I am going to kick this off with a controversial statement.

Blackadder is the greatest comedy series of all time. Seriously, it rarely comes to mind when I think of the top comedy, yet every time I watch an episode of it, I inevitably wind up binging the whole thing again. Well now it is back and available of Bluray with so much awesomeness in there to boot.

If somehow you have not seen this iconic series, let me tell you, this timeless show is brilliant. It has four seasons that are set in different time periods. The Blackadder is set in 1485 at the end of the middle ages. Then there is a slight jump to Blackadder II which is set in the late 1500’s.  Blackadder The Third jumps further with a jump to the early 1800’s in the Georgian era, and the Blackadder Goes Forth jumps to World War 1.

So what do the series have in common?

Well, they all have a character called Edmund Blackadder who is the lead character. The first series has him as a sniveling poisonous character born into power who is equal parts pathetic as he is nasty. As the series goes on he takes a step back from being born into wealth, and instead becomes a smarter more manipulating character who can cleverly get himself into positions of power by being really important to people in power. Season four though he is less in a position of power, and being on the front lines of the war is just trying to keep himself out of having to die.

Each series he is accompanied by a character Baldrick. Baldrick is generally not overly smart, he is fiercely loyal, and is kind of gross. The relationship between Blackadder and Baldrick is very abusive with Blackadder treating him like crap. This is sounding really dark right?  Trust me it is funny as hell. No matter what bastard like stuff Blackadder does, he tends to wind up getting his campunce, or spends an episode trying to undo something disastrous. The show balances super clever wit and wordplay, with brilliant over the top silliness. It is one of the few shows that can actually make me laugh out loud, even when know the punchline.

Best of all, this release comes with the Specials. These are longer episodes that tell self contained stories.

One has Blackadder and Baldrick inventing a time machine where the go back to multiple periods collecting items to win a bet that the time machine works. It all goes to crap in the funniest possible ways. Another includes A good Blackadder who gets visited by the Christmas spirit who rewards his good deeds by showing him his bad ancestors, but in doing so he realises his life could be way easier if he was selfish and turns into a bad Blackadder. There is more, but that’s a nice slice of what to enjoy here.

This release comes with an Anniversary Special looking back on the show, and a heap of special features. These include interviews where Rowan Atkinson was doing the circuits to publicise the show, and just how how funny a man he really is. Now this is a really minor thing I love, but the show is in a  cardboard case that folds out to show all the discs. I say minor, because it’s just what holds the discs, but I love it as the presentation is exceptional, and it reminds me of an old DVD case I used to have that had the original seasons in it until someone pinched it. I love having this on my shelf now.

If you are looking to check the show out, or add it permanently to your shelf, this has to be the best way to get Blackadder. Even if you aren’t interested in the extras, the show has never looked or sounded better. Then when you are done, the Special Features are there waiting for you to enjoy them.

The post Blackadder – The Complete Collection (Bluray) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Blackadder is one of the greatest comedies that has ever existed.

I came across it when a friend told me that there was an awesome comedy with the actor that played Mr Bean and that it is super witty.

Skeptically I watched an episode from Blackadder The Third, and I was immediately hooked. After owning, then loaning out my DVD collection many years ago and it never returning, I was stoked to see a new release with Black Adder: The Complete Collection Remastered, and I must say, you should own this collection.

If you don’t know Blackadder, you are in for a serious treat.

Rowan Atkinson plays the fictitious Edmund Blackadder in different historical settings. The first season has him as a weasley Duke of Edinburgh in the 1400’s. He is the kings son, but the king doesn’t like him so he does what he can to get power.

The second season follows Edmund Blackadder in the 1500’s where he is constantly trying to gain power by making Queen Elizabeth I happy.

The third season jumps to the 18th century where Blackadder is the butler to Prince George and the forth season jumps to World War I where he is a Captain in the trenches. Each of them have recurring characters in new roles, and none more famous than his servant style character Baldrick.

These massively changing settings allow for resets, and brand new material to make comedy from.

I was never the biggest fan of the first season, and in rewatching it I have realised why. The other three seasons have Blackadder as a very clever and conniving character who is always in it for himself.  The first season on the other hand he is the bumbling idiot, and his assistants like Baldrick tend to be the smarter ones helping him out. On this rewatch I enjoyed the season a lot more than I had before, but it’s still not the strongest of the four.

Season three and four are still the best ones, with Blackadder The Third showing him as a man twisting and manipulating the idiotic Prince George who is played by Hugh Lawry.

It has some of the funniest and most iconic moments from the series, and Hugh Lawry makes me laugh every time. Blackadder Goes Forth is a mastery of making a comedy in such a tragic time. Blackadder does everything in his power to avoid going over the top to certain death. In his company is Hugh Lawry again, playing the same style of idiot as he was as George, except this time as a lieutenant. And consistently, Baldrick is one of the funniest characters ever created with his practical attempts to solve problems, his lack of general knowledge, and just excellent consistent humor.

Now for why this collection is extra brilliant.

Previous releases just had the series, and I had to buy the specials on their own. Not this time.  Blackadder: The Cavalier Years, Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, and Blackadder: Back & Forth are all included in the collection.  The Cavalier years is set in the English Civil War which is a familiar style to the series.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol shows a Blackadder who is the kindest person around, is shown his past lives as a reward where he discovers that being greedy is better, and becomes the classic Blackadder at the end.

Blackadder: Back & Forth was made way later, and has Blackadder trying to trick his friends with a fake time machine. It turns out Baldrick accidentally made a real one and they whip through time settings seeing other Blackadders and Baldricks. The specials are as consistently brilliant as the show.

Blackadder: The Complete Collection Remastered hasn’t had a massive overhaul, and looks pretty old, but that doesn’t stop it from being as brilliant now as it ever was. If you don’t already have all the series and specials in your collection, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

There are some additional special features which are great to watch and enjoy, but it’s the core show and specials that make this collection worth every cent.

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