Heroes: Season One DVD Review

We just got our hands on this hot DVD set so we wanted to give you the scoop. This might be one of your favorite TV shows and, if so, you'll collect this set anyway. But, if you are "on the fence" about renting or buying, here is our take.

For the uninitiated, story goes: all over the world there are "special" people; folks who have developed a super-power gene that allows them to do amazing things like fold time and space, telekinesis, flying and instantaneous regeneration. These "Heroes" are often reluctant and conflicted but realize that they all will play a part in preventing or causing a horrible event that will kill millions and change the course of the world.

Those of you who are fans don't need more. You guys know all about Hiro and Claire and Nathan and Peter and evil Syler etc. etc. Here's the haps on the DVD! There are seven discs to include all 23 episodes!

Video/Audio

You get a cool menu based in painter Isaac's studio. The video transfers are widescreen and very clean. Great color and detail! Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and you can easily hear all dialogue, action-packed scenes and the unique music of the show. Action really does make use of surrounding speakers, more like a movie than TV show. Excellent!

Special Features:

On disc one is the show's original pilot episode which was unaired. There is a middle-eastern terrorist plot that was maybe too "24-ish" and wisely excised. You do see other touches that were kept for the aired pilot. Creator Tim Kring talks on optional audio commentary and gives you the history of the pilot and decisions he made. Very cool to have.

Deleted Scenes are spread over all discs and are attached to the episodes they are cut from. There are about 50 of them. I don't think you needed these extra scenes and you can see why they were cut but, if your motto is "the more "Heroes", the better", go for it!

A lot of the episodes have audio commentaries with cast and crew (12 of them). These are entertaining and informative and chatty. I liked the one with Masi Oka and George Takei on "Landslide" the best. Just so enthusiastic!

On Disc seven are most of the extras but there is a cute "Mind Reader Game" on Disc 5, a math-type quiz thingie and fun. The featurettes on 7 start with a "Making Of" that has some on-set shots and talks with a lot of the lead cast and crew about the beginning of the show; a good overall view of the show if you don't want to listen to all the commentary tracks.

"Special Effects" gives you the show's visual effects supervisor who works on all the CGI stuff and he takes apart one scene in particular (Masi Oka saving a little girl by freezing time). Very interesting and fun to watch.

"The Stunts" goes over the cool action in the show and how that was shot with behind-the scenes footage especially of Ali Larter kicking butt and worrying that she might have hurt her opponent and Sendhil Ramamurthy talking about hanging from a harness in his underwear! Fun and cute.

Fans of comics might especially like the "Profile of Artist Tim Sale," an artist whose work is used throughout the series in those "paintings that predict the future" scenes. You learn about how he paints from life action shots etc. Actually, interesting for everyone.

"The Score," explores the original music for the series as former Prince bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman and the show's sound engineer talk about choosing the music for the show, the East-Indian influence etc. Cool.

After the last episode, you get a tiny preview of "Generations", the upcoming episode that launches Hiro into Feudal Japan. Cool but short.

Wrapping Up, I would say fans of the show might have wanted more in-depth cast interviews or more goofing off behind the scenes or, certainly a blooper/outtake gag reel but what is there in this set is pretty cool, looks and sounds great and the episodes alone are certainly collectable. This set is a definite buy for fans and a rent for people who want to get acquainted with the show before next season.

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.