THE SANDMAN:
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (2022)
Label: WBHE
Region Code:
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 526 Minutes
Audio: English Atmos, TrueHD 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Directors:
Cast: Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, David Thewlis, Jenna Coleman, Gwendoline Christie
The Sandman is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's DC/Vertigo fantasy series which I have never read, so I am going in a bit blind. I am aware of it, I've thumbed through the pages, but never actually gave it a read. It follows Morpheus the Lord of Dreams (Tom Sturridge) who has been imprisoned by an occult ritual back in 1916 by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance). Imprisoned for 106 years, Morpheus escapes only to return to his home, The Dreaming, to find it in ruins and that his nightmares have escaped into the Earth realm. With the help of The Dreaming's caretaker Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) and his black raven emissary Matthew (Patton Oswalt) he sets out to find three items that were stolen during his imprisonment: his pouch of sand, his helm, and a wish-granting ruby.
The Sandman is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's DC/Vertigo fantasy series which I have never read, so I am going in a bit blind. I am aware of it, I've thumbed through the pages, but never actually gave it a read. It follows Morpheus the Lord of Dreams (Tom Sturridge) who has been imprisoned by an occult ritual back in 1916 by Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance). Imprisoned for 106 years, Morpheus escapes only to return to his home, The Dreaming, to find it in ruins and that his nightmares have escaped into the Earth realm. With the help of The Dreaming's caretaker Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong) and his black raven emissary Matthew (Patton Oswalt) he sets out to find three items that were stolen during his imprisonment: his pouch of sand, his helm, and a wish-granting ruby.
The first season is dense with story lines and divergences that introduces the nightmare spirit The Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook, Logan),occult detective Johanna Constantine (Jenna Coleman, Dr. Who), the ageless Ethel Dee (Joely Richardson, Drowning By Numbers), the mistress of Burgess, and her son John (David Thewlis, The Island of Dr. Moreau), Morpheus's younger sister Desire (Mason Alexander Park, Quantum Leap), Lucifer Morningstar (Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones) as well as Morpheus's older sister Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Silent Night)
As someone who is not familiar with the source material I thought that it introduced and set-up the story quite well, the dense characters are all interesting, and while I did feel a bit lost at times during my initial watch on Netflix re-watching it on Blu-ray things were certainly more cohesive. I was continually impressed by the superb cast and the dark fantasy world it created. Looking forward to season to, and happy to add this to my physical media collection, if you're a fan of the source material and/or dark fantasy I say this comes highly recommended. If you're familiar with the source material let know how you feel the first season stacks up against it.
Audio/Video: All 11 episodes of Sandman: The Complete First Season (2022) arrives on a 3-disc Blu-ray set from WBHE in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen. It's a lovely presentation with pleasing blacks, vivid colors when called upon and good depth and clarity to the image. The marriage of live-action and CGI doesn't always looks remarkable, but the image here is faithful to the source. Audio comes by way of English Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) with optional English subtitles. The presentation is nicely immersive with excellent depth, low-end and range, I was quite impressed.
Audio/Video: All 11 episodes of Sandman: The Complete First Season (2022) arrives on a 3-disc Blu-ray set from WBHE in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen. It's a lovely presentation with pleasing blacks, vivid colors when called upon and good depth and clarity to the image. The marriage of live-action and CGI doesn't always looks remarkable, but the image here is faithful to the source. Audio comes by way of English Atmos (TrueHD 7.1) with optional English subtitles. The presentation is nicely immersive with excellent depth, low-end and range, I was quite impressed.
The first season gets a fairly paltry selection of extras, only a 2-min The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek followed by the 3-min The World of The Endless. The three-disc set arrives in a hinged keepcase housing the disc, a single-sided wrap and a slipcover with the same artwork.
Special Features:
- The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek (1:53)
- The World of The Endless (3:07)
Includes 11 episodes:
- The Sandman: Behind the Scenes Sneak Peek (1:53)
- The World of The Endless (3:07)
Includes 11 episodes:
- Sleep of the Just
- Imperfect Hosts
- Dream a Little Dream of Me
- A Hope in Hell
- 24/7
- The Sound of Her Wings
- The Doll’s House
- Playing House
- Collectors
- Lost Hearts
- Dream of a Thousand Cats/Calliope
Buy it here: https://amzn.to/48NlEio
