Customer Reviews

Prison Break - Complete Season 1-4 (New packaging) [DVD]

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Prison Break is one of the one most exciting shows to hit TV in recent years. I am a big fan of 24, but in the last few seasons have began to repeat themselves and become a bit stale. Prison Break is the exact opposite.

If you don't know Prison Break (I won't put in spoilers) - Michael Scofield gets himself sent to Prison in order to break out his brother from the inside, who Michael believes has been falsely convicted of murder. A cat and mouse game them ensues as the brothers try to clear their names.

It is one of the most compelling tv shows I have ever watched and takes me back to thos early seasons of 24, when it was fresh and exciting. However, Prison Break manages to maintain this suspense through all 4 seasons.

The DVD boxset is excellently presented, comprising all 4 seasons including the feature length final episode. It contains all the dvds you would find in the individual season boxsets, so for special features please see the individual seasons pages.

This is one of the best dvd purchases I have made. Once you reach the end you will want to go back to the start to remember how it all began. And you will be hooked all over again. This is a show you can watch over and over again (I'm on my 3rd run through now).

To summarise, for £50, you will not find a more exciting dvd package. The only downside to this show is that it has ended.

Addition - In answer to a lot of questions on the board, The Final Break IS included in this boxset. It is in with the season 4 dvds.

I'm a copywriter by day and although a different discipline, I remember watching this thinking - wow... the people who wrote this, hat's off to them. It must have a been a nightmare. All the little details in the plans; the research involved. In all honesty this series is quite a feat.

I'm a fan of box sets as I hate having to wait a whole week to see what happens next, and I had been waiting for this box set for a long time. When I saw it in my local HMV for about £40 I thought I'd buy it. I watched the whole thing over 3 days when I was holed up in bed, off work ill, when all that swine flu thing broke out (whatever happened to that? Wasn't it meant to be, like, the end of the world or something) and I wasn't disappointed.

The formula and story is simple: The lead character - Michael - is a genius and has a brother in jail. He's convinced he's innocent and so gets himself thrown in jail so he can break him out with a fiendishly clever and intricate plan that he has put together. And this is basically the premise for the whole show; they get in a tight spot - Michael the genius has to figure a way out and does so using his superior brain to outsmart enemies, form plans and manufacture all kinds of bizarre tools, bombs, decoys and other cool stuff.

On the whole, the series is good. Perhaps not amazing, but good. It starts as the name suggests in a prison but by the end of the series you're in a completely different world; a world of shadowy government agencies, military corporations and private armies etc; the story certainly manages to evolve well and keeps you wanting to know more and more - more so than a lot of other shows - with little glimpses of the unfolding story here and there with new threads and characters being introduced teasingly and very well.

The twists are good and work well, the characters complex and believable, and on the whole, the series is fairly believable too - you have to take one or two leaps of the imagination here and there perhaps, but there's a fairly plausible feel about things overall. I at no point found myself going -'' yeah, right...''

A few things did annoy me though. That was Michael's brother, Linc's, exceedingly huge head (I don't know why but it really bugged me - particularly when he had to wear baseball caps that didn't fit - the strap at the back straining on the last notch) and unfortunately some of the acting. Namely again Michael's brother Linc and also Tea Bag's annoying southern drawl, which I found rather put on.

So what can you expect for your money? Well the 90 odd quid I see here is perhaps a bit excessive, but if you get it for around the £40 mark like I did, you'll get your moneys worth and then some. Season 1 is very good and sets things up nicely. Season 2 is a bit of a let down, and gets a bit boring. It'll leave you slightly nervous the series might have peaked and it doesn't really feel like a series (it was more of a transition for me - I think this stage of the story should have been condensed into a 4 series special or a movie or something) but Holly Vallance is in it, so that helps, and it's a necessary evil to set things up for season 3, which soon gets things back on track. Season 3 is excellent again and then there's season 4... Season 4 honestly has one or two episodes which are borderline the best thing I've ever seen on TV. The final plan or set piece is staggeringly complex so I won't give anything away and spoil it - but the amount of detail in some of the plans, the last one in particular.... wow... just... wow... better than Hollywood and Mission Impossible.

I refer you back to my opening sentences. The guys who wrote this have done an incredible job; the story, the plans, the details and planning involved in them are just incredible. This is Mc Guyver on steroids and the A-team multiplied by a thousand combined with Clint Eastwood's escape from Alcatraz and Tango & Cash... you'll know what I mean when you start watching. The writers deserve 5 stars, the series deserves 5 stars but for some reason I'm gonna give it 4. I blame Linc's Massive head.

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Got about a series and a half through this when it was out but thought I would revisit it when i saw it on Amazon for just £48!! Now back up to almost £100, glad I purchased and now enjoying at least a couple of episodes a night! Great series and the first season is just brilliant!

During the early years of the 21st Century there have been quite a few serialised television series from America.
Prison Break is one of the greatest. This series really is good drama that is well produced. The series has very creative scripts and plot lines that hook you into continuing to watch the next episode.

The first series came after the success of other shows such as 24 and Lost. The basic story concerns two brothers. One brother, Lincoln Burrows is sentenced to death for murdering the brother of Vice president of the United States. This is a crime Lincoln did not commit. It is only a matter of time before his sentence is carried out. He is locked up in the Fox River State Penitentiary awaiting his execution.
The other brother, Michael Scofield knows Lincoln is innocent and using his structural engineering skills formulates a plan of escape.
Michael begins his plan. He has a detailed map containing all of the information he will need tattooed onto his body. He commits armed robbery and is sentenced and sent to Fox River Penitentiary. He makes friends with the Prison Doctor, Sara Tancredi in order to get regular access to the infirmary. Meanwhile a friend investigates the conspiracy that put Lincoln behind bars and comes up against an organisation called The Company.
Michael has problems with his plan as he finds the reality of prison life with violent bullying and the lust for greed and power. Other things don't go right as he discovers that the structure of the prison has changed since working out his plan. He has to improvise and include other inmates in his plan..

