Customer Reviews

XOMBIE: DEAD ON ARRIVAL

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I won't go over the details of the story, as most people who are interested in the DVD have already seen the episodes of Xombie online (and probably bought the sequel comic). I have no problem with the story at all, it's the nuts and bolts of the DVD that drives me up the wall.

The DVD compiles the 10 episodes that make up the online series. And while that would normally be a no-brainer, especially for those who want to share the viewing with others, I have to say that a lot was lost in the internet to DVD transition.

1) Almost ALL of the music from the online series has been replaced by other music that is nowhere near as good. The music James Farr (the creator) picked, while from other licensed sources (videogames, movies, etc), meshed perfectly with the goings-on, and I've come to equate that music with what I've seen before and gave an amazing "heft" to the audio.

So when the chase music from episode 2, the fight music from both episodes 3 and 4 are gone, I feel cheated. Gone are great and appropriate songs like "Into the Void" and "Switchback" by Celldweller. I understand it would have cost a hefty sum to get those songs licensed for DVD usage, but I don't have to be happy about it.

2) The video is far below the standards seen even online. The brightness seems cranked up so much so that the color is almost washed out, and what color IS left hurts to look at for long periods due to the paleness. I don't understand why this is. Also, the left and right sides are "cut" in the same vein that widescreen video is truncated for fullscreen--meaning you lose what happens on the edge of the screen

Why? I do watch the online series on a widescreen monitor, but there are black "bars" on the left and right side, which tells me they were originally in the 1:33 to 1 ratio. So why zoom in for fullscreen when it's ALREADY in fullscreen ratio?

3) The video is actually very choppy, as though the video is being rendered by a 10-year-old video card. This also makes no sense. My computer is from way back in 2003, and doesn't have as much choppiness as this. Why? Why do online webisodes that have almost no budget seem superior to a DVD release that actually HAS a budget and a studio behind it?

4) You get very little on the DVD beyond what you can get online. In terms of the "meat" of the production, virtually nothing has been altered from the webisodes. You get a trailer, a grainy interview with James Farr, and the illustrated novel in .pdf format. Which, if you have the book, you're not ahead by much.

Looking back on it, I would honestly recommend this to diehard Xombie fans ONLY. I kind of regret buying it myself. If you're curious, just go to the website [...], and view them there. You get better audio, video, and it's free. I'm not bashing Farr for what happened with the release as I would imagine he has very little control over the studio (Halo Eight), but I'm still allowed to feel cheated by it.

If it had been just the same as viewing as what I saw online (and have saved on my computer *coughdownloadhelperforfirefoxcough*), then I don't think I would be as critical as I am with it. I just regret I can't take it back as I already opened it. Oh, well, maybe this review will give any prospective buyers a heads-up before they drop $[...] on it.

I followed the Xombie web series on Newgrounds when the episodes came out slowly from 2005 onward. I loved everything about the world that James Farr created with his short 5 - 10 minute flash videos. Then as the plot got more solid, he pushed the series into it's own comic and it became too popular to just give out for free on Newgrounds.
I wasn't thrilled that the whole series was now on DVD, but it made sense, and quite honestly it's a very neat package that comes with a good interview on how he created the series. There's also a tutorlal on how to use Flash which is pretty awesome too if you're into that sort of thing.

The only thing that I wasn't too fond of was the fact that the early episodes used to have other music such as the Kill Bill theme and things like that. Everything is now originally scored, which while I think is great, it is very clear in the opening episodes when original music was inserted. Some of the tunes don't flow as nicely with some of the scenes in the beginning of the series, but by the time you get to Episode 5, everything feels normal again (since by then, all the music was original).

So yeah, basically if you loved the Flash series and miss it, it's worth a pick up, but don't expect it to be exactly the way it used to. The music changed a slight bit in the beginning and thats about it.

I wish Farr continued with the series in a Flash format setting, but he switched over to comics, which I don't collect so... There goes that. This is still a worthy purchase in my collection though.

I've been a fan of the episodes that were online and now I get to see it on dvd. The transfer was not the best, but you don't loose much on the dvd. I thought there could have been more special features on the dvd, but that's not way I got it. Well, this from a fan's perspective and might not be the best one to base you decision on, but I still recommend it for those who have not had the chance to see it online.

If you have ever seen the series on newgrounds, which I would certainly hope you have otherwise I'm not sure your looking at this product, if not you should. [...] look up xombie and watch it, it's wonderful. Dirge is one of the greatest characters I have ever read showing more humanity and life than most living people, which is amazing since he's dead. If your a fan of zombies this is a must have it turns lot of things on it's head. Iterestingly enough it was also picked up by dreamworks pictures, so hopeful we'll get to see dirge on the big screen. Amazon also sells the DVD of the animated series. Xombie: Dead on Arrival

From the flash movies, I got what I remembered from [...]. A series of movies that were put together by one man. With that in mind, it was easy to forgive the sudden changes in character models. All be it the same, it was still a very fun and creative series, that was strickingly unique.

Then, in the bonus section, I found out that by using my computer, I could read the novel version of the series. A finalised version of the story. The plot stays the same, except for it's expanded in ways that have you guessing and wanting more.

This addition to the package, makes it a must have for any Xombie, and zombie, fan.

I had already seen the series online on newgrounds, but I wanted my very own. I love it! I have both his novel and comic series. I'm tempted to get action figures, but i shall resist until later. I'm okay will being honest about my nerdiness! lol.

I've seen the original web series and this is a little better since I can watch it on my T.V. instead of my computer screen and it comes with commentary from the creator on each individual episode. The only real problem I can think of is that the music has been changed from what the the web series had and in my opinion the music in the web series was much better but the new music is serviceable.

I have, or had, rather, been watching the Xombie series since it came out years ago, though I haven't gotten the comics yet. That's besides the point. I do agree with an eariler review that some of the new music, used I assume, to avoid hefty payments to the copyright holders of the original music, isn't as good as the music originally used in the online series. As for the animation, sound quality, etc., it is still all up to snuff and the extras bring a valueable insight into the creation of the series (the awesome "Dead on Arrival" trailer, especially). All in all, this product is well worth its weight in gold.