Charmed: The Complete Series

Great show and really good price for the series.

Let me start out by saying this is a different kind of review and as you read on you will find out why. I am assuming that anyone who has bought this edition or is thinking about it already knows what a marvelous show this was to have succeeded eight years on the air. anyone investing this kind of money knows this. There fore I decided to review the presentation of this most unusual and incredible packaging, etc... Read on: I absolutely love this deluxe limited edition. Worth every penny. I repeat, Anyone who has invested this much money to purchase this copy already knows that the series is fabulous. I want to talk about the presentation of the book of shadows edition. I saw the much smaller one in a store. It was half the size and quite frankly disappointing looking. Plus I heard that there was a problem with glue getting on the discs. This GORGEOUS edition is just that gorgeous. It's just like owning your own Book of Shadows. Beautifully and artistically rendered. I was an art major in college and am very critical about art in general. I was so impressed when I opened up this very heavy package I received in the mail that I knew what it was right away, as I get a lot of packages in general. This lovely rendering of The Book of Shadows does not disappoint. Whomever put this together should be very proud of themselves whether it be one person or a collaboration. I was honestly sorry that I didn't buy a few books. When the descriptions came out for the two different versions they were the same and there was no way of telling what the differences were. One just had to take a gamble and I decided I best go with the more expensive one hoping that I wasn't making a mistake. Thrilled that I made the right choice I highly recommend any charmed fan or even a new watcher of the series to just not waste time and get this edition right off the bat. You won't in anyway be sorry. The only thing I feel they could have done better was the packaging of the book itself. I feel that it should have had a cover on the box itself for protection. It's not too late for the manufacturer to make covers and offer them for a couple bucks. I bet they would fly right out of the warehouse as I cannot be the only person that feels this way. Something so beautiful really should be better protected. Also, a small thing but nonetheless nice would have been if they had added a few more ribbon page dividers. All in all I couldn't be happier that I chose the full size authentic rendering of Charmed's "Book of Shadows" disc set. I'm just altogether THRILLED in case anyone didn't catch my opinion the first time. Just kidding! This is truly a work of art worthy of displaying the artwork in the book itself. It goes without saying that the Series is the obvious reason anyone buys the seasonal collections. Yet in this particular case that Is why I chose to review the actual Book of Shadows packaging more than or at least equal to the DVD set. This reminds me of when I was a child and cared more about the wrapping paper than the gift itself. At least the principal holds up. I display mine in my living area of my home. It's as much a piece of artwork as the paintings I have hanging on my walls. A real catch if you can still find one. A++++ rating.

This DVD set package is quite nice, although not the standard shape for media cabinets. From a packaging perspective, I had zero problems with mine, all discs were flawless. I have a few comments about the ease of sliding in the lower discs, but it was in superb condition. The DVD case that is in the form of the book of spells is quite nice. I think they did a great job in the look and construction of the book. The cover is textured nicely, the pages with a somewhat antique feel and thick. Each season's section starts out with graphics and a nicely done table of contents for each disc. Personally, I would have preferred if each disc's table of contents were mirrored on the back of the previous page to the actual disc slot so it lines up with the actual disc that I open the book to for added convenience to reference with the disc I am pulling. But overall, I thought it was styled very well, and constructed well. Functionally speaking, I still prefer the normally sized DVD cases that fit on a media cabinet shelf along with all my other DVDs. Being a completely different shape, it doesn't fit on a shelf that fits a usual DVD case. I would prefer either a collection of slim-line case boxes for each season, or even better is a set of cases with the flip book style that even more compactly fits a complete season. This is actually available, or if you purchase the seasons individually, but the older style that is out of production or individual seasons are more expensive. So I still prefer the better value over function. There were reports of issues by other reviews, that was reports of glue particles on some discs. What I can say is mine was flawless, which I show in the video, and was sold by Amazon. I recommend checking your discs within the Amazon return/exchange window in case yours has any issue. I've never had a problem exchanging defective items for free by Amazon. They've been stellar in supporting things that were their fault, including defective or broken.

