| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Dawson's Creek: Season 1
Columbia/Tri-Star // Unrated // April 1, 2003
List Price: $39.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"Dawson's Creek" was one of the shows that launched the WB network, and one of the few that continues to run on the still-struggling channel. From what I've seen of the show, it has its ups-and-downs, but continues to be successful because of the chemistry of the cast and the (usually) fresh and involving dialogue.
The show focuses on four friends, Jen (Michelle Williams), Pacey (Joshua Jackson), Joey (Katie Holmes) and Dawson (James Van Der Beek). Pacey, Dawson and Joey have been friends for years, and as the show opens, Dawson and Joey confront the fact that they're not kids anymore and that their friendship is changing now that they're in high school. That sets the tone for the show, as the four, along with various supporting characters, confront the obstacles that come with getting older.
"Dawson's Creek" generally works as much as it doesn't. Shot like a commercial and song-heavy (although to the show's credit, most of the songs do fit with the scene fairly well), it's visually everything that can become tiring about how teens are presented and sold to. It's a little too perfect and everything that's potentially troubling is quickly tied up by the end of the hour. However, the best aspect of the show is the acting; especially Holmes as Joey, who provides the most convincing dramatic and comedic scenes. She's perfect for the girl-next-door, but also gives the character quite a bit of depth.
The show's dialogue and situations often also work well towards the series, but there's times when the characters can overstate their thoughts, having the characters speak everything on their mind, when most teenagers wouldn't always be so open. The first season seems to be the show's finest, as the characters seemed to develop quickly and the performances, technical credits (while the show is a little too glossy, it is still beautifully filmed) and direction all seem first rate. This DVD set includes the entire first season.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Dawson's Creek" is presented in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The presentation appears to be from a video transfer, and the image quality is simply average - a bit less at times than even what I've seen on some of the broadcast reruns. Sharpness and detail are iffy at best, as the presentation looks on the soft side, especially in some darker moments.
Other problems occur, too. The picture has a grainy appearance at times, and some instances of minor pixelation do appear, as do a few instances of shimmering. However, flesh tones do look quite good, and colors are accurate and well-saturated.
SOUND: "Dawson's Creek" is presented with a nice, well-balanced 2.0 soundtrack. While never particularly dynamic or noteworthy, the music still has a warm, rich feel that is nicely spread out around the soundstage. Dialogue and light ambience are also clear and crisp.
EXTRAS: The first and last episodes of this particular season include audio commentary from Paul Stupin, producer and Kevin Williamson, creator. The commentaries are lively, funny and full of interesting details about working on the series, from trying to work with the censors to trying to work on a North Carolina set when many of the crew were from or working on the other side of the country. There's also some fun discussion about casting and jokes about some stories from the set. I definitely enjoyed this commentary, as the two have a good sense of humor about the series and provide some great insights about making a show like this one.
There's not much else, otherwise; two featurettes that make up 15 minutes worth of material are generally just EPK and interview footage. Other than that, a few trailers for other Columbia/Tristar titles are provided.
Final Thoughts: "Dawson's Creek"'s shinny, idealized image occasionally worked against its drama, but the show did find four actors perfect for their roles, and the dialogue and direction was often more than good enough to overcome that and create an engaging series. The DVD presents okay audio/video quality, along with a few supplements. Recommended.
"Dawson's Creek" was one of the shows that launched the WB network, and one of the few that continues to run on the still-struggling channel. From what I've seen of the show, it has its ups-and-downs, but continues to be successful because of the chemistry of the cast and the (usually) fresh and involving dialogue.
The show focuses on four friends, Jen (Michelle Williams), Pacey (Joshua Jackson), Joey (Katie Holmes) and Dawson (James Van Der Beek). Pacey, Dawson and Joey have been friends for years, and as the show opens, Dawson and Joey confront the fact that they're not kids anymore and that their friendship is changing now that they're in high school. That sets the tone for the show, as the four, along with various supporting characters, confront the obstacles that come with getting older.
"Dawson's Creek" generally works as much as it doesn't. Shot like a commercial and song-heavy (although to the show's credit, most of the songs do fit with the scene fairly well), it's visually everything that can become tiring about how teens are presented and sold to. It's a little too perfect and everything that's potentially troubling is quickly tied up by the end of the hour. However, the best aspect of the show is the acting; especially Holmes as Joey, who provides the most convincing dramatic and comedic scenes. She's perfect for the girl-next-door, but also gives the character quite a bit of depth.
The show's dialogue and situations often also work well towards the series, but there's times when the characters can overstate their thoughts, having the characters speak everything on their mind, when most teenagers wouldn't always be so open. The first season seems to be the show's finest, as the characters seemed to develop quickly and the performances, technical credits (while the show is a little too glossy, it is still beautifully filmed) and direction all seem first rate. This DVD set includes the entire first season.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Dawson's Creek" is presented in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The presentation appears to be from a video transfer, and the image quality is simply average - a bit less at times than even what I've seen on some of the broadcast reruns. Sharpness and detail are iffy at best, as the presentation looks on the soft side, especially in some darker moments.
Other problems occur, too. The picture has a grainy appearance at times, and some instances of minor pixelation do appear, as do a few instances of shimmering. However, flesh tones do look quite good, and colors are accurate and well-saturated.
SOUND: "Dawson's Creek" is presented with a nice, well-balanced 2.0 soundtrack. While never particularly dynamic or noteworthy, the music still has a warm, rich feel that is nicely spread out around the soundstage. Dialogue and light ambience are also clear and crisp.
EXTRAS: The first and last episodes of this particular season include audio commentary from Paul Stupin, producer and Kevin Williamson, creator. The commentaries are lively, funny and full of interesting details about working on the series, from trying to work with the censors to trying to work on a North Carolina set when many of the crew were from or working on the other side of the country. There's also some fun discussion about casting and jokes about some stories from the set. I definitely enjoyed this commentary, as the two have a good sense of humor about the series and provide some great insights about making a show like this one.
There's not much else, otherwise; two featurettes that make up 15 minutes worth of material are generally just EPK and interview footage. Other than that, a few trailers for other Columbia/Tristar titles are provided.
Final Thoughts: "Dawson's Creek"'s shinny, idealized image occasionally worked against its drama, but the show did find four actors perfect for their roles, and the dialogue and direction was often more than good enough to overcome that and create an engaging series. The DVD presents okay audio/video quality, along with a few supplements. Recommended.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||