Atlantis: Season 1
BBC Home Entertainment
Street: 03.18
Upon first glance, Atlantis is just another historical fantasy show, seeming to walk in the footsteps of Hercules and Xena. Even reading the show description leads you to believe that it’s a cute little show about Jason (of Argonaut origin you assume) and his magical adventures in Atlantis. But it is so, so much more inventive than that. I popped in the DVD expecting the introduction of Jason (Jack Donnelly) as a heroic hunk with his doofy friends Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and Hercules (Mark Addy)(I, too, am confused). Instead, the show begins in present day on a ship with present day technology and submarines. Jason is indeed the hero of the show as he descends into the ocean in a submarine looking for his missing father. Through what I can only describe as Bermuda Triangle magic, he wakes up in the lost city of Atlantis. The show relies heavily on Greek mythology for storytelling, but it is not at all campy. Atlantis is exciting to watch, I found myself rooting for the characters and even sitting on the edge of my seat. Atlantis is a binge-watch worthy show, a high compliment. –Rebecca Frost
Beetlejuice: Seasons Two and Three
Shout! Factory
Street: 03.18
I’m not ashamed to admit that as a child I was kind of terrified of Beetlejuice. Especially the cartoon series. But, thankfully Tim Burton helped produce a cartoon for that neglected demographic of 90’s goth kids. The DVD set of seasons two and three includes 24 episodes that would have done a wonderful job of keeping young me awake at night. Watching as an adult, however, gives me a thousand Pinterest-worthy Halloween ideas (so many skeleton decorations!) and a couple of laughs. What was surprising was all the of cultural references of pop and historical variety. Education under fear and word play! “Eiffel Tower? No! It’s the Awful Tower!” Episodes are certainly the “monster of the week” variety, but for the young goth in all of us, you really don’t need more plot than that. –Rebecca Frost
Game of Thrones: Season 3 Blu-Ray
HBO Home Entertainment
Street: 02.18
The season 3 set of Game of Thrones is, at first, overwhelming, like the Lord of the Rings Blu-Ray set overwhelming. It is designed for the die-hard fan—the fan who read the books and eagerly awaited the Red Wedding episode (which was only the penultimate episode of the season! How was I expected to power through the last episode with such melancholy?). It is, however, also made for the show-only fan, with commentaries and awesome interactive bonuses. The features include a recap of season 2, new character introductions, Wildling backstory information, and a discussion of marriage politics. You will also find you can access an in episode guide, where you can learn about characters on screen (great for me, as I often find myself saying, “wait, who is this guy again?”). To delve deeper into the books as well, the Blu-Ray acts as an interactive history book, where you can learn about the history of characters and the land and their relationships. Like I said, it’s a bit overwhelming. I enjoy the Blu-Ray features for it’s visuals. Everything, including CGI dragons, looks beautiful in high definition. Regular DVDs are included, and a digital offer code so you can take the episodes with you to inflict the pain of major character deaths on all your friends. –Rebecca Frost