Customer Reviews

Xena - The 10th Anniversary Collection

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There's not much detail here with regards to this set, so I thought I'd supply what I've been able to find out (basically, what Creation has published).

What we have here is basically a "fan's collection" of favorate Xena and Gabby "relationship" episodes. Thier mythology if you will.

This seven disc collection includes episodes from each season of the series (and I have to agree that there are quite a few favorites included here) :

Callisto (from Season 1) - A GREAT Episode.
Is There A Doctor In The House (from Season 1)
A Day In The Life (from Season 2) - One of the most popular.
Been There Done That(from Season 3)
The Bitter Suite (from Season 3) - The musical episode.
One Against An Army (from Season 3)
The Ides Of March (from Season 4)
Fallen Angel (from Season 5)
Lyre, Lyre, Hearts On Fire (from Season 5)
Amphipolis Under Siege (from Season 5)
Motherhood (from Season 5)
Old Ares Had A Farm (from Season 6)- Featuring a great supporting performance by the late Kevin Smith.
When Fates Collide (from Season 6)
Many Happy Returns (from Season 6)
A Friend In Need Parts 1 and 2 (the finale from Season 6)

More Details :

Original Full-Frame Presentation.

2005 10th Anniversary Xena Convention: This is a yearly Creation Entertainment Event and an outstandingly fun time. Both Lucy and Renee participate.

Comic Relief - First time interview with actor Robert Trebor on his character Salmonius.

Xena's Hong Kong Origins - Explore the influence on the style and action of Xena by Hong Kong action movies with the show's creators Rob Tapert, Liz Friedman, David Pollison and Doug Lefler.

Mythology vs. Xena - Alexandra Tydings and others talk about her Mythological character, Aphrodite in both Xena and Hercules. Alex is a frequent convention guest and a very good actor who seems to appreciate her fans. Nice to see her included here.

Seeing Double - Zoe Bell talks about being a female stunt woman and her experiences working on Xena.

Extras: A documentary - Explore the life of an extra on the set and at home in New Zealand while working on the production of Xena: Warrior Princess.

There are also some fan contest items that to me seem like a lot of filler, but the fans they feature are sure to enjoy them.

All and all, this seems a good set.

Enjoy.
Regards, turtlex

I was a junior in highschool when Xena's final episode aired on television. The show, for a while, ran in syndication, and after a few years hiatus is now back on tv. It was its return to tv that prompted me to buy this set. I had forgotten how much I loved to watch Xena and Gabrielle's adventures. These episodes are great, and I've noticed that some of what we see here is not what aired on tv, guess the FCC had something to say about it. It also saves you money if you want the director's cut of Friend in Need, as its included in this boxed set. Granted there are other episodes I would have chosen, but until I get the seasons this will work for me just fine. Great buy, and any Xena fan would want it for their collection.

Just wanted to mention, one thing I also love are the black and white pictures on the inside glossy dvd covers. The show's greatest moments are actually compiled on six discs, with the seventh being nothing but extras. The commentary is also wonderful, as its nice to see Lucy [Lawless] and Renee [O'Connor] laughing and enjoying the show just as much,if not more than, as the fans.

