The Show
Much like the zombie menace itself, pop culture's fascination with The Walking Dead (as they are sometimes called) never seems to completely abate. The lumbering flesh eaters have been in something of an upswing the past few years, across all media, including the Image comic series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard which was adapted for AMC by a talented team including writer/director/producer Frank Darabont and James Cameron's former go-to producer (not to mention ex-wife), Gale Anne Hurd.
I've heard explanations of zombies' increasing popularity, parallels between their own deadness inside and the ongoing nullification of the human spirit, but I never bought into it. For me, it boils down to three main attractions: It's us or them, so they need killin'; they're already dead, so you don't feel guilty about killin' em; and they don't move too fast, so they're easy killin'.
[EDITORS' NOTE: Remind me to bring House of the Dead for Wii to the next Writers' Summit. Man, I loves me some zombie-killin'.... - Editor's reply: OK!]
Which brings us of course to The Complete First Season of The Walking Dead. As happens, a mysterious disease, transmitted by bites and scratches, is killing people and mutating them into "walkers," driven only by pure, base instinct. A rural Georgia sheriff's deputy awakens in the hospital following a life-threatening gunshot wound to find the world as he knew apparently ended, and he quickly learns to survive in this brutal new landscape. Will he, or anyone, find their loved ones? Can they make it to the refugee camp in Atlanta, or even better, the Center for Disease Control where the cure is being developed?
The violence is plentiful and graphic, and yet so much of this weekly series is about maintaining our humanity, and seldom in a sappy way. The writing is clever and witty, driven by some decidedly imperfect characters, each revealed over the course of the six episodes of this gripping drama.
The Picture
The image is sharp but could be sharper, although it is clear enough that we can start to see the credibility limits of some of the makeups and special effects. The show is shot on 16mm film, something of a rarity these days, and there is a faint grain visible, in addition to frequent video noise in the backgrounds and other out-of-focus areas of the 16:9 frame. I also noted some twitch on fine details such as bricks and grass.
Colors are largely subdued but highly accurate, as when I detected a slight purplish tint to the deputy's uniform. And I was able to just make out the fine ribs on another character's athletic shirt. So the presentation is above average but not reference-quality.
The Sound
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack (Anchor Bay's apparent format of-choice) runs the gamut from big to small. From a gust of wind or a bird chirping quietly in the distance to the no-nonsense gunshots, sometimes phased between speakers, this track handles it all with class and precision. There's a directionality across the soundfield for passing cars, 360-degree rain, sirens behind us and subtle, moody effects like echoes, in addition to more blatant moments like a gun fired inside a tank and the subsequent ear-ringing, a helicopter flying somewhere overhead, and even a couple of powerful explosions. Quite well done.
The Extras
The bonuses are divided into two similar groups. (A full listing appears below.) The "Featurettes" include the solid half-hour "Making of The Walking Dead," the rest being briefer, and somewhat broad, with varying levels of insight in the mini-docs for each episode. "Extra Footage" collects more-focused little bits, including set visits with the cast. All of these are in some form of HD.
Final Thoughts
The brief First Season begun last Halloween left audiences hungering for more, and we will thankfully receive it this fall. Until then, folks like me who missed the premiere showings can catch up on all the movie-quality horror/drama in this handy two-disc set, easy to pack when the undead are at your door and you need to beat a hasty retreat.
Product Details
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