Posted on: April 11, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Midsomer Murders: The Early Cases Collection / 2008 Acorn / 1800 Minutes / http://www.acornmedia.com /

Midsomer Murders has had a tremendous amount of episodes, but few individuals have had the chance to view the show. The show is a mystery that focuses around the actions of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (played by John Nettles, of Bergerac). Barnaby’s second in command is Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey (Steel River Blues), and together, these two ultimately end up solving whatever crimes come their way.  Sure, the episodes have been aided on both the A&E and The Biography Channels, but individuals still may not have had the chance to see it in the United States. “The Early Cases Collection” captures the first 18 episodes in the series, giving individuals well over a day of footage (the 19-disc collection tips the scales). This DVD is a step beyond the different sets that had previously been released here, as Acorn has filled in any openings in the series’ run, which occurred due to the original televisor providing episodes out of sequence.

  Despite the fact that these are ‘The Early Cases”, the star power that is present during these episodes is nothing short of amazing. This means that episodes feature individuals such as Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings), Emily Mortimer (Lovely & Amazing) and countless other stars. The bonus features that are present during “The Early Cases” are legion, and include a map to Midsomer, notes from specific episodes’ production, and an essay by John Nettles. More so than that, there are filmographies and a featurette that really gets into the minds of the actors and directors of Midsomer Murders. Finally, there is a bonus disc, which features “Super Sleuths”, a more in-depth documentary about the first decade of the show.

The show has been around since March 1997 and shows no signs of stopping (it still has episodes that are in production, to be released at a later date); for individuals that want to get some sort of idea what the show is about before watching newer episodes, “The Early Cases Collection” is a good first purchase. The DVD set is for steadfast fans and individuals new to the series alike; while the price ($160) may seem to be a little high, the footage is enough that it far outstrips any other form of entertainment in regards to how much ‘bang for the buck’ that it provides.

Rating: 8.0/10

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