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Television
The X-Files - The Complete First Season

The X-Files - The Complete First Season

List Price: $99.98
Your Price: $69.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great fun, and don't worry about video quality
Review: I just received this set last week, and have watched the first six episodes so far.

The one thing that kept me from purchasing this set sooner were the reports of poor video quality. Let me reassure anyone struggling with whether to plunk down the cash, that the video quality is NOT bad. It's some of the worst I've seen on DVD, in that it has occasionally noticeable compression artifacts. But it is higher resolution, and looks better than it did on television, or on VHS. Remember, this is coming from a lower quality video source to begin with. The sound quality is also excellent, and really shows off the series' remarkable, moody music.

I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the show, but I do respect it as one of the best shows ever put on television. Still, I'm surprised by how much better this plays on DVD, with great audio, sound, and no commercials. Each episode is sort of like a chapter in a good book. (They run between roughly 40ish to 50 minutes each.) This is something that I think any casual fan of the show will really enjoy.

I'd also like to say I'm amazed at how much depth this show has right from the first episode. Every character introduced in the pilot is 100% nailed on the first try. These episodes don't look like an infant series trying to find it's tone, but rather it seems like these are real people, who existed before they happened to get "captured" on film.

Technically this isn't important, but the packaging really is neat. They fit all 24 episodes (6 DVDs of episodes, plus one with extras) into a unique folding package less than the size of two VHS tapes. The front end menu to the episodes is great too. You're presented with a main screen where you select which of the four episodes you want, and then sub-screens where you select from the normal DVD choices (chapter selection, subtitles, etc.). All screens use well selected frames from the episodes on the disc.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An exceptional beginning to a brilliant show
Review: Season One is often labelled the best season of the X-Files, because it is the most 'complete'. However, Several other seasons (3, 4) are better because of the ambition and complexity they display. Because this was the first season, the mythology episodes are few in number, but the stand-alones are marvelous. Here are the highlights of the first season

The Pilot: it started what turned out to be a seven year (going on eight) complex show. It has to be on the list.---Squeeze: The eternally creepy Doug Hutchison as Tooms, and the first remarkable stand-alone. It spawned an incredible sequel as well.---Ice: The best episode of season One, a brilliant nail biter that has scenes of almost excruicating suspense.---Fire: Easily the wittiest episode of the season, this surprisingly funny (and romantic) exploration of fire had me glued to my seat.---Beyond the Sea: SCULLY RULES. GILLIAN ANDERSON RULES. Enough said.---EBE: Another top-notch mythology episode, which expanded the fasination with Deep Throat, his motives, and the calculating presence he possesses.

Get the most exciting show on television, and easily the most complex.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: 24 classic episodes in a superb set!
Review: There's something special about having a box set tucked away in your DVD collection. It's nice knowing you have every episode available to watch at any time. This set is simply superb. The entire first series of the X-Files is spread across seven discs with a host of extras and even a couple of DVD-ROM games for your computer. Season One of the X-Files was probably the best; it was a hundred times more fresh and original than some of the trite that has been doled out in the past seasons, notable six and seven. Every x-phile has a soft spot for Season One. It's hard to believe it is seven years old now. These episodes were made before David Duchovny could afford acting lessons and before the series' success forced them to dumb down the storylines for the general viewer. If you're a serious x-phile then you'll already own this set, but for the curious newcomer who missed out and wants to know what all the fuss is about (where have you been?) then this is by far the best place to start. There is no doubt whatsoever that the X-Files revolutionised the way TV looks and feels. This set is a fantastic way to own 18 hours of the best television ever made. See what it was like before everyone involved succumbed to the swinish flu of commerce. Don't even think about complaining about the price; seven DVDs for that price is an absolute bargain. You could never get a whole season on VHS for that price. Picture and sound quality in this set are excellent - for those people who have complained about it, remember that it was filmed seven years ago on a modest budget so the picture is never going to be truly crystal clear but it's the best you will ever see it. So, take the plunge and buy it. Completists beware though, you'll have to save up for the 7 subsequent box sets like me! It's worth every cent.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Holy Grail
Review: I have just received this box set and i can't put it down.Any fans who haven't already bought this,well all I can say is it's time to throw all your vhs copies away and revel in the commercial free,mint and flawless presentation of your favourite show.The memories come flooding back to remind you that this is some of the best television EVER,and Season 2 cannot come fast enough.An essential purchase.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: X Files
Review: When I first came across the collecion from season 1, I thought the price was outrageous but upon reflection considering that you get 7 discs the price is exceptional, the quality is good and for people who did not watch from the beginning it brings the series into perspective, the extras on disc 7 are alright but my only complaint is the rediculous cover that has to be slid over and is subject to damage.Surley more thought could have been put into this, lets hope that this is improved for subsequent releases! But besides this small inconvenience this is a top rate dvd and is well worth getting for anyone who enjoys the show and a valuable addition to any dvd collection.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Finally--A Collection Well-Suited for DVD!
Review: "The X-Files" is an excellent fit for DVD---beautifully shot, a mythology deep enough to keep teenagers buying background material, and a rabid fan following noted for their penchant to purchase anything "X".

