Witchblade - The Complete Series is now on DVD. It is hard to believe that it was first on eight years ago. In this new set with an “all new soundtrack,” it holds the viewer’s interest and has a quality about it that makes you wish there were more episodes to come.
First a comic, then a television series, and still a comic, Witchblade has a loyal following. As in any incarnation of a multi media story, each faction has its strong and weak points.
In watching the special features, it is striking how much communication went on between the original creators and those working on the television show. They all say that they felt a loyalty to Witchblade’s fans, and were determined to give them a quality production.
The amount of care taken in designing the armor, the evolution of the power of the blade, and the effects that Sara experiences from this power/entity were carefully thought out and mapped into the series.
Yancy Butler plays Sara Pezzini, a tough homicide detective who is “chosen” by the Witchblade to be the new warrior. This centuries old artifact gives the wearer certain supernatural powers, as well as morphing into various sword based weapons and most interestingly can only be wielded by women.
When not in use, it appears as a bracelet, then evolves into a larger cuff as Sara gains knowledge and control of the power. The history is revealed bit by bit to Sara. As she goes about her daily business with partner Jake (David Chokachi) she will have encounters with a mysterious man in black Ian Nottingham (Eric Etibari) who is a henchman for the mysterious tycoon Kenneth Irons (Anthony Cistaro.)
Often Sara is mentored by her deceased former partner Danny Woo (Will Yun Lee) who knows more than he is telling, but tries to guide Sara on the right path.
Witchblade is attractively packaged in a book box, containing seven discs. There is an illustrated insert with program notes for each episode. The total playing time is 1122 minutes, and the picture is matted widescreen, and looks very good. There are some fine bonus features with the set.
On selected episodes a click will reveal Gabriel’s Philosophical insights. Gabriel becomes another guide for Sara’s quest, he is an enigma, but has words of wisdom she cannot tune out. There are two excellent featurettes, Wielding the Blade, and Bringing the Blade to Life.
These feature artists and writers from both the comic and the show, some were doing double duty, and has discussion about the influence of the art on the reality of costuming and design for the show. Also included are the original casting sessions for the show’s leads.
Witchblade - The Complete Series is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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