THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON (2015)

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON (2015) 
5-DISC SET BLU-RAY 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated

Duration: 710 Minutes

Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English Dolby Surround 2.0 stereo with Optional English SDH Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1) 

Directors: Ernest Dickerson, Greg Nicotero, David Boyd, Jeffrey F. January, Michael E. Satrazemis, Seith Mann, Billy Gierhart, Julius Ramsay, Larysa Kondracki, Jennifer Lynch

Cast: Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Chad L. Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green, Lawrence Gilliard, Jr., Michael Cudlitz, Emily Kinney, Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos, Josh McDermitt, Andrew J. West.

Synopsis: The previous season of “The Walking Dead” ended with Rick and the group outgunned, outnumbered, and trapped in a train car awaiting a grim fate. What follows is a story that weaves the true motives of the people of Terminus with the hopeful prospect of a cure in Washington, D.C., the fate of the group’s lost comrades, as well as new locales, new conflicts, and new obstacles in keeping the group together and staying alive. Stories will break apart and intersect. The characters will find love and hate. Peace and conflict. Contentment and terror. And, in the quest to find a permanent, safe place to call home, one question will haunt them… After all they’ve seen, all they’ve done, all they’ve sacrificed, lost, and held on to no matter what the cost... Who do they become?

Alright, the complete fifth season of The Walking Dead has arrived, and I will stay away from any spoilery stuff so fear not and read on... 

I've been a huge fan of TWD since the first episode, having never read the comics I came in completely cold and free of any baggage and I remain so to this day, I have no plans to read it until the series ends. That has probably helped me weather a lot of the issues fans of the comics have had, and might have made a few of the slower season, too. Season five starts of with a visceral episode "No Sanctuary" and finished up the Terminus storyline that ended in pretty awful place for the group, trapped in a train car awaiting to be slaughtered like cattle by yet another group of human-flesh hungry survivors. It's brutal stuff from the very beginning, in an episode chock full of visceral stuff, the opening scenes are tense

Various factions of the core group are regrouped - and unfortunately Judith comes back into the fold - call me crazy but I just wanted that kid dead. Okay, that was a tiny bit spoilery but we all know she was alive at the end of the last season anyway. With terminus resolved we have the group back to getting mullet headed idiot-savant Eugene to Washington, which has a pretty interesting resolution in and of itself, one that pushes Abraham to his limits.

We have some new characters this season, namely Father Gabriel Stokes, a man of the cloth with a few secrets, plus a young man named Noah who the group connect with on a return journey to Atlanta. Of course we lose a few along the season, some of which are pretty painful losses, one in particularly was a deep cut, we all have our favorite episodes and we just hope none of them get too much time on-screen talking about their hopes and dreams for the future, because you know they are the next to go, ha ha. 

The carnage this season remains high, the grotesque creations of the special effects teams continue to be awesome from season to season with gooey smashed faces of the undead, the flesh of the living being chewed off, and those grotesque head shots all come at us with good frequency. Last season we had the awesome burned zombies, this season we have two sets of zombies that stood apart. Water-logged zombies trapped in a flooded basement were my favorite, followed by a parking lot full of walkers that were napalmed early on and have since melted into disgusting puddles of gooey chompers, those one looked like something out of the shunting scene from Brian Yuzna's Society. 

The group do find a new home after a temporary stay at a church early on in the season, a new fortified community that almost seems like a more idyllic and pastoral version of Woodbury, minus the governing of a certain one-eyed murderous menace. The storyline is a good one, with the team pulling apart from each other to a certain degree while others keep secrets from each other, the usual array of apocalyptic undead drama unfolds to varying degrees of success.

This season I did not win any who-will-die next predictions I made at the top of the season, which funnily enough is how we start each season, always guessing who will be gone by the season finale, which is a bit morbid but this is a sort of morbid show. 

Onto the special features on the five disc set from Anchor Bay, as usual it is stuffed with bonus content beginning with seven audio commentaries on select episodes with cast and crew, and honestly when it comes to TV series I rarely partake of the commentaries and TWD is no exception to the rule. However, I am all about the deleted scenes and featurettes, thankfully we have hours of content for the fans of the series who just cannot get enough of the behind-the-scenes stuff beginning with 16-minutes worth of deleted scenes spanning the entire season, nothing here is a revelation but I loved watching them in HD. 

There are about two hours worth of Inside The Walking Dead and The Making of The Walking Dead featurettes, I love these, one they gve you a fun recap of the episode from the cast and crew and then you get a behind the scenes making of for each one, seeing the nitty gritty of how they created certain effects and the challenges faces capturing them.