Having collected several of the collector's sets on VHS, like many I was frustrated by the lack of completeness in each release, with a season represented by only 25% of its episodes. While this is acceptable for the casual fans, it proved exruciating for the true X-phile, as invariably favorite episodes were left out of the mix.

This situation has been rectified with the release of the entire first season of the show on DVD in a seven-disc collection. It is now possible to watch each episode commercial-free and in sequence in a digital-quality medium. In addition, an extras disc has been added (details are listed above), including a DVD-ROM computer game.

Having completed my viewing of the entire 1st set, several observations came to mind: - The "X-Files", almost unique in episodic television, hit the airwaves fully-formed. There is precious little difference in tone or execution between the pilot and subsequent episodes. - Whereas some of the 3rd and 4th season episodes saw a noticeable decline in quality (due to the loss of key writers and Chris Carter's focus elsewhere), the 1st season episodes are generally superbly-written.

Unfortunately, my cut of this collection did suffer from noticeable editing problems. Nothing major, typically just a couple of misaligned frames at chapter cuts, but let's face it--for this kind of money, it should be flawless.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend this collection.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great Series, serious problems with disks
Review: I loved this set with the exception of 1 major problem. The episode "Fallen Angel" (one of the best in the first season) is completely unwatchable. I tried this disk on 3 separate DVD players and it skipped and stopped playing 4 or 5 times in the 20 minutes that I watched. I watched another episode (Eve) on this disk and there were no problems. I would have rated this set 5 stars if not for this problem

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: well worth the money!
Review: I'm not an X-files fan. Not because I don't like the show, I just wasn't watching the early seasons like everybody else. I guess I was doing other things. So this release was a nice find on Amazon. And I'm very happy I bought it! The packaging is beautiful - a deluxe digipak kind of affair which folds out seven times - very nice. The sound is a bit low - just turn up the TV / Stereo and you'll be fine. The picture quality on the discs is perfect - great job to whoever did the transferring. As for the actual episodes.... I'm sure you'll read more in depth reviews from long time X-Philes fanatics, but as a novice, I like them. I don't love them - I was suprised to find a few of the episodes are actual lifts from other sources ("Ice" is a nod to (if not a rip off of) "The Thing", and "Ghost In The Machine" lifts HAL right out of 2001). But the chemistry between Mulder & Sculley is sexually tense and the show is overall fun and engrossing. The bonus material on the six episode discs isn't worth seeking out, but the seventh disc, with the documentaries is great. Overall, I am very happy. And I'm not a hardcore fan, just an interested one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy it now
Review: New 'Philes can see what they missed, old 'Philes can re-watch the classics and gain new insight into the Conspiracy which is looking tighter, rather than flimsier, with age. (Who would've thought, seven years ago, that Gender Bender was an important mytharc ep? I think "Michel" was Krycek in cognito!)

Pros: Four episodes per disc with about 14 chapters per episode shows why DVD is the ideal format for distribution of television programs. No more fast-forwarding past CC's commentary.

Material on disc 7 is entertaining and will help fulfill the completist compulsions that many DVD buffs have. Packaging and menus show a lot of work and thought went into this. Both very spiffy.

Cons: You don't get those cards they inserted in the VHS packaging ... those were cool. Occassional artifacts; FX scenes on disc 7 look pretty bad (but who cares).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Your excuse to buy a DVD player is here
Review: When the X-Files 1st Season first came out on VHS, I was tempted to buy them, but they were a little expensive and would have taken up a lot of room on my shelves. No excuse now, on DVD they take up the same amount of space as a Tom Clancy novel, and at a price of about $100 they are a steal. If you are an X-Files fan and don't have a DVD player yet, well here's your excuse. As an added bonus you get to see scenes that were cut out -- Scully had a boyfriend in the original pilot!-- and we also get a free game! Now all we have to do is wait for the other seasons to be put on DVD. I can't wait!


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