Probably one of the best new-age shows to grace our televisions, Charmed boasted superb special effects, juicy and riveting storylines and beautiful (and talented) actors/guest stars - an overall Aaron Spelling gem! Admittedly, I was most disheartened by the Season 3 exit of Shannen Doherty, but the show must go on, and go on it did - for 8 full and enjoyable seasons! The show would eventually sow the seeds of upliftment for its respectable and realistic portrayal of the Wiccan 'religion', which had been tainted for centuries - with witches often being portrayed as evil, revenge-seeking, cauldron-stirring, broomstick-flying banshees who were out for personal gain. There are not many TV shows that can boast 8 seasons, but Charmed continued to mesmerise, educate, entertain and enthral. It remains up there with the likes of several long-running and highly popular comedies, sitcoms and dramas, such as Dallas, Friends, Will & Grace, Law and Order, Seinfeld, Knots Landing, Murder She Wrote, Beverly Hills 90210, Cheers, Frasier and Three's Company. This DVD box set (actually, "book set") is smaller than its predecessor, which had been issued not long before it. You will note from several other reviewers that discs had been ruined by glue - the result of the box design which calls for random insertion of the DVDs in pockets cut into specific artistic cardboard pages. However, it would appear that this problem was swiftly dealt with after the initial complaints that were raised upon its release. This set is a delight, especially for the Charmed fan. It is themed on the Book of Shadows as used in the actual series, and contains virtual carbon copies of some of the pages. In fact, all 8 seasons are set within the "mock" Book of Shadows. You may very well be surprised when you note the impeccable quality of the 'book' design and paper. The front cover, in particular, is a complete replica of that found in the series - complete with the "now Wiccan-adopted" triquetra and the green taping along the book's spine. Get your hands on a copy of this box set, and you will not be disappointed. Not only is the design a complete delight, but also the episodes contained in all 49 discs that are set within the delightful Book of Shadows. "Charmed" and "captivated" you will be - by all 8 seasons of this very accomplished series.

Addendum to the review. I am writing this on 3/1/2013: I received great news as Paramount sent me the discs that had episodes not working. Many thanks to Paramount and the staff, who responded in a very efficient manner!! I am now very satisfied. Original review: I purchased this on sale for roughly $49 (not including taxes, shipping). I watched through all the episodes - took me nearly 3 weeks. Here are the episodes that stalled/paused/skipped, or completely stopped playing: Series 1, disc 4 - Is There a Woogy in the House Series 2, disc 5 - Chick Flick Series 2, disc 5 - Astral Monkey Series 3, disc 1 - Magic Hour Series 5, disc 3 - Y Tu Mummy Tambien Series 5, disc 3 - Importance of Being Phoebe Series 6, disc 1 - Valhalley of the Dolls Series 6, disc 1 - Forget me...Not Series 6, disc 3 - Chris-crossed Series 6, disc 3 - Witchstock Series 6, disc 5 - Crimes And Witch-Demeanors Series 8, disc 2 - The Lost Picture Show Series 8, disc 3 - Vaya Con Leo Series 8, disc 3 - Mr. and Mrs. Witch I have read a number of review in which other buyers were not happy with glue particles on the data side of the DVD. I have tried cleaning it with toothpaste, and with cornstarch. It did help a couple of the episodes listed above run smoothly. But, given that these are supposedly new DVDs, I shouldn't have had to do that. The big questions are: 1. Does anyone at Amazon read these reviews? 2. If they do, and they realize there is a problem with multiple discs containing glue particles, why don't they do something about it??? At $49, I'll just put up with it. I don't expect to buy all 8 seasons separately for this price, even in a few years more. What a shame that the people who packaged this item chose to do it in a manner where the majority of DVDs have glue stains!!!!

