8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
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 | 93% |
Horror | 88% |
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 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
This is our extinction event.
Which is worth more in a hypothetical "zombie apocalypse:" firearms or humanity? Guile or compassion? Heroism or common sense? Or is
the
answer really balance, a tightrope walk between understanding the moral cost of both fighting and living in a zombie world and maintaining
humanity in the absence
of it? The zombie
genre, at its core, isn't about zombies. It's about people and the way they adapt to a radically new way of life that's thrust upon them with
no
warning, instantly and forever altering the "facts of life" and immediately engendering a need for new skill sets, thought processes, and
habits. It's
about expectations
for life that change on a dime and rest on the fates and adaptability of both oneself and others. It requires of those who wish to live on --
not only in
the physical sense but from psychological and emotional perspectives, too -- to set aside all
that mattered in the world as it was and draw up a new plan of attack to survive not only the undead but the foolish amongst the living,
those who
would blindly hang
onto the past and try to maneuver into power, prestige, or wealth even though money and stature no longer hold value to the world at
large. It's a
two-front war, a
battle against both the undead and the
old way of life, fighting the former with weapons and the latter with brains and the right attitude. It's a moral quagmire: fighting the
zombies --
chopping flesh, shooting heads -- requires some detachment from basic human decency, to do unto others what no sane person would in a
normal
world, while also realizing that more than ever it's that core decency and the best of basic human qualities that are going to be critical
components within a
world, someday, hopefully, reclaimed by the living. The Zombie genre is one ripe for smart stories that balance basic action elements with
the greater understanding of what's really at the center of the best zombie tales. The Walking Dead walks that fine line fairly well; it
puts
its
characters and their struggles first and the grisly violence second. The series strays from time to time, but at its core lies a basic tale that's
about
humanity and the need to keep it when the world at large strips it away with every zombie put down, every friend turned, each loved one
lost, and
with
every glimpse into the farthest reaches of chaos.
Survivors.
The Walking Dead debuts on Blu-ray with a deliberately rough and series-accurate 1080p Blu-ray transfer. Though modern convention calls for television series to be shot on HD video, The Walking Dead was captured primarily on 16mm film, giving the series a gritty, unkempt façade that lends to it a unique texture in support of the series' dark themes, grisly violence, and general sense of despair. Though the image occasionally goes soft and never appears razor-sharp, Anchor Bay's transfer nevertheless sports high-quality details as evident on police uniforms and patches, building textures, natural greenery, and all of the series' realistic gore. Colors favor a faded, worn appearance, but green foliage; a bright sports car; or other, flashier hues are handled with ease and displayed with a fairly natural tone. Blacks are deep, nighttime shots are absorbing and true, and crush is minimal. Though a touch of banding and a few bouts of blockiness are evident from time to time, the transfer captures the depressed look of the original elements quite well. It's a good look that's handled with much accuracy on Blu-ray.
The Walking Dead arrives on Blu-ray with a high-quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This is an action-packed mix that's never lacking in either volume or space; blaring car alarms and police sirens penetrate the soundstage with ear-piercing ease, general directional effects are splendid, and the surrounds carry plenty of the action. Gunshots tear through the speakers with startling accuracy, but shotgun blasts are the most fun; the heavy booms lumber through the soundstage with a bone-rattling precision, a battle with zombies at the end of episode four really putting the hurt on both the undead and the aural senses. A .357 magnum round fired within the metallic and tiny confines of a tank brings a disorienting and steady hum of raw power that stretches the limits of the sound system for a good minute or so. General sound effects are also delivered with both an effortlessness and a fine sense of space, whether chirping birds and buzzing insects that live on in the zombie apocalypse or distant rolling thunder that signals a coming downpour at a most inopportune time. Music is spacious and clear, the orchestral score finding a nice balance between excitingly bold and frighteningly intense. Dialogue reproduction never misses a beat. The Walking Dead sounds fantastic on Blu-ray; Anchor Bay's given the series the exact sort of high-caliber track it needs to really pull in the audience and more greatly personalize the experience through sound.
The Walking Dead lumbers onto Blu-ray with all of its extra content contained on disc two of this two-disc set. Though no audio
commentaries
are included, the set does contains a plethora of featurettes.
The Walking Dead is the complete package, a show that moves fast, hits hard, and is built around drama first and grisly violence and action second. Needless to say, Zombie genre fans will eat it up and wonder what's taking so long to get the second season rolling. Even non-fans might find an allure in the show for its good characterization and the overreaching theme that is humanity -- saving it and losing it at the same time -- and its place in a world following a devastating breakdown of civilization. AMC really hit a home run with this show; here's hoping the second season stays true to the goodness on which the first season has been so carefully built. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Walking Dead features a strong 1080p transfer, a great lossless soundtrack, and a nice assortment of extra content. Highly recommended.
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
Exclusive McFarlane Toys Governor's Aquarium Case
2012-2013
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
2017-2018
Lenticular Cover
2017-2018
2018-2019
2019-2021
2021-2022
Extreme Unrated Set
2007
2009
2007
2010
2013
Unrated
2011
2007
Director's Cut
1997
2005-2020
2018
Collector's Edition | + Theatrical Cut on BD
2004
2007
2016
2018
2016
Lenticular Slipcover
2016
2016
2002
2012
2015