Xena Warrior Princess - The Ultimate Collection [DVD]

The previous esteemed reviewer is absolutely right; Xenophiles are set for a disappointment with this release if it's extras they're looking for.If you're happy with just the shows for your £100, then fine as the series itself is fantastic.....action, humour, monsters and the mighty Bruce Campbell!! However there is a way round this problem, and it won't cost you all that much extra. I bought myself a multi-region dvd player off good old Amazon for about £30, and ordered the region 1 Xena Boxset which was £100. AMAZING special features on every disc, interviews with cast & crew, out-takes, etc. Well worth the extra £30, the case is different and so are the series covers....miles better in fact. Thought I'd share this with you, as if you're like me you're getting pretty hacked off that the American market gets a far better deal when it comes to special features and prices.

This is the complete Xena series. That's all 6 seasons packed into 36 DVD discs. So that's a lot of Xena! Unfortunately Playback have only released region 2 versions of the discs, so there are no extras like region 1 contains. Boo! Hiss!

Since this is six seasons worth of Xena, I'll break it down. Warning- there may be slight semi-spoilers ahead...

SEASON 1- The intro to Xena and her plucky little sidekick bard Gabrielle. Apparently Xena was a terrifying warlord who was once named the 'Destroyer of Nations' and killed lots of people and is now feeling a tad guilty about it all. After a life changing encounter with Hercules, she decides to reform and become a warrior who fights for the greater good. She has a rocky start, but her friendship with Gabrielle helps her face a lot of her inner demons including Ares the manipulative God of War who wants to entice her back to the dark side. This season also introduces the Amazons, the crazy vengeful Callisto and the bumbling warrior Joxer who all become recurring features throughout the series.

SEASON TWO- The continuing adventures explore the best and worst of Xena's character as her dark past is revealed. This season also features the hilarious 'A Day in the Life' that depicts Xena and Gabby just kicking back and having a typical day. Fishing, flying kites, fending off fans and fighting giants... Extremely funny stuff!

SEASON THREE- This is perhaps the darkest of the seasons where the friendship between Xena and Gabrielle is tested to its limit. There's a traumatic encounter with a demon god that paves the way for terrible consequences to eventually befall both of them. This also features the fantastic 'Bitter Suite' musical episode that showcases Lucy Lawless the actress who plays Xena, as a great singer.

SEASON FOUR- This is devoted to Gabrielle trying to come to terms with all the trauma she endured previously and shows her seeking new meaning in her life. Xena, of course is always by her side. We are also introduced to the concept of Soulmates and a deadly new villain- Alti the Demonic Shamaness of the Northern Amazon tribes who has shared a terrible vision with Xena.

SEASON FIVE- This explores the concept of Gabby becoming a full warrior and the protector of Xena who has become rather indisposed with a slight case of pregnancy. If that wasn't bad enough, it turns out all the Greek Gods want to destroy her unborn child because of a prophecy. Xena and Gabby take desperate measures to prevent this from happening, but as usual, there's a very high price to pay...

SEASON SIX- This is the last season with a bit of a mixed bag of episodes. Unlike previous seasons, there's no underlying theme, just some rather good stories that attempt to tie up loose ends. Gabrielle struggles as she comes to terms with being a warrior. Xena goes off on a quest to right a past wrong with the Norse Gods. Someone actually bloody CLONES them in the 21st Century! And there's a rather good alternative reality episode too. The last episode is a two parter called 'A Friend in Need' which although was very bitter sweet, ensures a highly dramatic if not memorable conclusion to the series.

Overall, this is a very entertaining fantasy epic filled to bursting with likable characters, fantastic storylines that flit almost seamlessly between tongue-in-cheek comedy to dark thrilling drama and absolutely brilliant action packed fight sequences. Xena is a series well worth treasuring and enjoying for years to come.

Highly recommended.

The series is better than I remembered, and the special effects scenes are pretty great considering when they were made. When it comes to the DVD collection itself, there is an annoyance or two.
- The box itself is very nice, but there is a problem with the episode listing and numbering on the discs. The disc numbers on the collection box do not match the numbers on the actual disc covers and DVDs, so it is quite confusing.
- Bonus features: Personally, I don't mind wether there are any bonus features or not, but for those of you who expect great bonus materials in this collection; forget it. I have to admit I have only seen half the series, yet, but so far only one disc had bonus features, and that was a rather uninteresting photo collection.

But all in all, I loved this collection!