Rating: 
Summary: Very poor release of a great season
Review: I have a region-free DVD player and bought the Australian release of Xena Season 1 because I was so disappointed with the picture and sound quality of this Anchor Bay release. The Australian version does have a few slightly grainy moments but nowhere near as bad as the Anchor Bay version. Now I'm stuck with an inferior quality set to get rid of. A person would be better off with taped episodes of Season 1 from a satellite or cable.
Rating: 
Summary: Ron
Review: At long last Xena is finally on DVD in a box set here in the U.S.! I for one have been waiting for this dvd set for years. Europe have had them out for a long while and I believe are already on season 5 boxed sets (although I've heard the episodes on season one are out of order in Europe). I finally was able to find a copy two days after it came out and was very anxious to get home and watch it. I think over all it's a good set but I was suprised by the picture quality. I have read on here that the picture is great and has been remastered but on mine the picture is very grainy looking. I was let down by this since shows like Farscape and Doctor Who look so great on dvd. Xena did'nt look much better than my Star Trek the Next Generation set. Other than that I don't have any complaints at all and will still buy all the other seasons of Xena and Hercules when they come out.
Rating:
Summary: A 5-star show; too bad the DVD collection's overpriced
Review: "In a time of ancient gods, warlords, and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world."If you don't recognize the above, you've been in a distant land since at least 1995, and this review isn't really for you. But you should buy this collection immediately, because you're in for an entirely novel treat. Xena: Warrior Princess is a spin-off series from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys", which followed 5 "Action Pack" (don't ask) Hercules movies. The Hercules and Xena stories are revisionist tales of antiquity. Most of the names are right ("Hercules" instead of "Herakles", and the Roman "Cupid" instead of Greek "Eros" are notable exceptions), but anachronisms abound. We first see Xena sitting on her horse, complete with stirrups (1000 years before their invention) and saddle horn (2000 years early). Xena's sword is bronze, but steel implements abound in an era when Indian Wootz steel was a commodity valued above gold. The wet countryside of New Zealand doubles for the dry Mediterranean clime of Greece. And barbarian warriors look suspiciously like Maori. Obviously the emphasis is on entertainment rather than historical accuracy. It's a good thing, too, because the entertainment value is outstanding. The premise of the series is that Xena was a teenager living in the Greek village of Amphipolis when it was attacked. She rallied her neighbors to mount a successful defense. Then she took the surrounding towns to have a defensive perimeter. One thing led to another, and Xena was a warlord terrorizing the countryside. But, true to her original intent, she spared defenseless women and children. When her underlings thought that made her soft she broke from them, and began an epic quest for redemption. Soon after this she met Gabrielle, a young villager whose community is raided. With ambitions exceeding her small town's reach Gabrielle decides to follow Xena on her travels. Xena is a mythic hero. Lacking the godly strength of Hercules, she nevertheless matches him in battle by virtue of superhuman agility. Plus, as she says, "I have many skills" -- including tactics, strategy, eastern martial arts, horsemanship, medicine, and singing. Xena is at the top of her form when we first see her. In sharp contrast to this we watch Gabrielle as she transforms from quick-witted but unsophisticated villager to wannabe bard to reluctant warrior. Lucy Lawless got an early entry into the Hercules/Xena universe; she played Lysia in "Hercules and the Amazon Women", the very first of the movies that preceded the "Hercules" series. In fact this earlier role was a strike against her when trying out for the part of Xena in the "Hercules" series. But hair dye, boots with lifts, and skin bronzer transformed Lucy Lawless (5' 10 1/2", light brown hair, pale skin) to Xena (6' tall, brown-black hair, olive complexion). Add in a passable American accent, and this native New Zealander carried off the role of an Americanized Greek mythic hero with aplomb. When you see Xena riding at the gallop or trading blows with a foe that's really Lucy Lawless; when Xena is tumbling through the air it's a stunt performer. Renee O'Connor also got an early start; she played an earlier version of Deianeira, Hercules' wife, in "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom", the second Hercules movie, before landing the role of Gabrielle. In the first season of X:WP O'Connor is listed as "also starring", after the title; only Lawless gets "starring" billing. Various continuing characters from "Hercules" appear in Season One of X:WP:
- Kevin Smith as Ares, God of War
- Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
- Michael Hurst as Iolaus (Hercules' sidekick); also as Charon
- Robert Trebor as Salmoneus, mercurial merchant
- Bruce Campbell as Autolycus, King of Thieves
- Erik Thomson as Hades, God of the Underworld Season One of Xena introduced a number of new faces that would become familiar:
- Danielle Cormack as Ephiny, Amazon warrior
- Paul Norell as Falafel, food stand vendor
- Karl Urban, who would appear again in seasons 2+ as Julius Caesar
- Hudson Leick as Callisto, nemesis extraordinaire
- Ted Raimi as Joxer, bumbling would-be warrior More notable one-shot guest stars from Season One included:
- Kate Hodge as Celesta, Goddess of Death
- Galyn G"rg as Helen of Troy
- Tim Thomerson as Meleager the Mighty
