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Released by: Fox
Released on: October 15th, 2013.
Director: Various
Cast: Travis Fimmel, Clive Standen, Gabriel Byrne, Nathan O'Toole, Katheryn Winnick
Year: 2013
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The Series:
An Irish-Canadian co-production between by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions, The Vikings debuted in the United States in March of 2013 on the History Channel and it evidently did well enough that a second series has been announced for 2014. For those who didn't catch it on cable, Fox has now released the entire run of the introductory season on Blu-ray.
The series takes place in medieval times in Scandinavia where a young man named Ragnar Lodbrok (Travis Fimmel) leads a crew of Vikings on some exploratory missions. He knows that there's more out there than only the land they already know and so with some help from his friend Floki (Gustaf Skarsgí¥rd), a shipbuilder, they develop faster vessels that allow them to outrun those operated by current man in charge, Earl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne). The point? For Ragnar to get to Northern England and along with his brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), he succeeds.
When Ragnar returns, he has brought back a monk named Athelstan (George Blagden) who he has enslaved but soon finds himself at odds with King Aelle (Ivan Kaye) who in turn sets Earl out against him. Complicating matters is the fact that Rollo has ambitions towards Ragnar's beautiful wife, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick)…
Chock full of interesting characters who are not only fun to look at but actually really well written and sometimes surprisingly human, The Vikings may not always strive for historical accuracy but it would seem to do so often enough to have some authenticity to it. Entertainment is put first, and when the series works as well as it does here, it's hard to fault the producers for doing so. Series creator Michael Hirst has stated that some liberties had to be taken simply because there really is a whole lot of speculation as to how Viking society really lived, but this show hits a good middle ground. Call it edutainment if you like.
The acting here is quite good. Travis Fimmel makes for an interesting lead character and he plays Ragnor with all the conviction you would expect from someone portraying a character bent on expanding the world. As the drama begins to take fold and things become more complicated for him, he handles the part well and his character shows real emotion when it comes to the conflicts he's inevitably forced to endure. Gabriel Byrne is also great here, as you'd expect given the pedigree of his previous work, while supporting efforts from Clive Standen and the lovely Katheryn Winnick are also easy to appreciate.
The production values are top notch, the costumes look great and the locations (mostly Irish) used for the series work quite well. The battle and fight scenes are bloody and brutal and expertly choreographed and the score used throughout the series is as epic and moving as it needs to be. There's an emphasis on character development here but not at the sacrifice of action. The series does take a little bit of time to get going and really hit its stride but once it gets there, proves to be great television and if it's cashing in on the success of cable shows like The Tudors and Game Of Thrones, so be it.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Vikings was broadcast in 1.78.1 widescreen and that's how it is presented on Blu-ray in a very nice looking collection of AVC encoded 1080p high definition transfers. The series was shot on high end digital video, so there obviously can't be anything in the way of actual print damage to note. Colors generally look quite nice here and though there are definitely times where some post production work toys with color to enhance the gloominess of some of the locations used in the movie. Black levels are not quite reference quality but generally very strong and detail and texture are both quite nice. Some mild compression artifacts can pop up here and there but there are no issues with edge enhancement or noise reduction. All in all, the series looks great on Blu-ray.
The English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio tracks that accompany each and every one of the episodes that make up the complete first season are pretty impressive. The more subdued scenes showcase crystal clear dialogue and nice, relaxed atmosphere while the more chaotic moments (think battle scenes) use the rear channels really well to heighten tension and build atmosphere. There's a lot of great directional effects and surround channel usage during these scenes. The score sounds excellent here and your subwoofer will definitely spring to life throughout the series' run, delivering stronger and more impressive bass response than most TV releases do. As you'd expect, there are no problems with hiss or distortion and the levels stay balanced properly throughout the show. No problems here at all, the lossless tracks are great. Optional subtitles are provided in English SDH, French and Spanish.
Aside from the fact that the episodes are presented on Blu-ray in extended versions containing a bit more blood and a few more boobs than what was included in the broadcast versions, we also get commentary tracks on Episode One (Rites of Passage, with Michael Hirst and Jessalyn Gilsig) and Episode Nine (All Change, with Katheryn Winnick and Clive Standen). These are decent tracks, both offering up some welcome behind the scenes bits and pieces as well as some insight into the historical accuracy of the show. There's a lot of discussion as to who did what on the show as well as some hints as to what may be coming in season two.
Fox has also cooked up some featurettes starting with a twenty-one minute segment called A Warrior Society: Viking Culture And Law which, just as it sounds, explores the importance of those aspects of Viking society. We get input here from a few history professors as well as from a few cast members, on hand to elaborate about what went into trying to realistically craft their characters for the show. The seventeen minute The Birth Of The Vikings is more series specific as it lets some of the cast and crew members talk for a while about where the inspiration for their specific characters came from while Forging The Viking Army: Warfare And Tactics is a twelve minute piece that takes us behind the scenes and shows us how some of the stunt work on the show was created.
All of the featurettes are on disc three where you'll also find two interactive extras: The Armory Of The Vikings (which lets you learn more about their weapons) and Conquest And Discovery: Journeys Of The Vikings (which allows you to explore their explorations in a bit more detail). Aside from that, we get 'sneak peeks' at a few other Fox shows, four deleted scenes, the option to watch the entire series in season mode, menus and episode selection. All of the extras on this set are presented in high definition. The three discs in the set are housed in a Blu-ray case which in turn fits inside a slick looking slipcase cover.
The Final Word:
Vikings proves to be well-written and well-acted and fairly addictive and while it's definitely geared towards an adult audience, it's not nearly as exploitative as something like Starz's Spartacus series but instead a more cerebral take on ancient history and all of the carnage and carnality it entails. Fox's Blu-ray set includes a decent selection of extras and on top of that it looks and sounds great. A very strong release overall for an unexpectedly entertaining series.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
Count me as another fan of the show. And I would let Winnick kick my butt any day.