8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The Walking Dead tells the story of the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse and follows a small group of survivors traveling across the United States in search of a new home away from the hordes of zombies. The group is led by Rick Grimes, who was a police officer in the old world. As their situation grows more and more grim, the group's desperation to survive pushes them to do almost anything to stay alive.
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Lauren CohanComic book | 100% |
Thriller | 92% |
Horror | 87% |
Supernatural | 83% |
Melodrama | 54% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (5 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The worst has been outpacing the best lately.
The Walking Dead's eighth season is in some ways true to form and in some ways fairly unique. The season holds firm to the concept
that the living are more dangerous than the dead and that the focus remains on what the apocalypse has made of man, bringing his darkest, most
primal
instincts to the surface. But in this season there's a shift in the tide: there's a concerted effort, in some circles and through some characters, to find a
way out of it, not to put an end to the zombie uprising but to put an end to the endless cycle of violence amongst various factions of the living.
Throughout the show's run, survival has evolved from escaping and evading the dead to battling the worst of the living head-on. And even those with
the
best of intentions have slowly, but surely, devolved away from fighting a necessary battle to seeking out blood and retribution against evildoers. And
their motivations are not always true, either. Violence born of vengeance, hatred, and fear has become the new normal for even characters like Rick
Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who, in this season, faces his most difficult personal test and must choose whether or not to adhere to wise words and seek
a peaceful solution to the circle of violence that is plaguing his ever-thinning group or confront it head-on and risk everything he hasn't already lost,
including his own soul. Of course his course of action is also largely
determined by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the intimidating leader of a band of violent survivors who is himself hellbent on seeing Rick and his
group fall to his might and wrath.
A mildly desaturated palette, lightly soft but revealing and complex details, and nicely textured grain: essentially, season eight's image is right in line with The Walking Dead's previous seasons on Blu-ray. Season eight holds firm to the show's familiar and complimentary visual structure from the outset. The image reveals world decay quite nicely, and by season eight, it's a bit more significant than before. Cars are more rusted out, overgrowth is much more obvious, zombies are more decayed and grotesque. Essential textures are really great. Close-ups reveal fine little examples of wear, fabric, and the like on nearly every article of clothing. Facial textures impress and gore is gooey and visually complex. Grain density can increase in spurts, such as a shootout around the 37 minute mark of episode nine, but is generally very even and texturally agreeable. Colors lack significant punch but essentials like natural greens and red blood produce enough saturation and stability to carry the show's needs. Skin tones appear accurate and good, dense black levels are the norm, even in challenging scenes such as inside a low light trailer for parts of episode five. Episode eight takes place primarily in very deep low light nighttime exteriors where crush is borderline but there's never any push to a lighter, grayer shade of black. No significant source or encode flaws are readily apparent. This is another winner of a Walking Dead season on Blu-ray.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Season's Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack presents most every element with impressive balance. Exterior ambience is a constant. Light insect din, moaning zombies near or far: the world springs to life with even the minor details that give life to a dead world. Gunfights deliver some quality surround detailing. Shots explode from the rears with regularity, and the addition of the extra two center-back channels over the traditional 5.1 setup allows for a much more expansive and properly placed barrage with discrete elements popping in through every speaker. Gunfire occasionally, and particularly early on, it seems, lacks the sort of ear-shattering intensity that would accompany such a symphony of shots in real life, but the net effect isn't bad, even if it's a little light. Later through the season there's more depth and low end intensity to be heard, a welcome explosion exemplified in a few places, notably a firefight heard at the beginning of the season's 13th episode. Music is expansive, wide, and stage enveloping. Surrounds are not fully engaged with every beat, but the positive qualities at the most intense examples of score and the lightest notes of support are handled with care and clarity. Episode four sees perhaps the most immersive surround use while also featuring occaisonally scratchy (but seemingly by design) elements. Dialogue is well prioritized and firmly planted in the center, though a few exchanges extend to the edges, such as some chatter in episode 12.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Season contains two audio commentaries on disc one, another on disc five, and three featurettes on
that fifth disc. No DVD or digital versions are included (a Wal-Mart exclusive ships with a VUDU digital copy). The supplements spoil
the season's most important moment.
Disc One:
Season eight suffers from, amongst other things, a relative lack of Negan's unrelenting ferocity and eerie magnetism that carried season seven to commendable heights. The plot is too scattered and character side stories are too widespread and the roster is too large. It's too long and struggles to build or maintain an interest in the world that propels the action, even as there's a concerted effort by a few characters to find the light in the darkness that has defined the show for seven previous seasons. The season's midpoint reveal and key character death are shocking but ultimately add little dramatic weight to the program, even if the way the death was handled was apparently meant to energize the season's key theme of the clash between bloodlust and the dream of a better future. Though it ends rather well with the best of episode of the season to wrap it up, this is easily the most disappointing season so far. The show has a long track record of excellence that will hopefully be rekindled in season nine. The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Season's Blu-ray is a bit short on extras, but video and audio qualities are, as always, excellent. Recommended, and collectors should be aware that the season can be purchased in collectible SteelBook packaging, available exclusively at Target.
2010
3-Disc Special Edition
2010
Special Edition with Mask
2010
Limited Edition
2010
Lenticular Cover
2010
2011-2012
Exclusive McFarlane Toys Zombie Statue Case
2011-2012
4-Disc Limited Edition
2011-2012
Lenticular Cover
2011-2012
2012-2013
Exclusive McFarlane Toys Governor's Aquarium Case
2012-2013
2012-2013
w/ Soundtrack
2012-2013
Combo Pack
2012-2013
5-Disc Limited Edition
2012-2013
2012-2013
2013-2014
Exclusive McFarlane Toys Tree Walker Case
2013-2014
2013-2014
Prison Key Edition
2013-2014
with Soundtrack
2013-2014
2013-2014
Digipack
2013-2014
2014-2015
2014-2015
2014-2015
with Funko Mystery Mini Daryl Dixon
2014-2015
Limited Edition
2014-2015
Exclusive McFarlane Toys
2014-2015
2015-2016
2015-2016
Lenticular Cover
2015-2016
with exclusive bonus disc
2015-2016
Limited Edition
2015-2016
2016-2017
2016-2017
Lenticular Cover
2016-2017
2016-2017
Limited Edition Spike Walker Statue
2016-2017
2017-2018
2017-2018
Lenticular Cover
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2021
2021-2022
Extreme Unrated Set
2007
2009
2007
2013
2010
Unrated
2011
2007
2005-2020
Director's Cut
1997
2018
Collector's Edition | + Theatrical Cut on BD
2004
2007
2016
2016
2018
Lenticular Slipcover
2016
2016
2002
2012
20th Anniversary Edition
2005