Actors: Douglas Henshall, Andrew Lee Potts, James Murray, Hannah Spearritt,
Lucy Brown, Juliet Aubrey and Ben Miller
Number of discs: 4
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: BBC Warner
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2008
Run Time: 585 minutes

SoSF Rating = 5 out of 5 stars

To save 30% off of SRP – Purchase the DVD at Amazon.

“Primeval – Vol. 1: Series 1 & 2” is a must have for fans of the series and for anyone into dinosaurs and action-adventure.

The new DVD release of the first and second season of the show includes all 13 episodes. However, the real plus is the extras. The Behind-the-Scenes footage is expanded over the short few minutes dedicated to it during the regular season.

For me the best segment was an extra called “Through the Anomaly.” The featurette takes a look at the A.R.C. (Anomaly Research Center) from series 2 which became the HQ central for Lester, Cutter and the entire team after Cutter returned from inside the anomaly only to discover that his world had been altered. Jenny Lewis is still there but now as Claudia Brown. They are no longer operating out of a makeshift converted office building in the heart of town but have an entire complex of several stories and underground levels dedicated specifically for research into the anomalies and the DNA of all the creatures on this and the other side of it.

For the show the A.R.C. was actually constructed out of an abandoned British tank factory and what you see in the series is exactly what it is, a dynamic building with an interplay of real rooms for offices, labs, computer central, gym, lounge, kitchen, garage and animal storage rooms. The amount of work it took to construct such a building, not located in a studio set, is fantastic to watch. The producers spared no expense to make it real, revealing the confidence they have in the continued popularity of the show.

In the final episode of the series 2 we find out how this shift in time took place, exactly who is behind it and what that person or persons intentions really are. And, more importantly, unlike American television that is afraid to experiment with the idea of knocking off one of its central characters at the height of its ratings, this BBC/ITV presentation dares to do just that. Who bites the big one and how does that happen? I won’t spoil it for you, so you will have to just watch within the next couple of weeks when the series 2 finale airs or get a copy of the DVD when it is released in November.

After watching the entire 4-disc DVD package of “Primeval” I can hardly wait until series 3 begins. The direction the show is taking will be exciting, different, daring and WOW!