HEROES {1st. Season} (DVD Review) - 27/8/07

Word of mouth on this came down shortly before it aired on the Sci-Fi Channel and then a year later it appeared on the BBC. If you have seen any of it and enjoyed it then don't bother with the current UK version which seems to be a propagating trend in releasing TV Series in two halves and ripping you off for double the money. You can get the complete series from the USA for about £29 instead of £50 in the UK. Some shows take a while to gain their feet this one ploughs ahead and immediately sets it all out then gradually fills in the back plot, story-arc and characters. People start to develop super powers and need to head off a cataclysmic event similar to the X-Men in style just a little bit more down to earth instead. Perceptively one of it's strongish strengths comes from the comic book/graphic novel with the main cast and peripheral characters being killed off left, right and centre. Each scene is like a panel from the pages of a comic as we flit through slices of people's lives page by page as elements of everything in the story are pulled together piece by piece. Another strong point in the series favour is the use of a real artist (Tim Sale) who illustrates magnificent pictures and paintings that guide the storyline. Neatly tying up the First Season plenty of threads are left hanging for the Second with even an opening Monologue for the next as well.

Plenty of effort has gone into this 7-disc boxset with the box itself laid out with illustrations and pictures from the show. Cleverly each disc has a written panel on the box designed in comic-book style writing that gives a synopsis on each of the episodes. SPECIAL FEATURES: We have selected Audio Commentaries by Cast & Crew. The never before aired 73 Minute Premiere Episode, 50 Deleted Scenes, The Making Of.. and the Special Effects & Stunts. A profile of the Artist Tim Sale, The Score & Mind Reader Game.

Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish & French. Anamorphic Widescreen: 1.78:1. Region 1 (USA) Colour. Runtime: 16 Hrs. 49 Mins. Approx. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ISBN # 025195018968.