7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Meet vampire brothers Stefan and Damon are vampires, one good and one evil; Elena, a double for the beauty both brothers loved some 150 years earlier; plus Jeremy, Bonnie, Matt and more denizens of Mystic Falls, VA.
Starring: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley (II), Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Sara CanningFantasy | 100% |
Romance | 89% |
Teen | 75% |
Supernatural | 57% |
Horror | 13% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (4 BDs)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Dear diary, I met a boy today and we fell in love. He's quiet and intense, but he takes me seriously, even when I whine about my comfortable suburban life. He drinks blood, but that's okay. He says he doesn't feed on people. And if you can't trust a vampire stalking a teenage girl, who can you trust? His brother is a pain though, always creeping around and attacking my friends. I know I'll probably end up having feelings for both of them, but I'm happy being a one-vamp-girl for now. Of course, if a werewolf came along... ugh. There are moments, entire episodes even, when The Vampire Diaries amounts to little more than angsty teen melo-horror; a toothless Twilight doppelgänger that unspools like a blood-spattered romance novel. (And considering how much I loathe the Twilight series, that isn't saying much at all.) But then there are moments that creator Kevin Williamson summons the wit and genre-bending sense and sensibilities that made Dawson's Creek such an unexpectedly addictive phenom. (No shame here. I remain a big fan.) The Vampire Diaries has a long way to go before it earns a recommendation from me -- especially since Williamson's doting lovers aren't nearly as intriguing or compelling as his villains -- but its first season, hit-or-miss as it may be, is decent enough, and gets a bit better with each passing episode.
"I was rooting for Pacey. How bout you?"
The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season straddles a tenuous line between a problematic and an intentional presentation; blessed and cursed with an at-times lovely, at-times unsightly 1080p/VC-1 transfer sure to please fans and fill newcomers with doubts. Black levels are deep but overwhelming, blotting out detail, merging inky hair with inkier backdrops, and consuming most everything left standing after the sun goes down. Color vibrancy and contrast are inconsistent as well. Primaries and skintones are warm and lifelike one minute, washed out and retracted the next, violent noise assaults the darkest scenes, crush is rampant, and numerous shots are crippled by charcoal-brushed shadows. Moreover, detail waxes and wanes... literally. Fine textures range from waxy to soft to clean to magnificently resolved, and both object definition and delineation are in a constant state of flux. It's also clear that noise reduction and edge enhancement have been used, but rest easy: Williamson, not Warner, appears to be the culprit. Unfortunately though, it all comes down to a game of educated guessing. Artifacting pops up here and there, and banding is quite prevalent at times, but otherwise, the whole of the presentation is technically sound. So are the various issues and inconsistencies products of intention? Or an overcooked, hyper-polished transfer? Honestly, without access to the series source, it's difficult to say. Considering how good most of the show looks, I have a hunch fans won't care either way.
Another Warner television release, another 640kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, another long-winded diatribe about the differences between lossy and lossless audio mixes. Or so I thought before sliding the first disc of The Vampire Diaries into my Blu-ray player. The Complete First Season may only offer a standard Dolby Digital track, but I have to admit, it's a strong one. Dialogue is crisp, intelligible and smartly prioritized, LFE output is decidedly decent, rear speaker activity is restrained but effective, and the soundfield, paired with smooth pans and solid directionality, is quite involving. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I might have easily mistaken the whole affair for a middle-of-the-road lossless mix. Would a DTS-HD Master Audio track provided a more rousing and immersive experience? Without a doubt. The limitations of a lossy mix are still apparent -- especially when Williamson's soundtrack accompanies an already intense, action-oriented sequence -- and it's a shame that Warner is so intent on releasing titles sans lossless audio. Should audiophiles continue to demand the best Blu-ray has to offer? Of course. If studios hope to increase sales of television releases, they have to make purchasing TV titles as rewarding as possible. Long rant short, The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season sounds pretty good, but it could sound better.
The 4-disc Blu-ray edition of The Complete First Season includes a variety of special features -- an amusing audio commentary, a pair of extensive documentaries, several production featurettes, and other goodies -- but the real surprise of the set is a full-length audiobook recording of author L.J. Smith's "The Awakening." Still, additional cast and crew commentaries would have gone a long way, and the bulk of the supplemental package is too easily exhausted.
If you have the patience and wherewithal to endure the early, groan-inducing episodes of The Vampire Diaries, the series does make several strides forward. Not enough to allow Williamson's blood-soaked soap opera to stand out from the genre crowd, mind you, but just enough to make it tolerable... slightly enjoyable even (at least as guilty pleasures go). Hopefully, Williamson will find ways to make the series' do-gooders as compelling as its baddies when the show's second season airs this fall. The 4-disc Blu-ray edition is also hit-or-miss. Its video transfer is inconsistent (but presumably faithful), its Dolby Digital audio track offers more than I expected from a lossy mix, and its special features, though varied and extensive, can't compete with the commentary-packed supplemental packages found on other television releases. Ultimately, Vampire Diaries devotees will unearth enough value to justify their high-def dollars, but just barely.
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