There's also about 20-minutes dedicated to he cast members who were killed this season, the creation of gated-community Alexandria, and a day in the life of actors Michael Cudlitz and Josh McDermitt on-set, a fun peak at what a typical day on-set is like for each of the actors. We also get a short featurette about the making of the napalm-burned zombies from the season, which it deserved, these were among the standout effects of the season.  On top of that we get a Digital HD UV  code so you can enjoy the series on the go, whenever I travel these come in handy when I need to fight of boredom at the airport or the doctor's office, 

Special Features: 

- UV Digital HD Copy
- Audio commentaries featuring Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer Tom Luse, Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor /Director Greg Nicotero, Director Julius Ramsay; Actors Lauren Cohan, Chad L. Coleman, Michael Cudlitz, Sonequa Martin-Green, Danai Gurira, Alana Masterson, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Norman Reedus, Christian Serratos and Steven Yuen.
- Deleted Scenes (16 Mins) HD
- Inside “The Walking Dead” (Approx. 75 Mins)
- The Making of “The Walking Dead” (Approx. 53 Mins)
- The Making of Alexandria (10 Mins)
- Beth’s Journey (4 Mins)
- Bob’s Journey (5 Mins)
- Noah’s Journey (4 Mins)
- Tyreese’s Journey (7 Mins)
- A Day in the Life of Michael Cudlitz (8 Mins)
- A Day in the Life of Josh McDermitt (8 Mins)
- Rotters in the Flesh (5 Mins)

The Walking Dead: The Complete Fifth Season comes highly recommended, of course I am preaching to the quire if you are already a fan of the series, and I cannot imagine anyone is jumping in cold with season five of the series, but if so you can expect a top notch HD presentation with a quality surround sound presentation plus a wealth of extras that should keep you satisfied until season six starts up,  or perhaps in between episodes of the prequel series Fear the Walking Dead which is currently airing on AMC. 4/5 

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON Blu-ray 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment 

Region Code: A

Rating: Unrated
Duration: 696 Minutes
Video: Widescreen (1.78:1) – Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions

Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French: Dolby Surround 2.0 with Optional English and Spanish Subtitles

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, David Morrissey, Lawrence Gilliard, Chad L. Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green, Christian Serratos
Directors:  Julius Ramsay, Greg Noctero Tricia Brock, Ernest Dickerson, Michelle MacLaren

Synopsis: In the new season, we see Rick and the group of survivors fostering a thriving community in the safe haven of the prison only to have it short-lived as the group loses everything, their home, family, and friends to the threat of the walkers, outside threats and the hidden dangers brewing inside the fences. The group of survivors are broken apart and sent on divergent paths, unsure of everyone else’s fate as they are exposed to new dangers, new enemies, and heartbreaking choices. They will have their faith thoroughly tested -- a faith that breaks some of them and redeems others.

Season four of The Walking Dead started off pretty weak for me. Following the events of the season three finale the formerly bad ass Rick has given up the gun to pursue a farming lifestyle at the prison where things are going pretty great - but this is the Walking Dead and the good times never last!

Things start turning to shit pretty quick as an infection is spreading through the prison community and the undead are massing along the fence - turns out someone had been feeding them rats through the fence - damn, this ain't no petting zoo! Before too a member if the community becomes one of the undead after succumbing to the quick spreading infection which spurs the creation of a quarantine zone for the infected which causes a lot of fuss as it's not voluntary. 

On top of this we have the return of the Governor and we get a nice flashback to what transpired after the fall of Woodbury and his journey thereafter - which if you can believe it paints a pretty sympathetic image of the anti-Rick as he is taken in by a new group of survivors and quickly rises to the rank of leader which puts them on a direct path to the Prison and the expected conflict yo would expect. The siege is massive and we see some major character die - perhaps the most painful death in the entire series since we saw the beloved Dale perish in season two! 

In the aftermath - without spoiling too much -  the prison community are split up into several faction and out in the wild away from the safety of the Prison for the first time in a few seasons. Enter a rumored safe haven known as Terminus - the new destination of the group. we are also introduced to a new group of survivors called the Marauders and by the end of the season we see Rick at his most violent and brutal!

