| With
"The Walking Dead" AMC bides their time, and season
one plays like a prologue to the more stressing
storylines yet to come, and more harrowing
characters yet to be introduced. At only six
episodes "The Walking Dead: The Complete First
Season" plays like an introduction to this universe
and guides us along with Rick Grimes. Who would have
thought that the day Rick Grimes stepped outside of
his car to confront bank robbers, he would be shot
nearly dead and end up in the hospital. Little did
Rick ever realize he'd awaken back in his hospital
bed after a long coma to a whole new world. A
horrifying world. A world filled with cannibalistic
walking corpses feasting on the living. When
emerging from the hospital abandoned and teeming
with the walking dead, Rick is guided by his own
survival instincts and small bits of know how to
combat the walking dead, and is intent on finding
his wife and son. Convinced they're still alive,
even after the carnage, he goes looking for them
across Atlanta, and is given a first hand tour to
this entirely new wasteland where law and order are
meaningless. And the living are given to an unbiased
unforgiving infection that transforms them in to
hungry monsters. "The Walking Dead" is a superb six
episode mini-season and one that takes quite curious
turns with the source material.
While I'm not the
biggest fan of the path the final two episodes take,
Robert Kirkman and Darabont had to work within the
parameters that they'd end the series on this note,
but also leave it open for season two. Now with
season two a guaranteed, Kirkman and Darabont, as
well as AMC, can work outside the limits and really
grab audiences by the throats. The performances all
around are marvelous with Andrew Lincoln perfectly
embodying character Rick Grimes, while Jeffrey
DeMunn is a living and breathing Dale, the wise old
trailer owner who spouts gems of wisdom and is weary
of the land around him. Folks plagued with dreck
involving nothing but cardboard cut out heroes
shooting zombies for ninety minutes will find a
refreshing change of pace with this series that
focuses on character first and foremost, and then
considers the zombie carnage later on, only if
detrimental to the story and or episode. What I love
about "The Walking Dead," in spite of its faults
inherent in season one with the convenient prophecy
from Jim and final half of the season, is that it's
character based drama first and horror second.
| Among
the bevy of special features, we're
given "The Making of "The Walking
Dead"," the featurette exploring the
inception of the comic book and the
transfer to the big screen in a format
of a serialized version that's never
been done on television. You get a real
sense of the enthusiasm behind the
making of this series, and you also
garner a wonderful insight in to Frank
Darabont's thoughts on the series as he
ponders back to "Night of the Living
Dead" and tries to emulate that
masterpiece with every episode of the
first season. There's also the six
episode "Inside the Walking Dead" you
could find on the AMC website now for
consumption on the DVD. There's "A Sneak
Peek with Robert Kirkman," a look at the
show's upcoming episodes of season one
with the creator of the original comic
book series and executive producers of
the television series. |
 |
There's "Behind the Scenes Zombie Make-Up Tips" a
fun featurette with Gregory Nicotero as he guides us
through the transformation of his cousin Mike in to
a walking corpse with special effects materials you
can get at any supermarket or hardware store. As
with most of masters chances with the fans, Nicotero
has a lot of fun with us turning Mike in to a zombie
and torturing every so slowly with every turn of the
screw. I love it. There's also the Comic Con
Convention Panel with the producers, and of course
the official trailer to season one that stormed the
web with a bootleg, and then the official AMC
version, now for consumption. Disc Two also comes
with Extra footage and small featurettes. There's
"Zombie School," a guide on how the producers and
creators made the zombies stand out among one
another and garnered individuality for each and
every zombie. There's "Bicycle Girl," the
manifestation of the infamous bicycle girl from the
comic books that inevitably made her way on to the
big screen, and the time lapse process of turning
the young actress in to the decrepit monster we see
in the pilot. There's "On set with Robert Kirkman,"
and "Hanging with Steven Yeun" a hilarious segment
where Yeun guides us through the doldrums of working
in the Atlanta summer sun, and life in the Atlanta
camp that involves makeshift showers and rooming
with the dead. "Inside Dale's RV" is a peek in to
the unofficial character of the show: Dale's RV!
Finally, we get a peek at the set with star Andrew
Lincoln, preparing for his performance in the
episode "Vatos" and his display of excitement for
his shoot out in the final moments of the episode.
And you have to love his enthusiasm. |
