Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie Review

This walker makes like a tree.

Note: This review is covering only the special packaging and collectibles found within this exclusive fourth-season release of 'The Walking Dead.' For complete coverage of the discs and everything on them, including supplemental reviews, please click through to the regular edition release here.

Inspiration.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Anchor Bay has released another impressive boxed set super edition of The Walking Dead, following up on the gruesomely excellent Governor's Aquarium Case from season three and season two's Zombie Screwdriver Case, both from McFarlane Toys. This "Tree Walker Case," also from the good people at McFarlane Toys, is nearly as impressive. It, like its predecessors, comes in a large outer cardboard box that's nearly a perfect cube, measuring approximately 12.25" long and tall and coming in at 11.5" deep. The box weighs approximately four pounds and eleven ounces. Opening reveals a firmly fitting styrofoam protectant and the digibiook-style Blu-ray case presentation on top. For the serious collector, even one who doesn't care so much about the statue, this exclusive packaging, which replaces the standard, less-attractive, and cheaper, option, is reason enough to purchase. The five discs are housed on three sides, with discs one and two sharing the left hand side (with their own overlapping spindles) and discs three and four the middle (again with their own overlapping spindles). Disc five, the dedicated special features disc, enjoys the entire right-hand side by itself. Also included is an original front-cover illustration by acclaimed comic book Author and Artist Alex Ross. The reverse side offers basic Blu-ray information -- a synopsis, special feature details, and a technical specifications box -- while the interior, underneath the discs, offers images of select cast members. Also inside the case are three items, a single-sided Ultraviolet digital copy leaflet, an advertisement for the upcoming Halloween box set, and a booklet entitled "Dead Stuff," which is essentially a miniature catalog advertising The Walking Dead merchandise.

After removing the AMC-branded styrofoam from the box -- which is cool and practically makes it something of a minor collectible -- users will find the crown jewel of the set: the detailed, limited mobility model of a zombie morphed into a tree, which also doubles as a home for the Blu-ray set. Though dark and largely colorless beyond touches of green, brown, and gray, the statue impresses with its attention to detail, brought out exquisitely even through the limited palette. The statue feels sturdy enough for display duty, not hollow beyond the Blu-ray case slot but not so solid that it could survive a major impact. The outer textures are excellent. Tree bark is rough, and the zombie feels more or less the same, from the arm to the inside of the empty stomach cavity. The foliage, which sticks up at the base of the tree, does have a bland plastic feel and represents, obviously, the most fragile piece of the set. The bottom of the statue is a flat base with four small felt/rubbery-feeling feet. There's significant give to the Blu-ray case sleeve when empty, but it's built well enough for display purposes. It features raised lettering on the front. When the Blu-ray case is fully inserted, a small lever on the bottom engages, resulting in the zombie's head twisting to the side and its left arm raising a couple of inches. It's a neat effect, though some may be disappointed with how obvious the small circular pin in the shoulder joint stands apart from the rest, even while painted a similar shade of gray as found on the surrounding area. Note that the head and arm may be moved independently of the lever; lifting the arm does not result in a twist of the head, but turning the head in turn lifts the arm. It's too bad a battery or A/C option wasn't included for constant movement and thereby more closely replicating a zombie (motion sensors would have been even cooler, though obviously more costly, to simulate the effect of the zombie reacting to a live presence nearby). The statue measures about 9" at its very top height, around 9" from side-to-side at its widest (which is rather consistent), and about 9.5" deep from the longest extended finger to the back of the statue.

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This special edition of The Walking Dead's fourth season Blu-ray release is a must-own for die-hard collectors. It's not quite so novel and cool as last season's governor's aquarium, however. It's neither as iconic in terms of its presence in and importance to the actual show nor as visually arresting as that previous trinket, but this will look great on the shelf, with or without the attractive fold-open, tri-sided digipak casing inside, and either alongside the aquarium or as a standalone piece. It's nice enough to become the centerpiece of a small Walking Dead collection that's without the aquarium; it's just a matter of whether it's worth the additional dollars -- around $55, at time of publication -- for what amounts to something to sit on the shelf and look gruesomely pretty. For the die-hard it's a no-brainer, but casual fans are probably better off with the standalone season set.