Some nice character development throughout this season, for starters we have Rick returning to form after having renounced leadership and violence. Michonne continues to be a total ass kicker with her razor sharp katana but we find out a little more about her tragic past. Little Carl continues his journey to badassdom and has to care for his father who is beaten nearly to death at one point. The most tragic story arc is of Lizzie - who has always been sympathetic towards the undead - but this season the direction they take her is a total gut-punch. I think this is the strongest once since the first and of course the finale has the group in a pickle... October cannot get her fast enough for me. 

The Blu-ray from Anchor Bay looks fantastic, huge fan of the look and style of the film and even the sound design is above average for a TV series. The extras are pretty decent - we have two extended episodes, five commentaries and hours of behind-the-scene featurettes and deleted scenes with the cast and crew. . 

Special Features:
Extended Episodes

- Episodes 9 (“After”)

- Episode 14 (“The Grove”) are extended on the Blu-ray™ only.

Featurettes
- Inside THE WALKING DEAD
-The Making of THE WALKING DEAD
- Drawing Inspiration
- Hershel
- The Governor Is Back
- Society, Science and Survival
- Inside KNB EFX
- A Journey Back to Brutality
- Deleted Scenes

Commentaries
- Episode 1 (“30 Days Without An Accident”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager Tom Luse and Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor/Director Greg Nicotero
- Episode 5 (“Internment”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple and Actor Scott Wilson (Hershel)
- Episode 9 (“After”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer/Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor /Director Greg Nicotero, Co-Executive ProducerDenise Huth and Actor Danai Gurira (Michonne)
- Episode 12 (“Still”): Audio Commentary with Director Julius Ramsay and Actor Emily Kinney (Beth); Audio Commentary with Writer/Producer Angela Kangand Actor Norman Reedus (Daryl)
- Episode14 (“The Grove”): Audio Commentary with Executive Producer and Showrunner Scott M. Gimple, Executive Producer Denise Huth and ActorAndrew Lincoln McBride (Carol)

Blu-ray Review: THE WALKING DEAD - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

5-Disc Set 

Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region Code: A

Rating: 688 Minutes
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.78:1)

Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, French Dolby Surround 2.0 with Optional English and Spanish Subtitles

Director: 

Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Laurie Holden, Sarah Wayne Callies, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey, Michael Rooker 

Synopsis: In this uncertain world, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors must not only fight the dead, but also face a whole new fear: the living. In this 16 episode season, the series Entertainment Weekly called the “greatest thriller ever produced for television”, Rick and his fellow survivors continue to seek refuge in a desolate and post-apocalyptic world and soon discover that there are greater forces to fear than just the walking dead. The struggle to survive has never been so perilous. This season also introduces new characters, including the Governor (David Morrissey) and fan-favorite Michonne (Danai Gurira), along with her zombie pets.

I love me some Walking Dead and judging my the numbers the show pulls in every week I am not alone, nor am I alone in thinking that Season 2 was a bit of shitter after a pretty great first season, or first half of the first season anyway. Last season we saw the group mostly on the farm and in search of a little lost girl, it felt like a Lord of the Rings entry at some points with all that walking through the forests. Oh, and the whole love triangle shit was just damn awful, it started feeling like a daytime soap opera but the finale amped it up a bit, not enough to pull the entire carcass outta the shitter but - SPOILER ALERT - when Shane was taken out permanently I definitely breathed a sigh of relief, it was about damn time. 

Season three started off pretty strong with the group taking refuge in the prison and the introduction of some awesome new characters, first we have the reveal of Michonne (Danaie Gurira) who pulled Andrea's ass outta the fire at the end of season 2, this woman is an eyeful of ebony-skinned samurai sword bad-assery. How bad ass? Well, she's got a few de-limbed, toothless walkers to tote around her belongings - that's awesome. Michonne is by far the best thing to happen to the show since Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) showed-up. Then we have the duplicitous character of the Governor (David Morrissey) who presides over a small gated community named Woodbury, he's sorta like Rick's alter-ego and is the main antagonist this season, and maybe even beyond, just wait and see. 

Our group takes heavy casualties this season, it's a blood-soaked zombie apocalypse with some fantastic zombie make-up and gore effects from the KNB EFX team - some of the best make-up effects yet for the show - and some of the best zombies in all of cinema in my opinion - and the heads are being lopped off as never before thanks in no small part to Michonne and her sword - that things is dripping with blood every episode, and some of it rather stomach-churning, there are a few head-smashed that are just grotesque, gore hounds will be ecstatic. 

