The 100: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The 100: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Humanity is doomed. Send in the catalogue models!

The 100 is an ambitious little genre low-budgeter (a CW specialty) with aspirations as grand as its premise. Its biggest hurdle isn't its budget, though. Like most CW productions, the series is staffed by showrunners that know how to stretch a dollar. No, its biggest hurdle is its pride, which goes before... something I believe. Can't quite put my finger on it. The 100 loves nothing more than to puff its chest, stand up tall and let out three sharp yawps: Bold! Original! Dazzling! Unfortunately, the sci-fi series' 13-episode introduction doesn't come close to living up to the more absorbing aspects of creator Jason Rothenberg's vision. A hasty but not quite haphazard assemblage of better shows -- Battlestar Galactica and Lost chief among them -- it features a cast of too-gorgeous-for-reality teens getting grimier and bloodier by the minute, as if grimier and bloodier will somehow immaculately conceive compelling character arcs and gripping storylines. The scripts are loaded with melodrama, cliffhangers and filler, irritating plot holes abound, daft decisions are out in force, exposition reigns with an iron fist, the series' dystopian future doesn't make nearly as much sense as said exposition insists, and only in its last stab at greatness does the first season make a sizeable impression.

It's possible the upcoming second season, set to begin airing on October 22nd, will take the first-season finale's killer third act and run with it. The potential is certainly there, and the fact that The 100 is so quick to off a hero or two bodes well. But I'm not ready to be so optimistic. There are just too many fundamental problems in the writer's room to suggest the series' return will be any better than its opening volley. I'll give it a fighting chance, but I'm not sure how much longer I'll stick around...

• Pilot: The remnants of human civilization have escaped Earth to an orbiting space station after a nuclear holocaust devastated the planet. 100 juveniles convicted of various crimes are sent from their home to the surface to test its habitability. Among them is 17-year-old Clarke Griffin, the daughter of the Ark's chief medical officer and chief engineer. As the 100 explore, back on the Ark, the leader of the Ark, Chancellor Jaha, has been shot, causing Councilman Kane, the second in command to take charge.
• Earth Skills: Having discovered that Jasper may still be alive, Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia, Finn and Monty set out on a mission to locate their friend and are shocked at what they find. Meanwhile, on the Ark, Abby is determined to get to Earth, and enlists Raven to repair a broken 130-year-old Russian Mir-3 escape pod.
• Earth Kills: In a desperate attempt to treat Jasper’s festering wounds, Clarke, Finn and Wells set out in search of a seaweed antibiotic. Bellamy and his crew go hunting for food, and are joined by Charlotte (guest star Izabela Vidovic), a lovable 13-year-old, who feels safe under Bellamy’s protection. A thick, acidic fog appears, forcing Clarke, Finn and Wells to seek shelter inside an ancient van. While they are trapped, Clarke confronts Wells on his betrayal that resulted in her father’s death.
• Murphy's Law: After the shocking death of one of their own, Clarke and Finn grow closer as they try to figure out a way to communicate with the Ark. Bellamy must keep the group from turning on one another as life on Earth takes a desperate turn. Meanwhile, Abby risks having herself floated in order to give Raven the chance to stow-away in the escape pod bound for Earth.
• Twilight's Last Gleaming: Clarke’s newfound romance with Finn is threatened. Octavia suffers a blow to the head and wakes up to find a Grounder watching her. On the Ark, Abby exposes Kane's plan to reduce the population of the Ark. Jaha and Abby notice a signal and realize at least some of the 100 must still be alive on Earth.
• His Sister's Keeper: Bellamy leads his crew into Grounder territory as they search for Octavia. Raven can't help but notice the deep connection between Finn and Clarke. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal Bellamy's and Octavia's childhood on the Ark.
• Contents Under Pressure: Clarke and Raven make contact with the Ark , and Abby guides Clarke through a dangerous procedure in a desperate move to save one of their own. Meanwhile, on the Ark, Abby is removed from the council, and former Chancellor Diana Sydney takes her place. Jaha reveals to Abby that there are not enough drop ships for everyone on the Ark to go down to Earth , and Kane begins to deal with his guilt over his recent decision.
• Day Trip: Clarke and Bellamy go on a mission to find supplies for approaching winter. Some of The 100 accidentally eat nuts with powerfully hallucinogenic properties and lose their grasp on reality. Meanwhile, Octavia seizes the opportunity to help a friend escape, and a terrifying event brings Clarke and Bellamy closer. On the Ark, Commander Shumway secretly assigns one of The 100 to kill one of his own, and the treacherous actions of Diane Sydney are revealed.
• Unity Day: Clarke and Finn attempt to broker peace with the Grounders but all hell breaks loose when Bellamy , Jasper and Raven show up armed and ready for battle. Octavia and Lincoln grow closer. Meanwhile, tragedy strikes during the Unity Day celebration on the Ark.
• I Am Become Death: Murphy returns to camp claiming to have been held captive and tortured by the Grounders. Clarke and Bellamy have very different opinions on how to handle his return. Octavia sneaks away to find Lincoln and returns with a serious warning for the 100. Meanwhile, a mysterious virus strikes camp forcing many to be quarantined. Jasper pulls off a heroic move.
• The Calm: With a low food supply at camp, Clarke and Finn lead a group out to hunt for food and wind up in a compromising position. With Finn's life in danger, Clarke makes a game changing decision. Meanwhile, Raven makes Bellamy an offer he can't refuse. On the Ark, Kane risks his life and is reunited with Chancellor Jaha and Abby.
• We Are Grounders, Part 1: Clarke and Finn escape one dangerous situation only to find themselves faced with a new enemy. Bellamy makes a heroic move to save Jasper. Raven faces a new danger, and Murphy finally gets his revenge. Meanwhile, those remaining on the Ark are coming to terms with the inevitable.
• We Are Grounders, Part 2: Clarke pleads with Bellamy to do the right thing as conflict on the ground comes to a head. Bellamy forces Octavia to make a difficult decision. Raven and Jasper work against time and Finn makes a bold move. Meanwhile, the situation on the Ark comes to a stunning conclusion.

