History repackaged its shows again.
As the American nation is born, a vast continent lies to the west of the mountains, waiting to be explored and exploited. Yet this land is not empty–Native American Indians are spread across the land mass, as are Spanish colonists and French explorers. For the pioneers who set out to confront these lands, following trailblazers like Daniel Boone, the conquest of the West is a story of courage and hardship that forges the character of America. Armed with knowledge from hardened mountain men like Jedediah Smith, millions of Americans keep heading ever westward.
If one person gets at least a vague US history time line from this show, someone who normally doesn’t watch the History Channel…I feel then the show has done its job. If the CG graphics draw a younger crowd, like people who liked the movie 300, then good. They probably learned something. And yes, maybe it does make some historical items seem more important than they should or jumps to an assumption here and there, but it’s decent to watch and entertaining as a whole.
There’s also a ton of repackaged material about Vietnam, the history of Mankin and the corporate titans that built America. We’ve covered over the years and so many site builds that I can physically compare discs to see that this set is a repackage. If the broad subjects on the box art intrigue you, then you’re going to want to pick it up. Otherwise, pass on it.
The DVD set comes with interviews, featurettes and trailers. The A/V Quality is sharp enough, but I expected more visual pop from a History Channel production. I guess visual panache is reserved for the bigger productions. Still, the Dolby mix was strong and it helped to make the historical recreations pop across the soundstage.
RELEASE DATE: 12/15/2015
