The Strain: The Complete First Season (2014/Fox 3-Disc Blu-ray Box Set w/Exclusive Bust)

Picture: B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B+ Episodes: B+

To be fair, I am a huge fan of Director Guillermo Del Toro and have been since I saw Blade 2 on opening day. I have since been to each of his films in the theater and have sought out those from his early career and his excellent Spanish films such as The Devil's Backbone and his first feature Cronos (now on Criterion Blu-ray; see elsewhere on this site). He is truly a man that understands and has expanded upon the vampire genre. The Strain is no different.

Based on the bestselling trilogy of novels by Chuck Hogan and Del Toro himself, the book has been brilliantly adapted to the small screen with the same attention that Del Toro puts into his theatrical films. Each of the thirteen episodes have strong production value and special effects, a creepy score by Ramin Djawadi (who scored Pacific Rim and Game of Thrones), excellent cast, and more that easily matches some of the top shows of its kind on broadcast television.

The Second Season of the show is about to ramp up next month on FX, and in the wake Fox has released this incredible box set with a highly collectible bust of The Master - to whom is the ultimate Vamp baddie in the series. What is great about this collectible bust is that it is not only highly detailed but has a slot in the back where you can slide the Blu-ray set in underneath. The box itself that the bust comes in features some of the design work seen on The Master's coffin in the show too, which is a nice touch. For a big fan of Del Toro like me, the moment I saw this bad boy go up online I knew I had to have it!

For those not familiar with The Strain, the synopsis of the show starts when plane lands at JFK Airport with the lights off and the doors sealed. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), Dr. Nora Martinez, and their team are sent to investigate. On board they find 206 corpses and four survivors. The situation deteriorates when all the bodies disappear from the morgue. Goodweather and a small group of helpers find themselves battling to protect not only their own loved ones, but the entire city, from an ancient threat to humanity. I don't want to spoil anything for you but I feel in many ways like this show is what True Blood should have been. The Vampires are vicious and their Victims are virtually helpless against them, especially those that turn. I highly recommend this to fans of the horror genre, specifically those that are looking for a fresh Vampire tale.

The show starts out with a pilot directed by Del Toro entitled Night Zero which sets the story off right, followed by The Box, Gone Smooth, It's Not For Everyone, Runaways, Occultation, For Services Rendered, Creatures of the Night, The Disappeared, Loved Ones, The Third Rail, Last Rites and the finale entitled The Master.

Sound and Picture on the disc surpass the original HD broadcasts (as usual with Blu-ray when done as well as it is here) with a crisp 1080p AVC @ 23 MBPS high definition transfer and original widescreen aspect ratio presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio and a lossless, powerful DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 track that doesn't disappoint.

Extras include...

In the Beginning – An awesome EPK promo reel for the show where the cast and crew discuss the main story line and characters involved in Season One. In other words, your typical extra.

A Novel Approach - This is a great interview with Guillermo Del Toro discussing how he came up with the story and characters for the trilogy of novellas he wrote with Chuck Hogan.

Setrakian's Lair - This is a fun extra that has David Bradley (Setrakian) giving us an intimate tour of his basement of rarities, weapons, antiques, and other surprises. It really shows you how much detail goes into a set on a Del Toro production.

All in all, this is a great set to pick you if you haven't checked out The Strain yet! The mini-bust is awesome and the set is loaded with great extras and a stunning transfer. Don't let this one pass you by! And again, I can't wait to see Season 2 - now that everything is set up its going to be epic!

- James Harland Lockhart V

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