For those of you that like their television with a lot of ‘bumps in the night’ The River: The Complete First Season an 8 episode series on ABC has come to DVD. The ghost, magic and mystery laden show mixes the paranormal with reality giving those audiences a pretty good chance for an exciting ride.
The story follows a reality TV crew as they help Tess Cole (Leslie Hope) find her husband Emmet (Bruce Greenwood) who goes lost in the Amazon Jungle while filming his adventure show. Using an old boat for transportation, Tess and her son Lincoln (Joe Anderson) along with a reality TV crew set out to find Emmet at a suspected location. Located at the end of a river in the deep uncharted Amazon the group has to navigate an almost impossible water trail. Along the way they run into problems, explore a graveyard for clues, run into some river pirates and get attacked by ghosts and insects.
The series actually has a lot of good reasons to watch it, especially if you enjoy paranormal shows. This one has some exceptionally good special effects, creepy dolls, gooey swamps, violent apparitions, and other things to keep you awake. I also liked the love story that threads within the plot between Lincoln and Lena Landry (Eloise Mumford) the daughter of Emmet’s cameraman who she’s looking for on this expedition.
On the downside, the camera work’s not so great as I am not a big fan of the hand held type that shakes a lot. Used to show urgency and panic, the shots bounce and bobble and to me become very distracting. Thankfully they do keep the effect to a minimum and let the bigger cams do most of the work.
What I enjoy most about seeing a television series on DVD comes with not having to watch ads between scenes. The show entertains much better with less distraction than on television where you find yourself getting up from your chair to check on the kids or getting a drink during commercials. If you are looking to get shocked and grossed out then who wants to break the energy already started from the first scene. If you want a potty break you can just press pause.
Director Oren Peli, who brought Paranormal Activity to the screen, did a good job with the production. Originally filmed as a pilot in Puerto Rico, Peli moved his crew to Hawaii where they set up and shot the film. Using local facilities to erect the sound stages for the interior of the boat, he was able to shoot from angles not possible on the original sea vessel. In order to do exterior overhead shots a special copter cam whizzed above the boat and forest area. More than a dozen cameras including steady cams, spy cams and hand held were used to make the series realistic.
The series offers a bonus feature that is really good, especially with this kind of show. Turn on the audio commentary and you can find out some cool stuff about the making of the show and some of the background while you are watching it again a second time.
Bonus features offered on the DVD include:
- Magic Out There (on Disc 2) – Fans get an inside look into the origins of “The River,” including a firsthand look at how the Amazon was recreated for the show, the fascinating and bizarre shooting locations used in the series and how the visual effects team created the mystery and suspense seen in each episode.
- Deleted Scenes – Delve further into the mystery and awe of “The River” with 13 never-before-seen deleted scenes.
- Audio Commentary – Producers Michael Green, Zack Estrin and director Jaume Collet-Serra offer unique insight into this season’s “Magus” episode. For the “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” episode, producers Michael Green, Zack Estrin and star Bruce Greenwood provide commentary.
FINAL ANALYSIS: If you love ghosts, magic and the paranormal in a jungle setting than check it out. [rating=4]
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Joe Anderson, Paulina Gaitan, Paul Blackthorne, Bruce Greenwood, Daniel Zacapa, Shaun Parkes, Thomas Kretschmann, Leslie Hope and Eloise Mumford
- Directed by: Oren Peli
- Rating: TV 14 for Language and Violence
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Paranormal Thriller, Horror
- Running Time: 344 minutes
- Street Date: May 22, 2012
- Language: English
- Format: DVD
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 –Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions
- Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
- Number of Discs: 2 Discs
- Distributed by: ABC Studios
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
