Red vs. Blue: Revelation – DVD Review

Red vs. Blue: Revelation will be remembered in years to come as the season where everything changed for the show. While the first seven seasons had been limited to animation and shots from within the Halo games themselves, Revelation annihilates that notion in a blaze of glory when a Warthog (armored jeep) crashes through a wall, starting an amazing action sequence that marks the arrival of outside visual effects into the series. In watching the previous two seasons, I mostly put them on in the background. I’d listen to the dialogue while doing other things and looking up sporadically in order to follow the action. I planned on doing the same for this one but once the aforementioned scene takes place I dropped my jaw and my laptop and watched in amazement for the next two hours.

The use of visual effects was even more impressive after the initial shock. Revelation has some of the greatest action scenes I’ve seen this entire year. Who would have thought that an animated video game spoof could achieve that? Simply watch the fight between the armies and a returning character near the middle of the season. Not only is there some incredible physical fighting, but the use of the environment during the scene is stunning. In a year when even The Expendables was slightly lacking in its fight scenes it’s refreshing to see someone still knows how to film (and in this case, animate) some truly compelling action.

Of course, Red vs. Blue has always been predominantly about comedy and it still delivers in spades. There are some great scenes in here, most of it conversational. I challenge you to not laugh at the scene where two characters discuss physics while their adversary is stuck in a slow motion punching motion. Also present are some awesome callbacks to classic Red vs. Blue moments. We even get a new take on the now infamous questions “You ever wonder why we’re here?” This question is uttered again as the beginning of an inspirational street that seems ripped straight out of some classic war film.

As far as extras, this disc is pretty packed. I’m not always the biggest fan of commentaries as they usually tend to either be dry, boring technical tracks or too focused on funny inside jokes. These guys get it down perfectly. They are clearly having a blast talking about their series and give just the right amount of information and funny stories to keep the entire thing entertaining. Especially interesting is the detail they give on the animation scenes. It’s definitely worth a listen for anybody thinking about becoming an animator. Also included are deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurettes and a the usual standalone bonus videos that don’t relate to the rest of the story.

Red vs. Blue is, simply put, one of the greatest online animated shows ever and Revelation cements that status. This is my favorite season so far of the series (though I have yet to watch any of The Blood Gulch Chronicles) and I can safely say that this will appeal to any fan of sci-fi action. If you’re already a fan of the series and own seasons 6 and 7 then you should pick this up. If you’re a newcomer however, you should pick up Red vs. Blue: The Recollection, which collects this and the previous two seasons, forming an excellent trilogy. If the series continues on with the animated sequences introduced here, I can only begin to imagine the glory that we’re in for.

Rating:

Alex Scott-Webster

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