The series is exciting and gripping with cliff hanger type endings. The scripts are very clever and succeed very well at stretching a story over so many episodes.
The acting and direction are excellent and this is a quality production of television. There is originality within the whole concept.

I found some of the scenes a bit uncomfortable at times but fully accept the need for such scenes to give the project credibility and tension. There is no doubt that this series deserves praise.

Series two of Prison Break is excellent. If you enjoyed series one you have to see series two because the story just continues.
The action begins eight hours after the escape. The "fox river eight" are on the run and split up. Bellick is fired from the prison and goes after the fugitives to gain the reward money. Also there is a federal agent Mahone who is also after them but we later learn that he works for "The Company" who want all eight escapers dead.
The eight go after a large stash of money buried a long time ago and Sara gets arrested. Michael and Lincoln try to tackle the Company and encounter secret service agent Kellerman who later helps everyone when he turns against the Company.
The series is very good at keeping you on the edge of your seat and wanting to see the next episode as the escapees race against time to escape to Panama.

The story continues in this exciting and individual series three of Prison Break. The series is shorter than the other series because of the Hollywood writers strike that year but for me it is enough story development of this phase of the saga.

Michael and Lincoln had escaped to Panama but Michael is now in Sona prison and Lincoln is on the outside. A complete reversal of the original story in series one.
However this prison is a really rough place. It is run by inmates and guarded from the outside. Also in the prison are T bag, Mahone and Bellick. Lincoln is contacted by an operative of the "company" who have kidnapped his son and Sara. For their safe release Michael must use his skills to get another prisoner, James Whistler out of Sona.
Michael struggles with finding a plan in such a brutal place. Meanwhile Lincoln tries to rescue his son and Sara but fails and the company claim to have killed Sara.
Knowing that Michael will give up his plan of escape if he knows about Sara, Lincoln keeps the information a secret to encourage Michael to escape and cause the release of Lincon's son.
Michael and Whistler do escape and Michael seeks revenge on the death of Sara.

I found this season the least likeable because the prison is more brutal and the escape plan seems so slow to get started. But the series is essential to watch if you liked series one and two because series four that follows this is also very good. This season does have strong story lines and it still keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting to know what happens next.

The whole of the world that is Prison Break has been an interesting and creative project with clever writing and production. This final series four is one of the best and all the stops have been pulled out on this series.
There are a lot of plot twists and there is plenty of meat on the bones in terms of story. It is an excellent series.
Series four concerns a thing called "Scylla" that is a sort of "black book" of the "Company". It requires a series of electronic cards to unlock it and gain access to everything about the "Company". Former enemies are united together in a solid friendship with one goal in mind.
Homeland security under Don Self employ Michael and Lincoln and friends to get Scylla in return for their ultimate freedom. They work at finding the cards and copying them.
Michael suffers a hypothalmic hamartoma. Meanwhile he discovers that his mother is still alive and used be in "The company" who also wants Scylla and was responsible for all sorts of things that happened to Michael and Lincoln. The plot thickens as Michael tries to get Scylla himself. Lincoln reluctantly tries to get Scylla for the Company to get his son back which causes friction with Michael. Sara is not dead and Michael is re united with her as every one works to get Scylla and bring the company down. There is a tragic ending.

The last two episodes for a mini movie "Prison Break - The final break" This makes a really good special edition of the series and further explains the final ending of the whole saga. This story has its own individualism that is crucially linked to the earlier episodes. This is a terrific piece of television drama and the pace and production are excellent.

The best way to see this series is on DVD where you can go straight to the next episode if you want to. Sometimes the temptation to dip into the next episode can be too much. But you can do that with a DVD set. Unlike TV weekly transmission where you have to wait a whole week to find out what happens next.

The series is exciting and gripping with cliff hanger type endings on each episode. The scripts are very clever and succeed very well at stretching a story over so many episodes.
The acting and direction are excellent and this is a quality production of television. There is originality within the whole concept. There is no doubt that this series deserves praise.

cant stand watching any series when its on tv.
got the box set at an amazing low price.
Best series i watched for years.
on the last few episodes now, gutted its nearly over.........

I was given prison break for christmas and started to watch it from start to
finish the show gets you drawn in so you have to carry on watching to the end
I am not a great fan of us tv shows apart from miami vice in the 80's
I NEVER watched it when it was on sky one but I read the reviews and they all
came up with the same answers GET IT !!!!
what a fantastic show

The item is awsome, I saw most of the first two series while at university. Now when an episode finishes I can just put on the next without having to wait a week to know what happened. Gripping and intelegent series, only problem was that some of the caseing was broken when I recieved it.

Loved watching it on tv and was thrilled to get the complete box set! Season 3 is a bit dull compared to the other seasons but 1,2,4 and the final break outweigh that disappointment. Great case that it comes in as it is easy to flip through (although some of the plastic on mine was broken).

Fantastic Boxset....a must have for all fans of the show. It also includes the "Final Break" Episodes at the end of season 4!

prison break is by far the best series of the century
the first season is by far the best as it makes you aware of all characters at the right time
However during the 3rd and 4th season I watched wondering if i could have made improvements
For a 5 time full season watcher, Im in the middle of the 6th time now, trying to improve my knowledge of a series that will hopefully be remade some time in the future