This is the blu-ray box set of the original Charmed series that aired on the WB network from 1998 to 2006 and starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, Shannen Doherty (for the first three seasons), Rose McGowan (for the final four seasons), and in the final season, Kaley Cuoco. The show was set around three sisters in their twenties who also discover that they are witches who have to protect the world (at least San Fransico) from demons, werewolves, and all manner of supernatural beings. It was basically a prime-time soap opera that had a mix of action, drama, and campy comedy. At the beginning of the series, it was mostly a monster-of-the-week kind of show and then it began to incorporate larger story arcs that ran throughout the season to become a mix of a serial and procedural show. The biggest controversy involving the show was the purported tension on the set that led to Doherty leaving the show after season three. In season four, Rose McGowan was brought into the show to essentially replace Doherty's character as a new (conveniently conceived) third sister to keep the "power of three" concept alive. While the women of the show were the focus, the show had some great male stars as well, including Brian Krause, who played Leo, Piper's love interest throughout the series, Julian McMahon, who played Cole, a demon who became a love interest for Phoebe, and Dorian Gregory, who played inspector Daryl Morris, who was a cop whose cases the girls helped solve and/or cover-up the supernatural elements of the crimes. The show reduced the role of Morris so much over the course of time that he was barely in the show in seasons six and seven and when he was, he rarely had anything productive (with some exceptions) to add. And, because of budget cuts in season 8, his character was written out of the show completely and only mentioned one time. While the character of Prue was mentioned a lot after Doherty left the show, she was never brought back for a cameo appearance like other characters who left the series were from time to time. It should be noted that this set is just a repackaging of the individual season blu-ray releases. They are the same season sets that you can buy individually, just packed in a decorative outer box. So, if you already purchased the individual season blu-ray releases, you are not getting anything different by getting this set. Some of the descriptions make it seem like there are a bunch of bonus features that were newly included for this release, and that is not the case. Seasons 1-7 have no bonus content at all, and season 8 carries over the bonus content from the season 8 DVD release and one new interview (from 2021) with producer/director James Conway. There are no new cast/crew interviews, commentary tracks, etc., that were made for this set. Overall, the show is good, but not as good as other shows in its genre like Buffy and Supernatural. It was definitely a more campy show than either of those two shows and never had the kind of special effects budgets that those shows had. It definitely had elements that would probably not fly (or be drastically changed) these days. And, it could definitely get a bit soap opera-like with the "I need a man" storylines for Paige and Phoebe. But, if you do not take it too seriously and just take it as a fun show that could be a bit silly but had good themes of family relationships and togetherness and a ridiculously good-looking cast, it is enjoyable.

It's great to have the the seasons to binge watch.

As an avid Charmed fan, I had already spent the dough to purchase each season set as it was released...needless to say it added up to a lot of money spent. Regardless, I couldn't resist buying this uniquely designed set. (As well as the Limited Edition Deluxe version!) I figured it would be a wonderful collector's piece, and I just had to have it! I was not disappointed! The book is really well made, and looks like a real book. When you open it, there are pages replicated from the original Book of Shadows from the show, combined with pages with slots for the DVDs themselves. While many people have had issues with glue and scratches on their discs, I did not seem to have that problem to a degree that affected the usage of the discs. There were a few discs that had a very little bit of glue, and there were other discs that had some minor scratches, but all of the discs played fine. (I even read in another review that someone bought some DVD cleaner and the glue came right off.) ***IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE DISCS IN YOUR COLLECTION-PLEASE NOTE: As of 11/25/08, the distributors of these collections set up a toll free number for customers to call if they received discs that were damaged. The number is 800-728-8564. (This number works for the US and Canada.) They will replace any problem discs.*** This is a wonderful series that has finally been represented well with this unique Book of Shadows replica. If you've never seen the show before, buy it and enjoy! If you are already a Charmed fan, you won't be disappointed with this collection. You will be especially pleased with the bonus disc that has many more extras than had previously been released, including the original unaired pilot that Alyssa Milano was not a part of. My only complaint, is that the original theme song was changed for the DVD releases of Season 8. But, unfortunately, this was done to all Season 8 releases, not just this special edition.

Impeccable

Ho approfittato di un offerta di pochi giorni in cui il megacofanetto era in vendita a 48,02 euro. Ero un po' preoccupato, perché da alcune recensioni ho letto che c'era il rischio che arrivasse con la custodia di cartone esterna rovinata. Invece è arrivato tutto perfettamente integro e sigillato nell'involucro di plastica trasparente, come potete vedere nella foto. I due box di plastica dura in cui sono stati divisi i dischi, dalla I alla IV serie e dalla V all'VIII serie, sono un po' grossi, ma con un ottima chiusura. D'altra parte questa misura ha consentito di disporre i dischi nei separatori interni uno per facciata, quindi ci sono 12 separatori per box. Questa disposizione, permette di prendere un solo disco alla volta e alla fine il tutto risulta più maneggevole. Credo che non sia stata fatta nessuna rimasterizzazione. Gli episodi sono in 4:3, ma con apposita funzione dei televisori o dei software per PC, si possono tranquillamente vedere molto bene anche in 16:9. Prodotto ottimo. Ho visto i primi episodi ed è stato come tornare indietro di 20 anni. Quanti ricordi con le sorelle Halliwell...

