SUPERNATURAL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
(not rated)
MOVIE: **** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
Studio: Warner Bros.
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The first season of the paranormal thriller series “Supernatural” is available on Blu-ray for the first time. Sam and Dean are brothers whose mother was killed by a mysterious demon. Their father John spent years hunting demons and hoping to destroy the one that killed the woman he loved. However, one day he goes missing, and it’s up to Sam and Dean to pick up the demon trail to save him. Along the way, they travel the country, vanquishing demons and solving unsolvable mysteries.
WHAT I LIKED
I honestly don’t know how this show got by me because it’s a damn fine piece of entertainment. As a huge fan of “The X-Files” and other paranormal stories, it was great to watch a television series that strives to provide viewers with some horror-based action stories.
Sure, the first season of “Supernatural” turns into a monster-of-the-week show pretty quickly, but that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with a series that plays off tradition American horror movies each week. The show makes a decision to be about the unexplained without copping out with a “Scooby Doo” explanation week to week.
Plus, being on the WB (which later becomes the CW), “Supernatural” manages to provide the eye candy for the younger female audience without bogging down in a teen soap opera. I enjoyed watching this first season and am now hooked. This is a fun show that actually provides better horror movie fodder than most horror movies out there.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
You can’t have a show aimed at teenagers that stars a bunch of guys without spraying testosterone all over the place now and then. The character of brothers Sam and Dean fight a lot, and when they are finally reunited with their dad, there’s even more barking. Plus, with an avid female WB audience, there’s plenty of pining for lost loves. Still, this is forgivable considering how fun the show can be.
Other problems in the series come from general TV unreality silliness, like how the brothers almost never change their clothes or actually spend more than 30 seconds coming up with fake authority identities. But that’s all okay in the context of a fun television show.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The season one Blu-ray includes deleted scenes from select episodes, commentary on one episode and a gag reel. There are two featurettes, “Day in the Life of Jared and Jensen” and “Supernatural: Tales from the Edge of Darkness.” There’s also a lengthy Q&A with the cast and crew at the Paley Festival Panel.
The coolest thing on the Blu-ray is exclusive to this format. “The Devil’s Road Map” provides an interactive U.S. map that includes behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, true urban legend information and factoids on the various locations mentioned in the show.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Horror movie fans who want to see the WB/CW version of a monster-of-the-week show.