- Peter McCauley as Talmodeus Season One of X:WP was shot on 16mm film to keep production costs down, so the DVD video transfer is no better than you'd expect. The audio is quite a bit better, including outstanding music by Joseph LoDuca. The Xena theme, in particular, is a wonderful mix of bouzouki, french horns, and strings to mix traditional Greek sounds with the stirring European classical melodies we've come to associate with inspirational themes. The 7-disc Season One collection is remarkable mostly for what it DOESN'T have. There are NO extras in the Season One DVDs AT ALL. Each of the 24 episodes is 44 minutes 15 seconds or less. There are no DVD or CC captions. There are no extra chapter stops; each episode has 5 or 6 chapters. The 7th disc is a CD-ROM, with rather unremarkable content. There are no printed guides in the set. 6 DVDs, with 4 episodes each; 24 total episodes
1 CD-ROM:
- Screensaver
- Cast & Director bios
- "Scrolls" - episode cast lists, guest stars ("mortals" and "gods"), search through the scrolls text
- Season One trivia game Xena: Warrior Princess is a fun, butt-kicking action series. It's a shame that the DVD collection of Season One is both low on extra content and high on price.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor picture quality ruins the experience
Review: I was thrilled to receive my Xena Season 1 DVDs, but have also found the poor picture quality really irritating. I'm also using a brand-new, high-end progressive scan DVD player, but with an older, "interlace" TV. I realize progressive scan is basically meaningless in this context; I guess that makes all the difference. The darker scenes are so grainy as to be unwatchable -- as in, I literally can't make out the actors' faces -- but even the bright, outdoor scenes look like they were filmed with a coating of vaseline over the lens. I also noticed the lack of audio-video synchronization in "The Titans." Of course, I'm chalking it all up to the general sense of cheesy fun that pervades this series, particularly the early seasons. Overall, I'm still glad I bought the DVDs.
Rating:
Summary: Questionable Picture Quality
Review: 6 DVD's containing all episodes of season 1 plus a 7th DVD for the PC containing a screensaver, cast/director bio/info, Xena trivia and a list of character names for season one. Comes in a folding 7-part sleeve so there are no individial DVD cases in the set - just one long foldout. Current sets are issued with a silver season one collectible coin with a mailer that's included for a free coin holder (you pay $... P/H). Nice pictures on the foldout sleeves - packaging is very nice. DVD 1 contains a still gallery although I haven't yet checked the others in the set.
I have to question the video quality on this set - it appears to be a bit grainy and it most noticable during very dark/black scenes. I have never noticed this with other DVD's played on my Toshiba DVD player, though you may want to consult with other owners regarding picture quality (DVD player and TV type does make a difference). I tried it on two DVD players and two TV sets and the picture quality is simply grainy, more so than the season 5 video set I own.
Sound quality is acceptible although disc 1 sounds a bit "dull" so far. Digital surround sound (not the "fake" 3D surround sound) mode seems to sound the crispest. There is no 5.1, no DTS 5.1, so the standard 2.0 Dolby Digital is offered as with all region 1 DVD's. (My home theatre system is new to me so I only hope that I have read the information correctly from my system display.)
Still, this beats rewinding/forwarding through VHS tapes. For the price it's worth the format alone. Otherwise, I would have given 5 stars to this set... Enjoy Xena!
KC
Rating:
Summary: Video is awful
Review: Contrary to what platoshrimp says, the progressive scan issue is not a factor here. Whoever transferred this to DVD simply did a terrible job, made even more deplorable by the cost. Shots with a lot of motion show a lot of compression artifacts, and those with little motion are grainy. Sure, the shows are fun, but there's no excuse for quality this poor in DVDs, especially at this price point. It's some of the worst I've ever seen in a DVD. Stargate SG-1 seasons are 2/3 the price of Xena and have excellent quality video and good extras. I'll probably sell the season after I've watched it simply because the video quality is so disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Series of all time comes to dvd
Review: Enjoyed every minute of watching my two favorite actress show after show in dvd quality. The only down side is not enough extra's.
Rating: 
Summary: xena rules
Review: Hi everyone the Xena season 3 on DVD was realeased on 10th Feb.
The 3rd season is the most memorable and best crafted, including: the season opener, The Furies, wherein Xena's recurring foil, the god Ares, has her driven insane; Been There, Done That.
The video details are crisp and the colors vivid. All things considered, this is probably as good of a transfer as Xena will ever get, sharper and easier on the eyes than most action TV programs, and, for that matter, looking better than it originally appeared during on television.
The sound is on Dolby 5.1. Season three also has more than nine hours of new material. Each of the 22 episodes has an Interview segment with comments from writers, producers, actors and sometimes all three. Several standout programs -- including The Furies, The Debt, One Against An Army and The Bitter Suite -- also have full-blown voice-over commentary following throughout the episode.There is also a documentary which includes a short tribute to the late Kevin Smith, who played Ares.
There's more than enough in this set to please everyone who cares about the show .
Just go and get your copy before they disappears from the shelf.
Believe me it's worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: xena
Review: I bought this for my wife, and she loved every episode on it.
Rating:
Summary: 1st Season Of Xena: Warrior Princess
Review: I Love This First Season Of Xena Warrior Princess! I got this for my 26th birthday two months ago. I Can't Wait UnTill Season 3 comes out Next Month. But If I Do Get This I'll Wait For Season's 4,5,and 6 to come out. U Know I Love Lucy Lawless Meg Too. Gotta Go. Young Xena
| 
