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Monk - Series 1-5 - Complete
RRP: £49.99
Our Price: £34.17 (subject to change)
Great value
Review date: 2008-09-04 Rating: 8 out of 10
For the price this is excellent value. There were things I'd have liked to see done differently... like all the episodes cropped the same way, and maybe some description of episodes, but for the price you can't complain. Probably the funniest thing was watching the episodes in French though... The woman who dubbed Sharona has such a posh voice I nearly cried with laughter whenever her lines came up!
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Reviews
Great Show...and yes, terrible Box Set!!!
Review date: 2008-09-01 Rating: 6 out of 10
Aside the fact that the dvd's are plain and the formats are all different depending on the season, there are ZERO subtitles!!! But the show is fabulous.... Pity...
Economic, Quality Entertainment
Review date: 2008-08-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
Monk is a terrific show about Adrian Monk, A former detective, turned consultant after the death of his wife Trudy. He has a bad case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and from the start of the series one hes coming out of his house more often with the help of his assistant Sharona. Hes solving crime after crime for the San Fransisco Police Department using his "unique talents." Hey it's a blessing and a curse!
The show itself is great. However lets just chalk up the differences between this and getting the show individually on DVD. For a start your saving alot of money. Buying series 1-5 costs almost £78. So take the pride your watching a terrific show for a mere cost of what its worth.
On the bad scope of things however there are some differences and if your willing to bare them this set will be great for you. the disc set themselves come in on quite sturdy cases which are black. (They also are finger-print magnets!) Another thing is theres no really clear identification on which series is which but all that requires is the opening of the case which is hardly taxing. The last point is that there are no episode guides. Although on the back of the box it does have an episode list in very small writing. It may also interest people that the DVD's are in a 4:3 ratio.
In conclusion your saving a fair wad of cash buying this set. (That being especially true if you bought them elsewhere.) The quality of the show is excellent and the discs are 100% the same as the singular counterparts. Although if you really need the things like episode guides and artwork on the casing this isn't the set for you.
Spoiled by 4:3 cropping
Review date: 2008-04-08 Rating: 6 out of 10
If you're reading this you probably already know how good Monk is as a series. One doesn't have to be Monk to be obsessive about some things, and two things I am obsessive about are picture quality and aspect ratio. The picture quality on these DVDs is very good although somewhat grainy, possibly due to the series being shot on film rather than digital. However, the box is spoiled by the fact that seasons 1 to 3 are presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio instead of 16:9 which the show was made in. I can see no reason why three of five seasons would have been cropped to 4:3 while the final two are correct. So if you care about this kind of thing, avoid this box. I really wish this information was consistently specified in the product listing at Amazon instead of useless information such as 'Studio' or 'Run Time'.
Obsessive Compulsive Drama
Review date: 2008-02-02 Rating: 10 out of 10
I first caught Monk on tv a couple years ago, just by chance. I loved it from that first episode, and was pleased to find this boxset in my christmas pile. I've always been into detective programmes such as Columbo and so on, and this is the best i have seen. For anybody who doesn't know, Adrian Monk is a former homicide detective who is no longer fit for active duty on the police force, due to his phobias, obsessions and other 'quirks', but is now a private detective working as a consultant with the police force. He's the genius character they call in on baffling cases, as he sees things that everybody else misses, has a near-photographic memory and encyclopaedic knowledge on all manner of things. He also can't stop touching things (in particular lamps), worrying about things and otherwise obsessing, which always turns one scene into two scenes, making for great entertainment. Monk has all the elements of a Columbo meets Diagnosis Murder series (maybe a terrible comparison, but still) - the action, the mystery, the comedy, the brilliant detective work and the drama, but this has something extra, and it makes it utterly compelling to watch. The first key to the brilliance of this show is the writing/direction/production, and the second is the acting. Tony Shalhoub fits into this role so perfectly, i couldn't imagine anybody else ever playing it, or even being able to play it. His acting is amazing, and he plays every element of the role with just the right amount of subtlety as to make it work perfectly. This isn't just a detective comedy in the 'Clousea' slapstick vein; there are darker elements, which come from the fact that Monk's wife Trudy was killed by a car bomb some years earlier - this is why his condition(s) have completely taken over his life. Some of the more emotional moments are incredibly moving, and are done with such compassion and terrific acting that they come across as completely genuine. It's this human drama, wonderful acting from ALL cast members, originality and perfect balance of all the elements that makes Monk compulsive viewing. The writers obviously put a lot of love and care into this programme, and it shows in every episode. It never just goes through the motions. The bonus features throughout the 21 discs are also great to watch and provide a nice insight into the various characters and aspects of the show, including the writing process and where the show came from. Now i just want a series 6. :D
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Bitty Schram
Tony Shalhoub
Ted Levine
Creators:
Tony Shalhoub (Primary Contributor)
Bitty Schram (Primary Contributor)
Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582508666
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 20
Format: Box set, Colour, Dolby, Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2007-10-22
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 3226 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)