Witchblade: The Complete Series

Well I am going to stick my neck out and say I think the above is quite possibly a real gem - I have just finished watching it on DVD and was really impressed with the story and character development, and was also surprised with the picture quality too! The DVD Box-Set has all 2 seasons compiled in one set.PQ (Picture Quality)The DVD is presented in matted widescreen conversion form its original 4:3 format - surprisingly many of the scenes are of very good quality and it appears to have been well done in most cases. The panoramic scene setting views seem to have suffered, the quality was poorer with some pixilation, artefacts, and similar, and the occasional close up shots of statues and buildings looked to have been stretched to 16:9 so looked distorted. However all shots of actual cast and action scenes and so on were clear and almost always very good quality. I played the discs on my New Zealand purchased PS3 (despite them officially being coded R1 - so they are Region Free) and used the PS3's upsampling to 1080p for my Samsung 50" HD Plasma DP getting a very tidy image, especially close ups of people & faces, etc. For a remastered 2001 TV series I was pleasantly surprised with the Picture Quality result, and with the quality of the actual writing/material/acting it was well worth the few imperfections. Displaying SD material up onto a full HD display normally highlights issues in the quality of the SD material and this set came through very well..SQ (Sound Quality)Although sound quality was not super-fantastic, it was still very good and I generally found it very satisfactory and there were sufficient ambience and surround effects in the remastering to immerse you in most scenes - although I think overall this is the weakest area of the DVD production. The Series on the DVD itself has a very good score of music (IMO) from a variety of artists and genres and they set both mood and pace very well and have a unique distinctness similar in ways to the early Buffy episodes & Firefly for example.... However other fans of the original TV broadcast version of the show have noted a change to the musical score.CONTENTI originally only saw 2-3 odd random episodes of Witchblade when it screened here in New Zealand many years ago and found it disjointed and difficult to follow - but now I have seen the full content of both seasons in sequence I understand, especially with the major event at the end of Season 1 - it really has a very rich and complex story with a couple of distinct twists or unexpected events that as a result make it important to view the episodes in sequence and missing a few breaks the continuity. I had always been a bit ambivalent to this series because of the above experience with the original broadcast but having taken the punt to order a copy of the box set from Amazon I have certainly not regretted it and would rate this one of the most enjoyable sci-fi/occult/fantasy type TV shows produced to date that I have viewed. The DVD set has all 24 episodes (including the 90 minute premiere) providing almost 19 hours of the show plus some special features. The special effects in many cases are fantastic quality for a TV Series that screened in 2001 (& 2002) and compare very favourably, if not better, to much of the similar effects used in The Matrix (released in 2000), as another reviewer has noted. My only less than 100% positive comments would be regarding the erratic character of Ian Nottingham, which seems disjointed and as other reviewers here have said seems to suffer from a mix of bad acting and/or inconsistent writing; a similar (but much lesser) issue with Jake McCartey in the later part of the second season; and a minor issue with the last 2-3 episodes of the second season, which while they are still a high quality in general there is a subtle but noticeable change in the scripting, which just takes a bit of the Oomph out of the pace of the show - up until those episodes both seasons move reasonably fast and are intense, full of action, building intrigue & suspense, and more - the last 2-3 episodes just seem a bit slower, and a bit slower and more self-contained than the previous 21-22 episodes, so one wonders if there was a change of writers or if perhaps the writer(s) knew the show wasn't to be renewed and lost focus (although there is clearly no attempt to 'close off' the story or have a dramatic finale - so it is just left hanging with a bit of a non-descript ending).Overall I also enjoyed the little subtleties too, like the pop-culturish jokes (e.g. one about subjecting people to reruns of South Park made in the context of someone being crazy/insane), and other references to the world as it was in 2001-2002, and as others have mentioned the quality of the acting is surprisingly good overall...Overall this is an excellent high quality series from a content perspective, and the production of the DVD set appears to be very good overall too (barring the comments above). A must have if you are a fan of this series or a fan of these type of shows - if you liked Heroes (at least Season 1 anyway) you will probably like this, as much of the time in both seasons it has that same fast paced 'save the world' feel present in Heroes S1, with also a very strong conspiracy 'alone against the world' desperation in season 1.P.S. It has been commented that some of the music is changed from the original - as I did not see the full broadcast of the show on TV originally I cannot comment on that. Personally I found the musical score generally very good.