This 10th Anniversary Collection is very well packaged. I do wish it had a few more episodes, but some of my favorites are included ("A Day in the Life," "Been There, Done That," "The Bitter Suite," "The Ides of March"). The one episode I didn't particularly care to see included was "Is There a Doctor in the House?" but I guess fans liked the "Gabrielle is mortally wounded" aspect (similar to her plight in "One Against an Army"), or else the "female relationship" angle. Although I hated the series finale ("A Friend in Need") at the time it aired, and have been quite bitter about it for years now, viewing the finale again has tempered my feelings considerably. There is a certain undeniable logic that justifies Xena's mortal end, and her brutal demise is softened by the visual presence of her spirit. I must say, I truly appreciate the theatrical quality of the seamless director's cut, and there are a couple of graphic scenes included in this version that did not air on television which definitely enhances the episode's tragic impact.... As for the interviews and featurettes, I really enjoyed most of them. But I simply could not sit through the Robert Trebor piece, first of all because I never cared for the Salmonius character, and second of all because the actor is just too full of himself. Everyone else is delightful, though. I cringed here and there during the Xena Convention piece, didn't care for the Xena reenactments, and absolutely loathed the "Xena Fanatic" video. I am a true fan of Xena, but I'm definitely NOT a fanatic. As William Shatner once opined, fanatics need to get a life.... Also, I'm a heterosexual male, and the convention footage and fanatic videos clearly focus on gay fans. I have nothing against this sector of our society, but I do feel that guys like me who found Xena kick-butt sexy should have found a voice in the featurettes somewhere. At any rate, I rarely watch the extras more than once. The real gem here is the collection of Xena episodes, and that makes this 10th Anniversary Collection worth the price of admission.

I cannot help but say I'm suprised by this. The earlier seasons (1/2/3) are almost universally accepted as the best by the fans - and we only get a single season 2 episode in this collection?? This is not even close to what I'd assemble as an "essential" list. Season 4 I can understand, as that was not well accepted overall. I guess I just find it hard to believe that this is truly representative of fan desires (and I've been a huge Xena fan since the show's start.) Perhaps the fans shouldn't have been involved at all! A list of shows showing Xena's evolution, starting with her appearance on Hercules, and ending with her death - and all comedy and non-arc stories generally excluded - would have gone a lot farther.

If you are a die-hard, this set fills the Xena void quite nicely with some new featurettes, interviews and other extras. However, I was left feeling a little bit empty, since most (if not all) the audio/video commentary by Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor is the same that was found on the season sets. The tiny snapshot this 16-episode set provides is created by the fans, and we all know that no two fans are alike. Therefore I would only recommend this set as a bookend to the full series - because in the case of Xena, what was most important was the journey, not the destination.

I love Xena-the Warrior Princess. I think that Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor did an awesome job portraying Xena and Gabrielle. While I appreciate the aspects of their relationship, I felt that the 10th Anniversary set left much to be desired. It is still a must buy for a serious fan due to the interviews and insights given by the actors, directors, etc involved with the show. I know that they must have polled fans to get the episodes, but I have to wonder how the Debt and Sin Trade were left off. Not to mention so many other episodes that dealt with my favorite aspect of the show which was Xena's redemption for her dark past. The packaging is nice and it is nice to see Lucy and Renee talking about the show.

I give this DVD five stars, only because it is Xena. As far as content on the set goes, 3 stars, if even that. I think this should have been a more complete package, featuring some sort of extras on EVERY episode. Plus, the SOTP Audio Commentary by Lucy and Renee is a bit of a let down, as there are large gaps where nothing is said. At first, I thought my DVD player was malfunctioning. However, the artwork and packaging design is awesome. So, as the previous reviewer said, this is a good bookend to an incredible series. I just wish Anchor Bay would have taken more care in producting the set. Battle On, Xena!

Because I was a fan of the show, I saw this boxed set as an opportunity to get a snapshot of the series. I would recommend this set for anyone who wants to learn about the show who didn't get a chance to watch when it originally aired. It is also a good package for longtime fans as well.

I boughts this dvd set because I like Xena Warrior Princess and I thought it was cool they had a anniversary addition. The episodes are great even though it leaves out a few of my favoties and has a few I wouldn't choose, but I love the commentary and behind the scence stuff with Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, and the directors/creators. I did not like the fan based interveiws they could of left some of that out. Overall it is a good collection and I would recomend this to any Xena Warrior Princess fan.

This dvd set is wonderful! Episodes carefully chosen taken in consideration the fan's opinion and great finishing.
The leather imitation on the box is neat and the silver details make it even more luxurious.
The extras are also really good with some content which wasn't included in the previous dvds.