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True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) |  | Actors: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten
Studio: HBO Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $23.95
as of 7/29/2010 22:19 CDT details
You Save: $36.04 (60%)
New (76) Used (50) from $23.44
Seller: BMD Music Video
Rating:  796 reviews
Sales Rank: 33
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, Subtitled, Closed-captioned, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Region: 1
Discs: 5
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 720 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.8 x 1.6
MPN: HBOD45477D
UPC: 883929048830
EAN: 0883929048830
ASIN: B001FB4W0W
Theatrical Release Date: 2009
Release Date: May 19, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | true blood | | • | season 1 | | • | first season |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Alan Ball’s True Blood series works well for television, as it has enough sensationalism to tantalize and enough story girth to make the viewer care about the characters. That one can finally invest emotion into monsters, including an undead Civil War victim, a transformer who can shapeshift into various animals, and a female mind reader, speaks volumes about America’s willingness to accept fantasy. Of course, television has always produced good fantasy shows (I Dream of Jeannie), but True Blood’s Southern Goth brand of fun horror is more macabre and more perverse, not to mention gorier, than most shows of its kind to date. Adapted from Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, True Blood thrills because of its equal blend in each episode of erotica, humor, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. Set in a rural, swampy Louisiana parrish, the show centers around Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her clan, sweet grandmother Adele (Lois Smith) and air-headed brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten). Illicit love is spawned early on, when Sookie saves vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) from having his blood stolen in the parking lot of Merlotte’s diner, owned by Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) who completes what will form a complex love triangle. As tensions between Sookie’s suitors loosen or tighten, many side plots, such as her African American best friend Tara’s (Rutina Wesley) struggle with an alcoholic, Bible-thumping mother and her brother’s dangerous crush on drug addicted hippie, Amy Burley (Lizzy Caplan), keep one wondering who will succeed in this podunk place. The main tension throughout, however, is a race war waged between vampires and humans. As murders of “fang bangers” occur (human girls who let vampires bite them) and dumb policeman Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) fails to find clues, one sees the metaphorical implications of vampirism and feels deeper resonance with what can be a downright trashy show. Gossip galore, especially about what kinds of babies interbreeding will produce, is rampant. One of the funniest characters is Tara’s flamboyant cousin, Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), who deals drugs, works as a fry cook, and services the local white politicians, while making sure he’s always up in everyone’s business. What makes True Blood smarter than pure soap opera is the parallels it draws between its monster mash and actual, familiar societal problems. Sookie and her friends watch the news, where Evangelicals bash vampires and prohibit mixed marriage, and everyone is addicted to V, a.k.a vampire blood, that effects like psychedelic heroin. Even its gore reflects a mix of serious and silly, as vampires explode into red, sticky goop. Though it may not be attempting to qualify for the best vampire footage ever shot, True Blood is as addictive as that substance the town’s youth obsesses over, which is a metaphor in itself. --Trinie Dalton
Stills from True Blood (Click for larger image)
Product Description
Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 05/19/2009 Run time: 720 minutes
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 796
 Somewhat disappointing July 30, 2010
jadeoranges
To sum it up, it felt an awful lot like watching a poorly executed attempt for HBO to jump on the vampire fad bandwagon.
 The start of a masterful piece of art! July 26, 2010
Aaron W. Currence (Yokosuka, Japan)
Vampires from the south. Can you get any better than that. They have southern accents. Who would've thought. This show has very good character developmant. I like the fact that just dives right into the vampire theme. Then later on you are introduced to other creatures such as a shape shifter. This show has many surprises. It's never boring. Watch True Blood and you will be happy you did.
 Selling Out July 25, 2010
Riann
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
While I thought the books were funny , somewhat mediocre,granted, but still entertaining -what HBO did to them is more than degrading!Glad she made money on that, hope she stashed some - because I for one will NEVER purchase a book with her name on it again, let alone watch something that is supposedly based on her books and has nothing to do with them.I feel sorry for a few of the actors (some of them are really good )- they will get a bad wrap because of this hunk of junk.
I read a lot - but I don't think I have ever come across an author that would let others dictate the scripts to their characters. I'm sure I can get 5 bucks for season 1 in a flea market, but the books will have to go in the trash!
Fantastic! But NOT for kids! July 25, 2010
Rebecca L. Chatfield (Columbus, OH United States)
Other reviews say it all -- this is really a fantastic series! BUT it would be rated "X", for rough and raunchy sex scenes and constant use of the F-Word. Not to mention drug use, and lots of blood and violence. NOT FOR KIDS! Enjoy it after the kids go to bed. : )
 Ridiculous But (Half) Watchable July 24, 2010
C. Rocklein
Silly, half-creative, B-movie "horror" soap for the modern age. That the story takes itself seriously gives it a faint waft of black humour, a fine line that many HBO shows tend to ride. This show is just ridiculous and yet I keep watching just to see what new absurdity will crop up. The story lines are ludicrous, the characters and scenes nearly always have me on the edge of laughter - and yet, they'll come up with some new unseen twist in the story that brings me back in with renewed interest. OK, of course you don't come to this show for beleivablity, but even within it's own logic, you have to be prepared for a few plot holes and far out plot devices. It's got the narration style and character depth of a comic book, but it's all in good fun - I'd be lying if I said I haven't come to enjoy it.
The first seven episodes are not "glued to your set" television moments. More like you can do other things like surf on-line and only half tune in while characters engage in yet more over-the-top cliched dialogues. It's a vampire soap with all the key HBO ingredients, sex, drugs, and language. The whole "V" addiction thing was pretty interesting, as were exorcisms, and some other surprises. Of course this show re-defines for us what a vampire is, and it's cleverness is that their whole race has entered the modern American world of PC and is struggling for an accepted place in mainstream society. Funny! By episode 7 I was starting to watch a little closer and with more genuine interest. I wouldn't put it on par with classier HBO fare "Six Feet Under", "Sopranos", "The Wire", "Damages", "Breaking Bad" (AMC), or even "Dexter" (Showtime). But as much as I know this show is ridiculous I still find myself watching it and often (but not always) with more than half interest. This wouldn't be a series I'd recommend first to my friends, and I don't think it warrants the price. But I accept what the show has become for me - a guilty (half) pleasure. Vampires, shapeshifters, telepaths and "V" - I admit I enjoy the show when I'm not busy lambasting Sookie's latest tantrum to either one of her lovers or yet another one of Tera's overbearing tirades. It's always a joy as well to see what kind of new and ridiculous plot device is going to crop up. Like I said, a guilty pleasure. In spite of it's clever moments - and there are a few unquestionably - there are just many moments of cliche drivel. Or put another way, in spite of it's cliche moments, there are more than few clever and interesting plot hooks in this series that might make a beleiver out of you. Or not. Your call. But chances are if you make it to the 7th episode, you'll be hooked on True Blood.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 796
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