Nostalgia I could rewatch and see I great story.

Love the show, haven't been able to find a way to stream it so I bough it. Disks play and work well

I never read the comic books/graphic novels that this series was based upon. That didn't deter me from watching the series back in 2000, nor buying it now.The series' special effects stand up to the special effects being produced for tv and movies being made today with only one exception. The scenes where Sara walks through fire are obviously computer generated and that shows on the screen. That could have been redone to better effect with the release of the dvd.The series fascinated me because it was one of the first shows to come out where the hero was a woman. I like that Sara typified everything good and bad about our gender. She was tough with a kind heart, she was capable of great love and a fierce sense of justice. What was right and wrong was so ingrained in Sara that you knew she was always going to do the right thing, even if she had to do it outside of what is considered correct in society.I do have one gripe about the series. I think the mythology of the Witchblade and the bloodlines could have been better explained. I think Sara should have become custodian of the archives instead of them being passed to Ian. It was a complex series and I have no doubt it would have been explored more had the series returned for a third and fourth season. It clearly screams for a revival. Who knows, maybe Sci-Fi can find space for the reruns and see if there is still and audience for a new series.I seem to remember more music in the original series, this dvd seems to be a bit heavy with U2. I'm a fan of U2, but it could have been more like the original with its variety of tight music.

I remember when this show came out on TV and I have always loved it. Watching the DVDs has brought back so many good memories.

"WITCHBLADE" is a seriously intense drama about a female cop, Sara Pezzini. She discovers to her dismay that she is a reincarnation of a bewitched medieval knight with a mystical supernatural power. And Sara dedicates her renewed life force to fighting injustice. Based on the popular comic book heroine, this series is a world-class quality production in every aspect.The original sound track is a musical masterpiece that captures and embodies the series' magical spirit. The cool cinematography is vividly dramatic, the close-ups are razor-sharp, and the slow-motion special effects are stunning. The ongoing story is compelling, the dialog is crisp and smart, the directing is dynamic, and the editing is ruthless and brilliant. All the actors are "in the zone", especially Yancy Butler. You can sense that she has become possessed by the character, Sara, and you can feel her anguish and passion.This series, despite its short run on TV, has elements of greatness. And it is gradually becoming a cult classic and a treasured collector's item. A Personal Note: Ever since I saw the movie "Hard Target", I've been in love with Yancy Butler. She has the world's sexiest eyes. And when I discovered that she also has her own series on DVD, I was instantly bewitched by her Witchblade and had to buy it.(If this review was helpful in any way, please click on the "Helpful" key below, or write a comment. Thanks).

Buena serie solo para fans latima que duró poco no viene doblada ni subtitulada al Español

so lange gesucht und dann bei Amazon gefunden! Top wäre natürlich auch eine deutsche Tonspur, aber englisch passt auch. Top Preis!

I like this style of television show and I am a fan of Ms. Bulter. It allows for some good viewing while working out on the treadmill. The stories are truly from the eighties but the whole issue of twists and turns in a story line help this show. I wonder if this show will ever get a reboot and who would be cast as the female lead.

Watched Witchblade series on TV, missed some episodes. Great to get this home to watch at my own leisure.

DVD`s sind einwandfrei. Habe mich schon sehr darauf gefreut. Habe leider übersehen, dass sie nur in englisch ist. Hatte mir erwartet, dass auch eine Deutschfassung vorhanden ist.