The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (DVD, 2011, 2-Disc Set)

This is the best zombie series ever! No cardboard characters here; the survivors retain their quirks and prejudices, and do not all get along simply because they are humans with the zombies as a common enemy. The zombie make-up is excellent. Swarms of flies buzz around the piles of corpses --- a nice touch that I don't recall in other zombie films. The filmmakers intentionally preserved George Romero's vision of shuffling zombies, so the Walking Dead do not have superpowers and cannot run faster than a car. However, they are not so slow as to appear ridiculous; they can move about as fast as a live human, so they pose a real threat. There are gory scenes of intestine-eating and pickaxes to the head, but there are also scenes of raw human emotion that will move you to tears. Grief, love, courage, self-sacrifice...it's all here, and it's riveting. The special features, including behind the scenes commentary on all six episodes, are well worth watching, but not until AFTER you've seen the episodes so as not to spoil the surprises.

My friends and I have been fans of this TV series since it first aired on Halloween last year. I'd never heard of it until then, and now I'm hooked!

What makes this show so great, despite being set in a cliche zombie apocalypse and with typical survivor scenarios, is that the show's creators understand that the premise alone cannot carry the show. The Walking Dead is a thrilling drama that presents characters who behave in ways you might expect people to actually act in such a situation as the zombie apocalypse.

Adding to the realistic tones set by the characters, the make-up artists do outstanding work turning actors into zombies. The zombie cast (so I hear) had to be specially trained to move and behave like a true horde of undead, and the special attention given to their physical appearance is outstanding; each zombie is a unique monster. In creating these creatures, the show uses as little CGI as possible (reserving computer effects for impossible zombies such as the famous "bicycle girl").

As we look forward to season two, we'll be catching up on what we enjoyed last year, and will be pulling in some friends that missed season one the first time around. If Frank Darabont and the rest of the team behind this show can deliver more of what they did in 2010, then long live The Walking Dead.

Enjoying these is a 'no brainer'. These first six episodes begin with a disoriented intoduction similar to "28 Days" and conclude with the roaming survivors having gained more survival skills, and understanding of their predicament. During the trek there are a few nice back stories such as an ill-timed affair, a wrathful troublemaker, a father and son team making it on their own, and a mystery behind the survival of the main character. Trying to get along makes up about half of the dialogue with some stereotyping to go along with each antagonist. The acting is sensational and all express their grief,relief,and paranoia very well. The writing allows several characters to display excellent resolve which is always refreshing to see during crisis.
My only tiny negative criticism would have to be some repetition in dialogue and some predictability in outcome. Just once give me a guy putting on a suit of knight's armor or even duct tape trailblazing an alleyway! Also, some intriguing characters have early exits. These six episodes will, unfortunately, leave you craving for way more..and it will seem like a long wait. Episodes one and six may have some clues to next season's storylines if you pay attention to some details your second run through. Is someone an unaffected carrier? Is a region still unaffected? Will Shane implode? How nasty will Dixon be? Are fresh starts possible with just anyone? There is something about zombie films that allow viewers to despise and exterminate the remnants of humans in a detachable and even admirable way, like a video game. This series will fill that insatiable thirst for any deadhead who is guiltily pleasured by apocalyptic showdowns and the question many go to their graves with...what if?

Series is excellent, and would certainly be five stars. However, Anchor Bay have done a poor job on the DVD. The first DVD had very poor video quality, probably due to stuffing to many episodes (4) on one disc. No problems with the second disc (2 episodes)

I'm a big fan of the show and wanted to review the series before the second season started. I figured I could purchase the DVD set for less on ebay than buying it retail. The set was brand new and just as advertised. The product was shipped promptly and was packaged securely. I really enjoyed the many extras that were included on the DVD's. There's a "Making of Walking Dead" that is very well done and the director and the creator are each interviewed in the documentary. Also, each episode is referenced and has it's own mini-episode on the bonus features. A lot of DVD sets have very few bonuses, I feel that for a series that has only 6 episodes, this set has more than most in that area. I wasn't disappointed and I am really happy with my purchase.