Harper's Island: The DVD Edition
by Craig R. Baxley, Guy Norman Bee, James Whitmore Jr., Jon Turteltaub, Rick Bota
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adam Campbell, Cameron Richardson, Christopher Gorham, Elaine Cassidy, Katie CassidyDirector: Craig R. Baxley, Guy Norman Bee, James Whitmore Jr., Jon Turteltaub, Rick Bota
Brand: BEAVER,JIM
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 541 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-09-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Paramount
Movie Reviews of Harper's Island: The DVD Edition
Movie Review: Don't Worry, There's No Spoilers....
Summary: 5 Stars
I apologize in advance for a lengthy review, but I feel there's a lot that needs to be said about this. For starters, I would give this much higher than 5 stars if the option were available.
I watched this show on television from week to week, hating the long weekly wait before I got my Harper's fix. I admit the first few episodes are very characteristic of a soap opera with all the typical "good-looking" characters and back stories and just the way it played out overall. So yes, at first it was a guilty pleasure. What can I say though, the characters were very likable from the start and I was intrigued with the premise and promise of weekly murder that would add to the mystery. However, after a few episodes it stopped being a guilty pleasure as it was a truly suspenseful (and yes, violent) murder mystery. Every week we got a more in depth look at the characters and were constantly trying to figure out who the killer might be. I honestly can't recall having so much fun watching television in...well forever.
I know some would say this is a Friday the 13th ripoff, but please don't insult this series by comparing it to the likes of F13. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Friday the 13th movies ever since I was younger, but this isn't very much like those at all. This is more complex with a well scripted story. Yes, there is a deranged killer on the loose dispatching the wedding guests in various, gruesome ways. But that's as far as the similarities go. If you go to see Friday the 13th, expect some mindless fun with some cheap scares and pretty pathetic acting and script. If you watch Harper's Island, expect a fantastic story, fantastic character drama, and exceptional acting (for the most part) that would rival if not surpass most of what you could even see in movies that make it to theaters.
I absolutely had to read the one star reviews on this to see how ANYONE could possibly consider this ONE STAR. The general consensus between ALL of those reviewers was either that this was too violent, or that reality television is better. Reality television is better?!?!?!? Need I say more? As far as the violence goes, YES, this is extremely violent compared to what viewers would normally see on prime-time television. There's no excuses for that, and the producers didn't try to make any. They were simply making it more horrific and suspenseful by showing just how deranged the killer is to be setting up such elaborate killings for the guests. I for one didn't think it was overboard, especially considering the other kind of muck they allow on television. It's rather hypocritical to say this was too violent and not have a problem with other shows that flaunt promiscuous behaviors, foul language, 2/3 butt/breast visibility, and a whole host of other things that are too far removed from what should be allowed on network television. And that's just standard channels. I won't even describe the kinds of filth I've seen on cable channels like Comedy Central or the likes.
That argument aside, I truly can't say enough good things about this show. It actually plays a lot less like a show and more like a nine or ten hour movie. So yes it's lengthy, but it's only one season long and you know the whole time there will be closure at the end of the story. As far as the horror genre goes, I actually like this SHOW better than almost ANY horror MOVIE I've ever seen. It's truly amazing. And yes, there are some plot holes and a few moments where you're wondering just what those fodder-worthy characters are thinking, but what movie/show doesn't have some moments like that?
I thought the cinematography, writing, directing, setting, and most of the acting was about as perfect as any horror outing can hope to achieve. There were a few characters who weren't quite up to par with the rest as far as acting, but then there were some truly exceptional performances that you just don't expect to see on a television show. Among those with great performances were the characters of Henry, Trish, Shane, Richard, Mr. Wellington, Sully, Cal, Shea, etc... I was also pretty impressed (though to a slightly lesser extent) with Chloe, Abby, Malcolm, Danny, etc... Like I said though, there were a few weaker performances, but I won't go into that cause they weren't AWFUL, and when you're watching you'll be able to spot them rather easily anyway.
In case you're not aware already, the setting is Harper's Island. More specifically, the Candlewick Inn and surrounding areas for the most part. The wedding for Henry And Trish is being held and all the guests have arrived. However, someone is killing the guests and other members of the wedding party one by one in the same manner that the notorious serial killer John Wakefield killed his victims on the same island just seven years before. You as the viewer have 13 episodes (actually 11 or 12 since the killer is revealed before the finale) to figure out who the killer is. Maybe less if you're good at that sort of thing. Or maybe not at all if you just want to enjoy the mystery as it goes along.
I watched this once when it first aired and loved every minute of it. I watched it again on Netflix last month over the course of a week. It was just as good as I remembered, if not better the second time around. I can see myself watching this many more times to come as it is just THAT good. It's the kind of show you want to not only watch over again, but tell others about and share the fun with them too. This is truly destined to be a cult classic, though to some it's already an instant classic.
Initially, the thought was to renew this for a second season if it did well, just with a different cast and setting and of course a new murder mystery to solve. However, ratings weren't great and so that idea went right out the window. Taken as it is; a one season spectacle; I'm more than happy with the end result. Of course, I certainly wouldn't argue if there were to be a Harper's season 2, so long as they could put together another finely crafted murder mystery. Maybe the producers/networks will realize that ratings aren't everything and if you give a show time it WILL eventually catch on (unless of course it's just dreadfully awful). Long story short, give this a shot if you can stomach the ample violence because it's well worth the watch. Television (and cinema in general) at it's finest. 10/10
Summary of Harper's Island: The DVD Edition
A horror-inspired drama, this CBS series is about a group of friends and family who meet to celebrate a wedding on an island just outside Seattle, an island that is famous for a streak of unsolved murders seven years ago. Suspense ensues when they end up dead one by one; has the killer returned or is someone else to blame?Harper's Island, the guiltiest pleasure of the 2009 summer TV season, is part Agatha Christie and part Friday the 13th. This cleverly plotted 13-episode CBS mystery event invites return visits to the eponymous island where a good portion of an ill-fated wedding party will not survive to celebrate the happy couple's first anniversary. Harper's Island begins with a "Whap" and goes out with a "Sigh" (each onomatopeaic episode title replicates the sound of a victim's demise). Here's the set-up: Pauper Henry (Christopher Gorham) and princess "Trish" (Katie Cassidy) have invited family and friends to Harper's Island, located 37 miles off the coast of Seattle, for their nuptials. Seven years earlier, John Wakefield slaughtered six people there. These were the first murders in the history of the island. A title card warns us they will not be the last. One by one, episode by episode, a killer (or killers) methodically picks off the wedding guests in grisly and gory fashion. Some characters are more expendable than others, and those who are dispatched early don't get the chance to make much of an impression (cousin Ben doesn't even make it out of the dock in the opening episode), but as the mystery unfolds and the body count escalates, viewers become more emotionally invested in those who survive the longest. For Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy) this is all kinds of personal. Abby, Henry's once-inseparable childhood friend, has not been back to the island since Wakefield, presumed dead, slaughtered her mother. She is reunited with her estranged father, the sheriff (Jim Beaver), and Jimmy (C.J. Thomason), the boy she left behind. Harper's Island will keep viewers guessing until its final twist, which is a doozy, although somewhat suspect. But until then, the series is an effective horror show that gets under your skin with its attractive cast, soap-opera dramatics, tantalizing red herrings, and quality kills (although nothing in the show is as creepy as the unnerving little girl named Madison). Those who missed the boat when Harper's Island first aired are advised to steer clear of the spoiler-heavy bonus features until you've watched it through to the bloody end. --Donald Liebenson
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