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Amazon.co.uk Review
Alan Ball’s True Blood series works well for television, as it has enough sensationalism to tantalise 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, humour, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. Set in a rural, swampy Louisiana parish, 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 social 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
DVD Description
From the creator of Six Feet Under and American Beauty comes True Blood, a TV series that follows Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin, who won a Golden Globe award for her role), a barmaid living in Louisiana who can read people's minds, and how her life is turned upside down when the Vampire Bill walks into her place of employment two years after vampires "came out of the coffin" on national television.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
I am a fan of Charlaine Harris and love the series of books that this show is based upon. Bear in mind that it is produced by HBO the channel that brought you 'Deadwood' so this is definitely adults only. Be prepared for lots of swearing, sex and drugs. A whole lot more than the books ever had. Several themes and characters from the books have been expanded upon to make the show racier so it is fair to say that the show is 'inspired' by the books. That said this is high quality beautifully produced television and I am so glad that they have gone for a second series. All the characters are authentically drawn and not always sympathetically so, book fans will probably be disappointed with the portrayal of Jason Stackhouse. Definitely worth importing the series on blu-ray - the presentation is 1080p full screen with a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that has a superb soundfield. With a good system you'll hear every little swamp sound coming from where the director intended it.
163 of 176 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The basic premise of this show is pure genius and quite unique. Based on a series of books this show is more addictive than crack! Vampires have 'come out of the closet' and live among humans. Japanese scientists create a synthetic blood (True Blood) so that they don't have to drink from humans. Obviously this doesn't stop some of them but the big surprise is that humans can also drink from them and their blood is a drug known as V.
Sookie (pronounced largely as Sucky!) Stackhouse is a waitress with a talent - she reads minds. Unlike most portrayals of such "gifts" she struggles to switch off the voices in her head in order to live a normal life. When Bill walks in to her restaurant she and all the patrons know immediately that he is a vampire. She's instantly drawn to him as she cannot read his mind and therefore finds peace in his company.
What follows is not for the faint hearted so be warned that this contains massive amounts of sex, nudity, some really bad language (the "c" word is used in the first episode) and graphic violence.
For those reasons I adored it but if you're the type of person who finds Sex and the City to be too full on then steer clear because within the first few minutes this show will shock you!
Alongside some other plotlines is an ongoing murder mystery. Someone's out to get Sookie and Bill vows to protect her. The writers aren't scared of killing off central characters and you'll be left guessing up to the last minute who the killer is.
The main reason to watch this is the amazing acting. Anna Paquin won a Golden Globe for her depiction of Sookie and you can see why. This is a bold and courageous choice for her and her wide eyed innocence is beguiling if a little twee at times.
Personally I loved Ryan Kwanten who has really proved himself as Sookie's older brother Jason. His accent is spot on and he tackles the role with enthusiasm which is just as well as he's naked most of the time! I have gotten all my friends to watch this show based solely on my description of the events leading up to Jason being found with a T-bone steak firmly held to his groin. Classic moments.
Another mention has to go to Rutina Wesley who plays Tara, Sookie's best friend who has a major chip on her shoulder and a huge crush on Jason. Tara takes her frustration out on those around her and her put downs are classic! I was laughing so much throughout.
The only person who can match her is Lafayette her cousin played by Nelsan Ellis. A few friends have said that his portrayal of the gay cook is cliched but I thought he was hilarious and terrifying in equal measure.
All in all if you like your sex full on, your laughs loud and your violence shocking then you will be hooked from the 1st episode. I can't praise the writing enough and the direction is perfect.
The only shame is there are only 12 episodes and you'll be waiting for the 2nd season with baited breath!
Sookie (pronounced largely as Sucky!) Stackhouse is a waitress with a talent - she reads minds. Unlike most portrayals of such "gifts" she struggles to switch off the voices in her head in order to live a normal life. When Bill walks in to her restaurant she and all the patrons know immediately that he is a vampire. She's instantly drawn to him as she cannot read his mind and therefore finds peace in his company.
What follows is not for the faint hearted so be warned that this contains massive amounts of sex, nudity, some really bad language (the "c" word is used in the first episode) and graphic violence.
For those reasons I adored it but if you're the type of person who finds Sex and the City to be too full on then steer clear because within the first few minutes this show will shock you!
Alongside some other plotlines is an ongoing murder mystery. Someone's out to get Sookie and Bill vows to protect her. The writers aren't scared of killing off central characters and you'll be left guessing up to the last minute who the killer is.
