10th Kingdom, The (US)

Wow! This is the first time I`ve reviewed a mini-series. It has taken me about a week (and 4-5 "sessions") to complete this 7 hours adventure.
The series is a big combination of every possible fairy tail known to mankind. It is always charming and rarely boring, but the 417 minutes of running time do tend to drag every once in a while.
The video transfer is a very good 4:3 one. There are no compression signs at all and the colors are exceptionally bright and deep. Keeping in mind that the series was shot for TV, the result is superb. The numerous outdoors scenes were shot in various locations worldwide and are simply stunning. The special effects are rather simple, but they do the trick (pun intended). You simply gotta love the opening scene. I think I`ve watched it over a dozen times.
The DD 2.0 soundtrack is surprisingly effective. While the lack of an LFE channel is noticeable, the surrounds create a nice atmosphere.
The menus are all animated with sound.
The extras (which are located on the 1st disk) include a behind the scenes look, some production notes and some information about the characters and the kingdoms.
Bottom line - a nice adventure that takes place in some amazing sceneries, with some wacky characters. Try to divide it into 3-4 sessions at least, otherwise it can get tiresome.

My wife and I , and our 18 year old daughter, watched this excellent mini-series on Sky One a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
Not only was the production a very skilled adaptation of the stories we grew up hearing from our mothers or fathers but the manner in which they seemed to flawlessly blend into one another was a testament to the creativity of the direction and production teams.
The scenery was quite breathtaking and with the colours almost bursting from the screen during many many scenes this helped make this fine series one of the most pleasing on not only the eye but also a very joyful and happy viewing experience.
The casting of Rutger Hauer, Dianne Wiest, Scott Cohen and John Larroquette gave these fine actors a platform to show their many talents. The casting of Ed O`Niell as the head Troll was sheer brilliance. The antics of his offspring listening to and singing to "The Bee Gees" was hilarious and added an extra dimension to the usual good versus evil plot.
I can highly recommend this excellent DVD to those either with or without children .They say "Laughter is the best medicine" well in that case this should do a great job for reducing the queues at the doctors surgery.
If you have a player that can play multi-region go for the R1 version and save £23 on the R2 version at Play.com. If not it still remains an excellent addition to any DVD collection at £39

Choagy :-)