Amo esa serie, llegó completo y si está en audio español, pero es español de España, no viene en español latino

Good quality. No problems.

My daughter (14) fell under the spell of the Charmed Ones three years ago and now has every season on DVD - it's probably all that girl power that attracts her and she was a dedicated old/new Worst Witch fan - although my son (10) happily watches Charmed with her (perhaps he secretly routes for the demons). Most of her Charmed seasons were recorded from Living TV re-runs on Sky but now we have this Ultimate 8 Season Set purchased from Amazon. Naturally the episodes are far nicer without 20 minutes of adverts. We missed the series first time around - so it's great to get all the episodes in one go. To find out more about The Charmed Ones than most people want to know, just search online - its handy as TV episodes never have the name of the episode in the credits, unlike these DVD set menus. This set is great value: 48 DVDs, run time a massive 123 hours [5.1 days]. Plus you get some good extras [the same ones included in the US set], mostly featurettes: The Demons Of Charmed, Charmed Effects, The Men Of Charmed, The Book Of Shadows, The Power Of Three, Directing Charmed, and The Making Of A Monster - but we avoided watching these, as the ones included with Buffy gave away key bits of the seasons plot. The interesting 'unshown pilot' is safe viewing though. The DVDs have English subtitles and sound/picture is fine on a standard TV [picture format 4:3, not widescreen]. Note you can also buy this 8 season set as the 'Magic Chest Box Set' with all the DVDs being within an expensive wood/leather/velvet-lined chest [and a price tag to match]. This simpler cardboard boxed set looks good as well, with one DVD case per season, and it doesn't take up that much room [although I far prefered Buffys complete 7 season slipcase style and graphics]. 1998's season one is naturally a great starting point and has the attraction of older sister Prue joining Piper and Phoebe, as they discover the Book of Shadows and become the 'power of three' (just in time as it happens). I have watched a lot of Charmed episodes with my daughter and I have to say that I really liked season 7 [and Paige] with the rise of The Avatars and their attempts to create heaven on Earth (e.g. `Extreme Makeover - World Edition' and `Charmageddon'). Plus demon Zankou makes a good baddie. The finale is pretty good as well (`Death becomes them'). This season really set the pace for the final [2006] season 8 when the `power of three' have to face their worst enemy and defeat the Ultimate Power. Ok the stories repeat themselves a bit (there must be around 160+ episodes) and some of the acting is on the `Victoria Principal' level with girly pouts and eye rolling, but it is all great fun. In many ways the series has a non-violent feel and little blood and gore despite the high body count (although there is the mystery of how does a flaming vaporising demon fail to leave a scorch mark on the sofa - the Power of Three even joke about it in later episodes). I'd ignore the 15 rating, they are more like a 12 max - our kid's PG rated 'Clubhouse detectives' film is far far scarier. Typical Charmed quotes: Piper,"Well, we changed the past to fix the future and save the present." Victor, "Wait, what was that?" If your daughter (10+) hasn't seen any of Charmed before, I'd recommend it. Just tell her it's like `Buffy the Vampire Slayer' but with no Buffy and no vampires. Highly recommended for female offspring (and young males in touch with their orbing side). Other 'similar' complete season boxed sets for teenagers are Buffy the Vampire Slayer [first 5 seasons easily as good as charmed], Buffy's positively apocalyptic spin-off 'Angel' [we rate this as even a tad better than Charmed], The Dresden Files [great], and Supernatural seasons 1-3 [few special effects but easily the scariest here, and deserving of it's age 15 rating]. Also try them with classic 60's sitcom 'Bewitched' (seasons 1-5 with Dick York only) which is quite sympathetic with Charmed and a hit in our household. For under 10's there is the classic 'Worst Witch' series on DVD. So a great all 8 season boxed set of Charmed, only downside: being glued to the TV to find out what happens next episode as you don't have to wait a week for the next epsiode .....