If you loved the character of Daryl Dixon the past few seasons prepare to get wet in the panties for season three, the dude outshines even Grimes in my opinion, great stuff. We lose a few original cast members along the way, so be prepared for some real shockers, no one is safe. Returning to the show after a lengthy absence is Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of Serial Killer) as Daryl's older and meaner slice of Southern red-neckery, Merle, love his characters arc this season. Unfortunately Laurie Holden as Andrea is conflicted, her loyalties are torn between the group she was separated from at the end of season 2 and her new home in Woodbury with the Governor. I really feel like she was given a thankless arc this time out, definitely a misstep, she's always been a bit of a pain in the ass, even in season 1, and she deserved better this season. 

Another addition from the Woodbury camp is a scientist named Milton (Dallas Roberts) whom is unwilling to turn off his moral compass even in the face of the zombie apocalypse and against the Governor, it makes for some nice dramatic moments, and the way that he and Andrea's arcs meet-up at the end of the season is powerful stuff. 

Hershel's around this season, he's still the moral compass of the group following the sad departure of Dale in season two, he tries to hold the group together but it's getting more difficult as Grimes is suffers a catastrophic event and goes right off the deep end at a time when the group needs him more than ever, it's a dire series of events this season and he just doesn't weather it well I am afraid. Stepping up to the plate we see an increased leadership role not just from Daryl, but also Glenn (Steven Yuen) and the young Carl (Chandler Riggs), the latter of whom is quite the burgeoning bad-ass, but with a darker edge more akin to Shane than of his own father, at one point he must do the unthinkable and we are left to wonder what the zombie-apocalypse future holds for this young boy.

Let us not forget Rick's wife Lori (Sarah Waynes) who at the start of the season is eight and a half months pregnant and despite the departure of Shane we find that her and Rick are not in a healthy place. After a few seasons I have grown to dislike her a lot, thought she was downright annoying in season 2 and I enjoyed where they took her this season. 

The stories this season are well-crafted and balanced, taut with an oppressive tension right down to the bone, there's poignancy and blood-letting, the moments of joy are far and few between and things only get more desperate as the season pushes on. One of my favorite aspects of the season was the use of weaponized zombies, it just so perfectly awful. 

Blu-ray: The set arrives in an over sized Blu-ray keepcase with a carboard slipcover from Anchor Bay Entertainment whom present the series in the original broadcast aspect ratio (1.78;1) in 1080p hi-def and it looks fantastic, it's a great looking series, while it's not super fine detailed, the aesthetic of the show is a bit muted color wise and it's a it gritty looking production, the Blu-ray captures it all quite nicely. Audio options include choice of English language Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and French Dolby Surround 2.0 with optional English and Spanish subtitles, it's a very nice audio presentation with some nice use of the directionals, it's exceptionally clear and well-balanced, gun shots are piercing, there's the ambient sounds of insects and the dialogue is clear, this is a great edition from Anchor Bay. 

The series is presented on 5-discs with the special features being relegated to disc five including a selection of deleted scenes and eight featurettes which touch on the evolution of Carl as a character, the Governor, the relationship between Lori and Rick, the prison location, the Kintana swinging Michonne vs. the Governor, Nicotero's make-up designs and the gore of the show, some interesting stuff for fans of the show. There are also five episode specific audio commentaries spread throughout the discs, there's a good amount of insightful bonus content here for fans of the series. 

Special Features: 

- Audio Commentaries on ep. 4 (Guy Ferland and actor IronE Singleton), ep. 5 (Director/Co-Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Danai Gurira), ep. 8 (Executive Producer/Writer Robert Kirkman), ep. 9 (Executive Producer Gale AnneHurd and Danai Gurira), and ep. 15 (Director/Co-Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and actor Michael Rooker) 
- Deleted Scenes (13:20): Walk with Me, Say the Word, Hounded, Home, I Ain't No Judas, Clear
- Rising Son Featurette (6:47) 
- Evil Eye Featurette (7:54) 
- Gone, But Not Forgotten Featurette (8:15)
- Heart of a Warrior Featurette (8:25)
- Michonne vs. The Governor Featurette 95:13)
- Safety Behind Bars Featurette (9:44)
- Making the Dead Featurette (8:06)
- Guts and Glory Featurette 7:42)

Verdict: The Walking Dead - The Complete Third Season is some of the most thrilling television in recent memory, definitely the best we've seen from the show since the first half of the first season, sure there's some arcs that's annoyed me a bit but for the most part the show was firing on all cylinders and delivering tense story lines with a lot of fantastic gore for the zombie-enthusiasts, a definite recommend. Personally, October 13th just cannot get here fast enough for me, ravenous for more of The Walking Dead! 4.5 Outta 5