The main reason to watch this is the amazing acting. Anna Paquin won a Golden Globe for her depiction of Sookie and you can see why. This is a bold and courageous choice for her and her wide eyed innocence is beguiling if a little twee at times.
Personally I loved Ryan Kwanten who has really proved himself as Sookie's older brother Jason. His accent is spot on and he tackles the role with enthusiasm which is just as well as he's naked most of the time! I have gotten all my friends to watch this show based solely on my description of the events leading up to Jason being found with a T-bone steak firmly held to his groin. Classic moments.
Another mention has to go to Rutina Wesley who plays Tara, Sookie's best friend who has a major chip on her shoulder and a huge crush on Jason. Tara takes her frustration out on those around her and her put downs are classic! I was laughing so much throughout.
The only person who can match her is Lafayette her cousin played by Nelsan Ellis. A few friends have said that his portrayal of the gay cook is cliched but I thought he was hilarious and terrifying in equal measure.
All in all if you like your sex full on, your laughs loud and your violence shocking then you will be hooked from the 1st episode. I can't praise the writing enough and the direction is perfect.
The only shame is there are only 12 episodes and you'll be waiting for the 2nd season with baited breath!
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Ignore the rather simplistic synopsis: 'True Blood' is to 'Twilight' what 'The Wire' is to 'CSI Miami' - in other words, there is no comparison. 'True Blood' takes the wonderful Charlaine Harris books out for a spin, races them down the highway at 100 mph, throws out some of the padding, but also enlivens and enlarges some of the lesser characters in the book - notably Lafayette, who is one of the best characters in the show. Alan Ball also uses the allegorical possibilities of vampire mythology to very great effect. In the redneck smalltown of Bon Temps, people's prejudices are laid bare and the loathing, hatred and enmity towards the vamps (together with their 'exoticism' and tourist value) could be equally applied to lesbian and gay people, transgender people (the 'two spirit' shifters) and, of course, people of colour. Ok, there is lots of sex and some incredibly visceral violence, but this is HBO's stock-in-trade, so no surprise there. What is a surprise is the way in which Alan Ball takes what are already excellent books and creates an alternative set of storylines - staying close enough to Harris's narrative for avid readers of her books, whilst making the narrative arcs sufficiently different to produce a few surprising and unpredictable plot twists - even for those of us who know the stories really well. One other point: the casting is inspired: who else but Anna Paquin could play the plucky, sexy and slightly deranged Sookie Stackhouse, whilst other characters (Lafayette, Eric Northman, Bill Compton, Tara) are also excellent. The best vampire TV show ever? Maybe, although 'Buffy' is still the best at the moment because it ran to seven unforgettable seasons. Perhaps if 'True Blood' lasts as long (and I really hope it does) and maintains this high level of quality, then it could be a case of 'True Blood' rules (or should that be 'drools'?). Buy it - you won't be disappointed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointed
After reading the first 8 novels I thought I would buy the DVDs. Unfortunately I found them very disappointing. Read more
Published 11 days ago by ??
Perfect!
quick delivery! all disks in perfect condition. awesome picture quality (considering i have a really old TV too!)
i love this series its one of my favorites. Read more
i love this series its one of my favorites. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Jane C
These vampires don't sparkle...
After too much 'Twilight,' it's nice to see a vampire show that celebrates what everyone loves about vampires: sex, blood, and the American South. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Bohn
True entertainment
total entertainment. Fantastic characters and great storyline. The best thing around at the moment. The only bad thing about these seasons are that they are too short, and the gap... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Av-Gas
love this series
As an addiction even worse than V took hold, I ordered and devoured the books, being unable to wait a week for the next installment. Read more
Published 2 months ago by SASFAN
Refreshingly good.
As I missed the TV episodes I waited for the DVD which as a general rule I prefer as a watching option. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gembellina
A must have!
I love love love true blood and the books made me desperate to watch this. It is brilliant and you can not help but watch the next episode and the next and the next... Read more
Published 2 months ago by thatbookgirl
rubbish rubbish
I would not be allowed to watch this for so many reasons the vampire diaries is the best vampire show going at the moment.
Published 2 months ago by Victoria
First class
I love these series. They are just fantastic. I cannot wait for series 4 to come out as I have since watching series 1, watched the other two also.
Published 4 months ago by Eric
Not even near as good as vampire diaries
This is an okay series but after watching this after watching vampire diaries I must say i am a little dissapointet. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Magnus Jespersen
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