DVD Review

Title: Heroes: Season 1

Show Creator: Tim Kring

Producer: NBC Universal Television

Principal Actors: Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventamiglia, Adrian Pasdar, Masi Oka, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Tawny Cypress, Santiago Cabrera, Leonard Roberts, Greg Grunberg, Zachary Quinto

Special DVD Features: 3 Hours of bonus features, 73-Minute Premiere Episode, 50 Deleted Scenes, The Making Of Heroes featurette, Special Effects, Score and Stunts featurettes, Profile on artist Tim Sale, Audio Commentaries, Mind Reader Game

Run Time: 1035 Minutes

Released: August 28^th 2007

4 Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey

I’m clearly out of my depth in this department, as I only watch one show a week and have done so for close to a decade now. My inner sci-fi girl comes out when watching TV as all I’ve been remotely interested in from the world of television was Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and as a substitute when that series was finished…Heroes. So you see I have nothing to compare Heroes to except my own estimation of quality and standard. I’m the proverbial person shouting ‘nothing good is on TV!’ Mind you, Heroes seems to be a healthy and solid replacement for BTVS as it has complex storylines, intricate plots and doesn’t speak down to its audience; which are all the same qualities that Buffy had.

Heroes, for those who don’t watch TV, like myself, is centered around a concept as opposed to a character; man is evolving and some sooner than others. Some have wicked super-hero skills like flying, regenerative growth, mind reading, invisibility and so on. Heroes in its most basic form, is the exploration of evolution and all that entails. The show merges different cultures, people from different backgrounds and even different moral compasses on the subject of what the evolution of man means to the future. The cool thing about Heroes is that all of us secretly wish we could have a super power, in fact a poorly thought-out date question or interview question is the common phrase ‘if you had a super power, which one would you want?’ (I’m sure Miss. America hopefuls agonize over the answer to this for the question portion of the contest!) Heroes encompasses a large audience as it has international appeal, a little dabbling into wishful thinking, and a well-structured mythology that is gently being administered to the viewer in small doses. Season one didn’t finish on the final episode with tidy answers, in fact, it ended with more questions. Excellent!

If you are a latecomer to the show, you now have the appeal of seeing it from stem to stern on the DVD box set that came out at the end of August. Season one finished in June and it is quickly spun around for sale on DVD just prior to the second season launch. The smart marketing worked. The added advantage of the box set is the plethora of really great special features included. The commentaries are on many of the episodes and depending whose on the panel, is what type of commentary you will be watching; but they are all interesting and full of additional information about the show.

The featurettes, five in total, let you explore the world of Heroes from behind the scenes and a glimpse at the mania that has occurred worldwide over the show since the conclusion of season one. Plus a hefty 50 deleted scenes are showcased throughout the season, which some are short and unnecessary, but others add key clues to the plot that bring more understanding of the story as a whole. Add a ‘Mind Reader Game’ and you can be locked in a dark room with the flickering light of a TV to give you comfort for innumerable hours (I recommend you take some breaks to do crazy things like sleep, eat and shower).

Heroes is by no means an equal to Buffy The Vampire Slayer (I’m sure some symposium people will be heavily debating this subject somewhere), and we won’t know the shows value until its full run. Will it dwindle into chaos like the infamous Beauty And The Beast debacle, or will it tell a progressive and dynamic story over seven seasons like its predecessor? Time will answer that question, but for now enjoy the quality and intelligence of this show as it seems to be the only thing on TV worth watching!