The Walking Dead Season 1 (2010): Blu-Ray/DVD Review

The insanely popular first season of The Walking Dead has made its way to DVD and Blu-ray, and we’ve spent some time rewatching it and all of the extras.

The Show Itself

Even after rewatching this season on Blu-ray and DVD, I feel the same way I did after watching the season the first time around. The Walking Dead has a great first season and it sets everything up for a promising second season and beyond. It is certainly one of the best takes on the zombie story we’ve seen in a while, and any horror fan should be watching this. I have included a shortened version of my full season review below. If interested in more of my thoughts on the first season, you can view the full review over here.

If you’ve seen any of the Romero Dead films, you will be right at home with The Walking Dead. The “zombie rules” are pretty much the same, so aim to the head and don’t let them bite you! Also, like the Romero films, The Walking Dead focuses on the relationships between the characters involved and many of the problems they encounter are from human nature, more than the walking dead.

We only get six episodes for the first season of The Walking Dead, so this plays more like a mini-series or long pilot episode, than a full season. We are introduced to over a dozen characters, some of whom we don’t really get a chance to know yet. There are also plenty of plot lines that are briefly started, but never expanded upon or completed. For that reason, it is hard to view this as a complete work, but these six episodes really lay the groundwork for a promising second season.

And let’s not forget what instantly drew viewers into this show, the zombies themselves. I’m sure horror fans will watch the show and not flinch at the level of gore, but it is really a first for basic cable. They have taken what would equal an R-rating in theaters and managed to put it on the small screen and draw in millions of viewers. This really is a big accomplishment for the horror genre and shouldn’t go unmentioned.

As far as AMC is concerned, The Walking Dead is already a success. With millions of viewers, the second season was announced during the middle of the first season, so we will be getting another 13 episodes in October of 2011. Personally, I feel it is too early to say if this show has been successful. We’ve basically been given a teaser of this world and the main characters.

In order for this show to be a long-term success, we’ll have to see where Darabont and crew take these characters. As long as they focus on character building and acting over sex and action, I think this show will have legs. I’m really happy that there is a full-fledged horror drama on television, and look forward to upcoming seasons.

Review by: Jonathan James

Yell! Rating (x/5 Skulls):

Year Released:

31 October 2010

Director:

Frank Darabont

Cast/Crew

Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Emma Bell

Genre

Horror, Drama

Official URL:

The Walking Dead

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