ARROW: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
(2012-2013, Blu-ray released September 17, 2013 – MSRP $69.97)
THE SERIES:
- “Justice hits its mark! Based on DC Comics series, Arrow reinvents the edgy and iconic character for today’s audiences in the year’s most thrill-packed and visually stunning action series. After being marooned for five years on a remote island, billionaire Oliver Queen comes home with a mysterious agenda and lethal new skills to fight crime in Starling City. Wearing the dark hood of a “vigilante” archer, Oliver’s fiercely determined to right the wrongs of his father and thwart those who’ve corrupted his city. But his crusade is complicated by his own family’s dark secrets, a best friend’s unwitting ties to evil, and the woman he loves but betrayed in his earlier life. From Oliver’s harrowing island ordeals to Arrow’s breathtaking urban stealth warfare, this 23-episode Season One is a heroic adventure delivered dead center!“
WHO SHOULD BUY:
If you loved the CW’s Smallville, you’re bound to be down with Arrow, the network’s latest take on a popular DC Comics superhero. After five years stranded on a remote island, Oliver Queen has returned to his family and life in Starling City with a mysterious agenda. The revelation of his family’s demons and the corruption of his city forces him to take up the mantle of a Robin Hood-like vigilante who vows to defend the weak. Arrow wears its cinematic-superhero influences on its sleeve and suffers from the villain-of-the-week syndrome early on but quickly finds its footing and its own voice.
THE BLU-RAY DISC:
Over the course of the 972-minutes or so of episodes on this 9-disc set (4 Blu-ray discs and 5 DVDs) you’ll see images that range from really, really good to totally spectacular. That’s to be expected in a full season of a television show with uneven production and changes taking place during the run. The encode is surprising solid throughout, despite the fact that each of the four BDs is packed with content. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks might not reach the level of a multi-milion dollar film but damn, do these episodes ever sound great! They’re hella dynamic and contain a crap-load of atmosphere.
There isn’t a ridiculous wealth of bonus goodies on the Arrow discs (no commentary tracks whatsoever!) but the included features are pretty darn decent. Deleted Scenes are littered across all discs, with the rest of the extras on disc 4 of the set. The half-hour long “making-of” doc is pretty standard stuff but the 20-minute stunt/fight featurette really delivers. The best extra is the nearly half-hour long Q&A with cast and crew with the gag reel a close second. I do love a good gag reel!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Arrow Comes Alive! – This all-inclusive documentary will give viewers a backstage ticket into the hit television series and the rich legacy of one of comic’s most exciting characters, led by executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg
- Arrow: Fight School/Stunt School – From expertly choreographed fights, to stunts that give feature films a run for their money; Arrow takes aim to present the best that television can offer. Experience the extraordinary effort that goes into each stunt sequence.
- 2013 Paley Festival Q&A – Highlights from the Arrow panel with the cast and producers
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
