“Chuck: The Complete First Season”-Own it on Blu-ray November 11, 2008
- Release Date: November 11, 2008
- Publisher: Warner Home Video
- Price: $33.95 on Amazon.com (Buy It
)
- Rating: Not Rated (nothing is really anything worse than a PG-13 action movie)
- Run Time: 556 minutes
- Starring: Zachary Levi (”Less Than Perfect”), Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez (Recurring on “Invasion” and “Without a Trace”), Sarah Lancaster (”What About Brian,” “Everwood”), Adam Baldwin (”Firefly,” “Day Break,” “The Inside”)
- Bonus Features: Declassified Scenes, “Chuck on Chuck” Featurette, “Chuck’s World” (casting sessions and extra character development), “Chuck vs. the Chuckles” (gag reel), “Chuck’s Online World” (web-originated featurettes)
- Genre: Action, Comedy
“Chuck” was one of my favorite shows last year and the beginning of season two definitely hasn’t disappointed so far. The show does such a great job of mixing action with humor that nearly everyone should enjoy it. It could use a few extra million viewers so if you haven’t seen it yet, you really should get this Blu-ray and find a way to catch up on the second season episodes. It’s that good.
Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) is your normal computer geek who works at the Nerd Herd (a very similar department to Best Buy’s Geek Squad) within the BuyMore. After his best friend from college sends him a file that downloads all the government’s secret files to his brain, his world is turned upside down. Chuck is quickly put in danger and two government agents, the hard-nosed John Casey (Adam Baldwin) and the lovely Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski), are tasked to keep him safe from weekly danger.
While “Chuck” is obviously rather geeky there is still a lot for non-geeks to enjoy. The show is very funny and the action sequences are some of the best on television. Basically if you like spy shows with a lot of humor, “Chuck” is the perfect show for you. There is also a bit of romance with Chuck always hoping his relationship with Sarah could be more than just a professional one.
Also in Chuck’s favor is the spectacular cast. Everybody plays their role perfectly and even though they only had thirteen episodes together, the chemistry is top-notch. Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez have some of the best male buddy chemistry in the business. Strahovski is a great find and she will certainly be a star in the industry for years to come. Adam Baldwin isn’t a surprise since he was so great in “Firefly” but he does a similarly awesome job in “Chuck.” Other than “Lost” and “How I Met Your Mother,” “Chuck” may have the best cast on TV.
I got a chance to check out the DVD earlier so I do know how hi-def compares to it. While it is definitely an upgrade it doesn’t look nearly as good as some of the other Blu-rays I’ve seen. I’m guessing this is just because TV production values are obviously lower than they are on films. The upgrade is still pretty major and I would recommend this version over the DVD unless you really don’t care about video quality or are a huge penny-pincher.
The only problem with the set is the lack of quality special features. While there are a few things on the set, none of them are really interesting. I’m a huge “Chuck” fan and I really didn’t get any enjoyment from the extras. “Chuck on Chuck” runs 26:54 and features cast and crew members talking about their favorite scenes. This feature wasn’t for me and I didn’t even finish it. “Chuck vs. the Chuckles” (7:15) is an average gag reel featuring all the blown lines, nose picking, and strange dancing that can be found on most gag reels. The declassified scenes are fine but not something you need to watch. Finally, “Chuck’s Online World” is a series of interviews with minor characters at the Buy More.
“Chuck” is a phenomenal show that nearly anyone would enjoy. I gave the DVD version a 5-star rating and I’ll do the same for this. While the Blu-ray version may not look quite as good as I hoped it would, it is still worth the extra coin if you haven’t purchased the DVD set already.
