Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete First Season [Blu-Ray]
Release Date: Now Available on Blu-Ray & DVD
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Disc Rating: 9.5/10
Plot Summary:
Written by David S. Goyer, the series follows the “untold” story of Leonardo Da Vinci: the genius during his early years in Renaissance Florence. As a 25-year old artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist, he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time as he begins to not only see the future, but invent it.
First off, I’d like to state that I know very little about the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, therefore I will not be comparing whether things line up with facts or venture off the track of history, and simply focusing on the series itself.
‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ is created by the hugely talented David S. Goyer (co-writer for Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy) who was one of the creators of ‘Flashforward’, 
a short lived ABC series that was fantastic but unfortunately never saw a second season. This time around Goyer focuses more on the imagery and scenery, while still maintaining a complex and intriguing plot filled with unique and memorable characters, in addition to a healthy amount of suspense, twists and turns that are sure to keep the viewer enthralled.
The series focuses on the life of Leonardo Da Vinci as he struggles to realize his dreams and continues to prove that if you can imagine it, it can be realized. He finds his way into 
acquiring a job creating armored vehicles among other inventions by cleverly utilizing his techniques of misdirection to get the attention of the one man who can provide him this opportunity. At the same time he is dealing with his father who refuses to accept his bastard son’s wishes and continues to make his life far more difficult than it would be already. Tom Riley does a tremendous job in the lead role of Da Vinci and while I cannot say whether he fits the description of his personality from history, the role in which is presented on this series is portrayed flawlessly by Riley.
For fans of the series, you will certainly want to pick up a copy of this nice Blu-Ray collection for the first season of the show. For others like me who had not previously seen the series, I would recommend giving it a shot. It has some of the most beautiful scenery, landscapes and costume designs I’ve seen on television in recent memory and it pulls off the feel of the age and environment with truly impressive accuracy that is simply a marvel itself. Add to this a number of interesting characters, intense elements of this harsh world of seduction and betrayal and we have a truly phenomenal show on our hands well worth watching. Even for those like me who are not much for period type pieces, ‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ is truly a delight.
VIDEO:
The video on the Blu-Ray release of ‘Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete First Season’ is a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the show’s original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The transfer looks fantastic, and all of the gorgeous detail and scenery is on brilliant display here. Fans of the series should all be very satisfied with the video presentation on the Blu-Ray release.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features an uncompressed English 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack on all 8 episodes of the first season and it sounds fantastic. While some elements of the show are more quiet and tame, other moments involving flight, fighting, explosions and the music really hitting sound absolutely stunning and really test this stunning TrueHD soundtrack which more than holds up to the test.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-Ray release includes a nice helping of bonus features, including audio commentaries with the cast and crew, a number of featurettes, in addition to deleted scenes and a second screen promo. There should be more than enough goodies included to keep everyone occupied following their viewing of the first seasons eight episodes.
Disc Rating: 9.5/10
‘Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete First Season’ is now available to own on Blu-Ray & DVD from Starz & Anchor Bay Entertainment.
