Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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148 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Our Little Corner of the World, July 25, 2007
I want to preface this review by saying this: I envy each and every person that will forever be able to pick up this set and experience the magic, whimsy, and zanyness of the Gilmore Girls fresh and anew for the first time.
`Gilmore Girls' which ran from 2001-2007 on the WB and CW networks is a show that is simply about a mother and daughter. But it goes so much further than that. This particular mother/daughter combo are best friends and separated in age by a mere 16 years. Yet, more than the interactions between Lorelai and her daughter Rory, typically the zany towns-people are the characters that steal the show. Their incredibly charm, matched with `the Gilmore Girls' wit, all set within the picture-perfect New England town of Stars Hollow, makes "Gilmore Girls" seem almost like a story book fantasy.
The series begins with Lorelai reluctantly starting to rebuild her relationship with her waspy high-society parents, after they agree to fund Rory's private school education. Throughout the seven seasons the audience watches as Lorelai relationship with her parents start to blossom, as well as the bond that forever strengthens between her and her own daughter, Rory. Lorelai was raised as a princess, but always hated her parents for the rules that society put upon her - hence why she ran away from home when she was 16 and pregnant. Throughout the years as well, the audience watches as Rory grows from an innocent and naïve 15-year-old girl, into a mature and seasoned 22-year-old college graduate.
It's impossible to put into words just how magical this show really is. And it is not the perpetual `chick-flick' that many write-it off as. It is infact probably one of the smartest and best written television shows to grace the small-screen in recent years. One would need several PH D.s in Popular Culture to get even 80% of the refrences that these girls throw around. And beyond that the performances of the actors makes this show something special. And, although the show started as a drama, the humor was always present and by the middle of season one the glimpses of the great comedy to come started to make themselves known.
My review my sound like a very proud grand-parent raving about their grandchild, but that shows the love I have for this magical series. I watched from the very first episode at 14 years-old with my best friend until the series finale in my apartment during my sophomore year of college (with the same friend by my side, traveling 700 miles so we could watch it together). I have loved every moment, and will buy this set in a heartbeat.
This DVD set includes all 153 episodes on 42 DVDs in their original full-frame broadcast video with Dolby Surround Sound. Special Features include a "Welcome to the Gilmore Girls" documentary, deleted scenes from select episodes, pop-culture montages, a `gilmoreism' book, commentary on "I Jump, you Jump Jack" by series creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, as well as several `behind-the-scenes' featurettes.
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117 of 124 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great set at a great price, but nothing new, November 13, 2007
Picked up my set today and I am submitting my review for those of you wondering about the extras and such. First off the packaging: As you can see in the pictures, the packaging is something you would expect to find in a Barbie Doll box. All of the seasons come in their own respective folders with pictures of the cast and different designs on each. All of the discs are numbered 1-42. The discs come in cardboard sleeves which worried me at first because I was expecting to find a lot of scratched or damaged discs(Like in the Stargate-SG1 set). But upon inspection of all the discs, they all came in perfect shape with no scratches at all. There is also the "Gilmore-isms" book with all of the references arranged alphabetically with the episodes they appear, and a short description of each. The other book is the episode guide which has all of the same descriptions for each episode as the season sets. The discs, while having different cover art than the seperate season sets are all the EXACT SAME DISCS! All have the same featurettes, deleted scenes, etc. etc. There is nothing new. So anyone thinking about selling your season sets in favor of the complete series, keep in mind that you are getting nothing new except for the dorky cover art and "Gilmore-isms" book. I don't really care about the cover art myself, I'm just glad to have all the episodes in one box. The only season set I owned prior to this is the first season. I'd been planning on picking up the other ones but now I'm glad I didn't. I borrowed the other sets from a friend so I could compare the discs. Bottom line: it really is a good set, but in my humble opinion, it is not worth the money if you own the individual season sets. If I had the other six, I'd buy the seventh and be done with it.