The 100: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 100: The Complete First Season boasts a crisp, proficient 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that only falters when the sun goes down and future-Earth is bathed in faux torch-lit, digitally filmed darkness. Noise and crush spike, clarity takes a hit, and delineation becomes problematic. The good news is these shortcomings trace back to the source, not Warner's technical encode. There aren't significant instances of artifacting, banding, aliasing or ringing, and the shadows are as revealing as the series' photography allows. When lighting isn't a hindrance, rich sun-drenched colors fill the screen, green forest foliage pops, skintones are lovely (even when spattered with blood and mud), and both saturation and contrast suit the bleak dystopian aesthetic nicely. Detail delivers for the most part too, with clean, sharply defined edges and frequently well-resolved fine textures. The series' CG and space shots don't typically disappoint either, despite the series' modest budget, meaning there just aren't that many distractions to be had.

The 100: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 100 boasts a traditional rock-em, sock-em television lossless experience courtesy of a terrific DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is intelligible and neatly prioritized, dynamics are excellent and the soundfield is immersive, whether enveloping listeners in the cramped confines of the Ark or the wide, wind-swept fields and dense forests of Earth. Rear speaker activity is precise and aggressive (albeit a bit inconsistent when it comes to scenes involving conflict between the various factions), with engaging directionality and smooth pans. The LFE channel makes its presence known too, and with plenty of battles, turmoil, political wranglings, power shifts, betrayals, fist fights and ground assaults to go around, there's plenty of opportunity to ratchet up the oomph factor. Long story short, The 100's lossless mix is the highlight of the set.

The 100: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary: "We Are Grounders, Part 2" features an engaging audio commentary with executive producer Jason Rothenberg and director Dean White, who do a fine job covering the entire season while still touching on key moments in the finale.
• Creating the World of The 100 (HD, 28 minutes): This four-part behind-the-scenes doc is quite extensive, touching on the series' production design, storylines and characters, ships, costumes and FX, and more. Segments include "In the Beginning," "The Ark," "A New Earth" and "Grounders, Reapers and Mountain Men."
• 2013 Comic-Con Panel (HD, 14 minutes): The cast and creators sit down to discuss the show at Comic-Con.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 2 minutes): A handful of deleted scenes from the season finale round out the package.

The 100: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 100 is racked with growing pains, and with just 13 episodes to go around, there isn't a lot of time to work out every kink and cramp. Things improve by season's end, but it's a bit too little too late. If matters in the writer's room improve in the off-season, my next visit with the series will be much less contentious. Warner's Blu-ray release is at least more satisfying, thanks to a solid video presentation and strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. A few more special features would have shown series fans some much-needed love, but I suspect the fact that Warner continues to release almost every CW show on Blu-ray is good enough for most of us.