has yet again provided us with one of the best looking televisions shows on the format. Like Mad Men, the image is rich in colour and full of fine detail. The woods surrounding the bar at the centre of the action and the graveyard featured predominantly at the end of the series are full of great textures and accurate hues. Grain is evident but intentional and the image successfully creates a feeling of depth, both contributing to a fine transfer overall.
Sonics:
The DTS-HD track is above the usual TV fair thanks to the many inventive and perfectly placed surround sound effects. Birds are creatures can be heard around you while the voices Sookie can hear thanks to her telepathic abilities bounce around every speaker giving a real sense of being bombarded by thoughts. Bass is good throughout without ever really imposing itself onto a track that rarely needs to go particularly low and the show’s catchy theme sounds great no matter how many times you hear it.
Extras:
Every single one of the twelve episodes features all the extra features you could possible want. There are audio commentaries, PiP interactiveness which provide facts and featurettes, and there’s even a fake Tru Blood commercial. The only downside to these extras is they can only be viewed whilst you are watching the particular episode by selecting the Enhanced Viewing Mode which is annoying if you just want to dip in a watch a particular featurette.
Well?
True Blood is yet another original and hugely entertaining show to come out of the US thanks to HBO. And again, thanks to HBO the show has been presented with great care and attention and is a genuine must have Blu-ray set.
Tom Day
These days television has to be innovative, fresh and most importantly of all, highly entertaining. The market is cut throat and more competitive than ever before with dozens of big budget shows compete for viewers, and ultimately, home format sales. HBO’s True Blood is based on a series of novels written by Charlaine Harris which has been adapted and brought to the small screen by Alan Ball, the creator of the hit TV show, Six Feet Under. A vampire based series isn’t exactly new ground was my initial thought, the genre has been done to death over the years, I mean, how many vampire movies can you think of off the top of your head? True Blood isn’t you average vampire tale however; the plot features a number of unique and interesting twists and turns as well as the most sex and nudity I have ever seen in a TV series. All signs point to: bring it on.
Vampires have been living among us for years. A form of segregation is in effect, the blood suckers are a minority among us and as a result, have their own spokesperson who talks openly on television about vampire rights and equal opportunities for their kind. A synthetic Blood known as Tru Blood is even readily available to order over the counter at most supermarkets and bars. They may live among us but the vast majority of humans don’t like vampires and most vamps despise humans. When local girl Sookie Stackhouse forms a relationship with Bill Compton a local vampire trying his best to fit in, the small town of Bon Temps becomes the centre of a serial killer investigation.
Unlike most new television series, True Blood had me hooked after the first few minutes. Some cynics may say the outrageous nudity had more than something to with it, but honestly, the original twist on an age old genre, coupled with a handful of great characters were the real reasons. Each of the twelve episodes are shot with great style and pacing; I found myself checking the counter after the fast few episodes had ended because they simply flew by. Not only is the vampire story itself entertaining but the sub plots revolving around the serial killings and the taking of drugs (well, V – vampire blood) provide more than a side interest. True Blood is great fun first and foremost, sure the series could be seen as a commentary on racism, but the show is as entertaining as any series I have watched in the last few years.
Optics:
The budgets are getting bigger and the shows are looking better and better in high definition. HBO has yet again provided us with one of the best looking televisions shows on the format. Like Mad Men, the image is rich in colour and full of fine detail. The woods surrounding the bar at the centre of the action and the graveyard featured predominantly at the end of the series are full of great textures and accurate hues. Grain is evident but intentional and the image successfully creates a feeling of depth, both contributing to a fine transfer overall.
Sonics:
The DTS-HD track is above the usual TV fair thanks to the many inventive and perfectly placed surround sound effects. Birds are creatures can be heard around you while the voices Sookie can hear thanks to her telepathic abilities bounce around every speaker giving a real sense of being bombarded by thoughts. Bass is good throughout without ever really imposing itself onto a track that rarely needs to go particularly low and the show’s catchy theme sounds great no matter how many times you hear it.
Extras:
Every single one of the twelve episodes features all the extra features you could possible want. There are audio commentaries, PiP interactiveness which provide facts and featurettes, and there’s even a fake Tru Blood commercial. The only downside to these extras is they can only be viewed whilst you are watching the particular episode by selecting the Enhanced Viewing Mode which is annoying if you just want to dip in a watch a particular featurette.
Well?
True Blood is yet another original and hugely entertaining show to come out of the US thanks to HBO. And again, thanks to HBO the show has been presented with great care and attention and is a genuine must have Blu-ray set.
Tom Day
Director:
Alan Ball (creator)
Starring:
Anna Paquin
Stephen Moyer
Sam Trammell
Ryan Kwanten
Rutina Wesley
Chris Bauer
Best line:
"Shut the fuck up!"
Tagline:
"Thou Shall Not Crave Thy Neighbour."
Description:
HBO
UK
Region B
Rated 18
1.78:1
MPEG-4/AVC
DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio
(English)
DTS 5.1
(French, Spanish)
Subtitles: Eng, Fra, Spa, Por)
Audio commentaries
Enhanced Viewing Mode
Episodic previews
Episodic recaps
Ratings: (Out of 10)
Film 9.0
Optics 9.0
Sonics 8.0
Extras 8.0
Overall 9.0