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56 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A tough investment indeed, but how can you say no???, July 25, 2007
As excited as I was to hear that the seventh and final season of "Gilmore Girls" will be coming to DVD on November 13--just in time for the upcoming holiday season--the fact that this deluxe full-series edition is being released on the same day is more than a little bit frustrating. As a fan who started loyally watching at the beginning of Season 6 and has quickly caught up with every episode since then, I think that this new collection--with the fancy cover art, more efficient packaging, and a slew of little extras, including a complete book of "Gilmore-isms"--will be pretty tough to pass up. Oh, but what's a Gilmore junkie to do when she has already purchased the first 6 individual seasons? Yes, unfortunately, these are the exact types of appeals that these companies present to mess with our minds and make an even larger profit. It's a pain, for sure, and yet here we all are, adoring this series and debating whether or not this investment is worth the money.
Setting all that aside, if you have not yet obtained the current DVD's and/or are thinking about introducing yourself to the magic, this might be a good opportunity to do so. As another reviewer here has already indicated, this is a genuinely unique work of art that began as a mother/daughter relationship study and gradually evolved into several layers of subtle humor, poignancy, character flaws, and imperfections that manage to never cut down on what is most important in life. The show always succeeded in maintaining a contemporary edge, but those timeless values of family and community hold up strong, and there is perhaps no series that combines it all better than "Gilmore Girls."
Most fans of the show will agree that the plot's true backbone belongs to the character of Lorelai Gilmore--a strong-willed, stubborn, occasionally selfish person whose heart is generous, sincere, and filled with everything that young people should strive for today. Getting pregnant at 16 and alienating herself from her straight-laced parents did not prevent Lorelai from creating her own life and being the best mother she could possibly be. When we meet her and her 16-year-old daughter Rory in the pilot episode, we get a glimpse of a genuinely successful young woman who works hard and provides well for her child, both physically and emotionally. As financial situations with Rory's schooling plummet Lorelai back into a world where her parents are part of her daily regime, we begin seven incredible years of bantering and conflict that any human being can relate to on some level.
As for the unforgettably bright and academically passionate Rory Gilmore, it is her and Lorelai's very connection that drew so many people into the plot in the first place. Going beyond the basic mother/daughter closeness, these two are best friends who essentially grow up together, experiencing everything from heartbreak to realizing their personal dreams. Their relationship radiates from the very beginning, and even as the superachieving Rory Gilmore grows older, heads to college and starts making her own way, you can see EXACTLY where her varying successes have stemmed. By the time she receives the payoff in the finale and tastes the glory of all her hard-fought efforts, it is not difficult to see how she got there, and for long-time viewers, that just makes it all the more heartwarming.
As I said earlier, this series has an overwhelming number of layers and would take hours to write in full detail. I could write forever, but since it's basically impossible to put everything about this show into words, I can only say that it is something of susbtance, quality, and true value for our world today. It starts out with a young woman living and enjoying life with her teenage daughter, and it deepens as a talented ensemble cast creates their warm, ideal, and welcoming town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
There's just something about it. It is an ongoing story that is sensitively told, complete with pitch-perfect acting (especially from Ms. Lauren Graham) and a solid script that is not afraid to show how these characters change, make some poor decisions, and come through it in a way that you can often admire. The messages are positive and sweet, yet even with its generous poignancy, you never feel like you are watching something too saccharine or unrealistic.
If you love this show as much as I do, then you know just what I mean, and if you haven't, then I hope you will pick up this set in November and give it a shot. The story is addictive in nature, and the writing is razor-sharp in wit during every single episode. As for this particular special edition set, well, I think I'm going to have to give in to it and continue enjoying my Gilmore Girls for years to come. It's still unknown whether or not this will include bonus features that are exclusive only to this boxed set, but either way, it's shaping up to be a pretty impressive collection that is worth the extra bucks if this is one of your all-time favorites. The 2007 holidays are coming up quickly (believe it or not), so go ahead. Save up your money, revisit the episodes, and treat yourself to a modern-day classic that certainly managed to become some of the most well-loved television of our time.
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