Outlander:
Season One, Volume One
(2014/Sony DVD Set)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: C
Based
on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander
is a
British fantasy series co-produced by Sony & Starz, and stars
Caitriona Balfe, Sam Heughan, Tobias Menzies, Gary Lewis, Graham
McTavish, Lotte Verbeek, and Bill Paterson.
The
basic premise is in 1945, married World War II nurse Claire Beauchamp
Randall finds herself transported back to Scotland in 1743, where she
encounters civil war and the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser.
The
show has good production design but some of the acting is severely
lacking and the romance is a bit one note. It reminds me a lot of
The
White Queen
that came out last year so if you were a fan of that then this may be
for you. The Outlander
series spans the genres of romance, science fiction, history, and
adventure into one epic tale. From Executive Producer Ronald D.
Moore (the new Battlestar
Galactica, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next
Generation)
the series is renewed for a second season and continues with new
episodes in April.
Season
One
consists of eight episodes including Sassenach,
Castle Leoch, The Way Out, The Gathering, Rent, The Garrison
Commander, The Wedding,
and Both
Sides Now.
The
presentation here is in standard definition with a 1.78:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer and a lossy English 5.1 Dolby Digital track and
an approximate runtime of 459 minutes.
Extras
are a little scarce and include An
Epic Adaptation
and The
Dresses and Kilts of Outlander.
If
you like your fantasy with a dab of romance then this may be worth
checking out for you but for me, I'm going to stick with Game
of Thrones.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.vimeo.com/jamielockhart