Once Upon a Time - Season 1 [DVD]

Sick of so many happy endings around her, the Wicked Witch propels fairyland's inhabitants into a distant future (which is NOW). In the town of Storybrooke their memories have gone, they with new identities - she the Mayor exercising full control. This is HER happy ending. Adopted son Henry suspects the truth and secretly contrives for a visitor to break the curse....This seems an audacious concept, but for all twenty two episodes it works a treat. Brilliantly imaginative, scriptwriters ensure past and present are ingeniously interwoven. The fairy stories are presented as never before, all fleshed out and full of surprises. No one dimensional portrayals here! Amongst mysteries to be revealed: what turned the Witch wicked; how Rumpelstiltskin became evil; why Grumpy was so named. As for Little Red Riding Hood - be prepared for shocks!Full of fairies and dragons and spectacular special effects, here is an offering for all children at heart as well as appealing to more adult aspects. The past has the glamour, the present necessarily more subdued, but it also entertains with so much intrigue.It is all absolutely great, and occasionally unexpectedly moving. The cast rises to the challenge of playing two roles - Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle especially impressive. (Note Carlyle in the Episode 8 commentary, he full of fascinating asides - including exactly where he looks when watching acting on the screen.)As well as commentaries there are many bonuses - including surprising revelations about the origins of certain tales. Creators and cast answer questions - confessing that make-up, costumes and weather sometimes proved obstacles to be overcome. (That is real snow as Snow White lies apparently dead in her open casket - she not exactly dressed for the cold.)As ever, a box set is by far the best way to view, episodes seen in quick succession adding immeasurably to impact.For the past six evenings "Once Upon a Time" has proved magical, I never doubting for a moment why fans lavished such praise.Recommended.

I have to hand it to the writers and actors of this series, they have worked so hard to make this a truly stunning and memorable show that has taken real imagination and talent to produce, two factors that are often missing in tv these days. Rarely do I feel so compelled to write a review about a show particularly after only the first season but I absolutely loved it and in fact feel a little sad that I've reached the end of the first season as I'll never watch the start completely afresh again. The premise of the show is that fairy tale characters are trapped in an illusory world (i.e our 'real' world!) due to a curse and as a result they don't remember who they really are...that is, apart from one little boy who has to try to convince the more skeptical adults around him. The show flits backwards and forwards between their real, fairy tale land, and our world, with some interesting revelations about characters. If you are spiritually minded you will appreciate the subtle spiritual themes running throughout the season (such as not remembering your true self, real home being elsewhere, etc) but you certainly don't have to be spiritually minded to appreciate the show. Anyone who likes a bit of magic, mystery and adventure and/or has a love of fairy tales will really love this. The visual beauty of many of the episodes are memorable too. Buy/rent this - you won't be disappointed!

This series is a clever adaptation of the tradition fairy tale, combining traditional storytelling with a mysterious twist. With a gripping format and an interesting set-up the story continues and flows well. The characters are intriguing and complex enough to keep things interesting and make you want to keep watching. The look of the program and the costumes are lovely and the story switches between the real world and the other world neatly and cleverly. Characters are recognisable from Disney and traditional fairy stories but with enough of a twist to not make it predictable.The box set is really nicely set out in a multi-disc box and sleeve. The DVD menus are easy to use and the intro screen and features are great. The additional features are interesting and do add to the experience if that's the sort of thing you're interested in but you don't have to watch it to understand the story.I'm looking forward to series 2!

Fantasy based but just enough drama and a badass evil queen trying to find redemption, what's not to like?

Imaginative and interesting series

OK, so I could go on and on about how much I love this series. But I won't bore you! Suffice to say, this is a little bit different from other things currently on TV and I'm hooked. The story and the wide variety of personalities and characters are interesting. No maidens in distress awaiting the gallant knight to save them from the glass mountain here, OH NO!! Here the maidens in distress pick up their own sword and the knight is not unmanned by being the one rescued. It's got humour, adventure, romance and scary bits. And some my favourite characters on TV EVER!!!All actors do a brilliant job. The writing is amazing and I enjoy the "LOST-uesq" storytelling with flashbacks.For anyone who likes fairy tales and don't mind a bit of artistic freedom from writers - this is the series to watch!Oh, and, if you don't like fairy tales, I'll give you the perfect reason to watch it anyway; ROBERT CARLYLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nuff said!Here ends my not so very structured/ unbaised review.