Black Sails: The Complete Collection (Seasons 1-4) [Blu-ray]

This one is a classic, immersive characterisation at its best driving a high seas pirate adventure story. The cast are excellent, with brilliant performances by all the lead actors.

Best TV series ever, however this Blu-ray complete collection is missing the behind the scenes extras advertised on the box set. Apparently it's a manufacturing fault. Astonishing quality highly addictive show that is a hidden gem. Not one character that is not highly compelling and watchable. This should of won every single Emmy going . Toby Stephens is standout for giving an absolute masterclass of an acting performance.

A classic prequel, full of intrigue. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!

Black sails is a great series let down by lack of sub titles even though it states they are there . Only on the beginning do they exist but not in English . It’s about time it was corrected in the description . I find the dialogue difficult due to my hearing not as good as it used to be .

This is for me the greatest and most satisfying television programme I’ve watched and as I’m in my 50s, I’ve seen a few over the years to make a comparison. This does for pirates what Deadwood did for cowboys and Vikings does for vikings. A story so powerful it’s had a significance influence on some aspects of my life, inspiring me to research and read historical books on pirates thus increasing my understanding and enjoyment of the story, read Treasure Island for the first time, discover fine rum (Foursquare, Appleton, Mount Gay and Plantation highly recommended)and even seek out a pirate metal band called Alestorm, now well and truly my favourite group. I sought out podcasts and recommend the Afterbuzz ones. I’ve grown a beard but drawn the line at a tattoo of a wooden leg. X definitely marked the spot. As someone with no previous tangible interest in pirates despite exposure to Captain Pugwash as a child and Captain Jack Sparrow in later life I didn’t directly gravitate to Black Sails. I was drawn via the television adaptation of the first series of The Last Kingdom. It piqued my interest in historical drama that didn’t revolve around stately homes and so went the circuitous route of looking on Amazon for “customers who” and Black Sails and Vikings were the principle programmes recommended. Black Sails series 2 aired on television so I tuned in rather than purchase something not to my tastes but nearly gave up after 15 mins when one of the main characters said “going forward”, number one on my list of corporate claptrap. I’m glad I let it go. By episode three I was grapple hooked and immediately bought series 1 & 2 eager to understand the plot better and not be confined to watching just one episode a week : a wholly outdated and unsatisfying way to consume programmes. Its like listening to a music album one song at a time every week over two months. Having watched every episode at least four times and twice binge watched over a 2 week period all 38 episodes, it’s fair to say episode one, series one, is probably the weakest of the whole ensemble. But that’s not saying it’s a bad episode. Its simply chapter one, an introduction to character, lots of them, and plot, lots of those too, which carries over into episode two. Once the foundation is established it sets sail from episode three to become an incredible and complex voyage skilfully weaving the motivation of betrayal, humiliation, loss and strategic revenge through the transformation and rise and fall of the two main players, Flint and Silver. The casting of Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold could not be bettered and they excel in the roles but are not alone in doing so. The changing multi layered loyalties to those two is interwoven through the major supporting characters of Vane, Rackham, Billy Bones, Elena Guthrie, Mr Scott, Anne Bonny, Max and Madi. There’s brief but significant and influential characters such as Mrs Barlow, Gates, Blackbeard, Woodes Rogers and not forgetting Randall. These are strong male and female characters in a powerful story played out in stunning locations and grand sets. The battle scenes at sea are quite simply utterly exciting, epic and majestically awesome. Graphic and realistic fighting scenes without the modern scourge of unrealistic slow motion Kung fu. Historical research gave me a greater insight as to how pirates came into being, how they were democratic and equalitarian communities, voting for captains and issuing articles on how their communities functioned and how treasure was divided. They even gave equal status to slaves that were rescued from ships they plundered. They were ahead of their time and perhaps not the monsters portrayed by those that wrote their history. Melding actual historical characters and fictional characters with historical fact to create a realistic depiction of a fictional story. It’s epic and majestic, cinematic qualities integrating meticulous attention to detail with sets and costumes that look distressed and lived in : the lighting is exquisite at time, rays of sunlight and shadows giving a depth and ambience. The light in the captains quarters changes to reflect the external light source of clouds and the roll of the waves. It’s not just the big light that’s cleverly thought out with the positioning of candles in the background on shelves in some scenes that become noticeable with repeat viewing. I personally watch the programme by candlelight whenever possible. There are very many times if you freeze frame and study the image the attention to detail will leave you in awe and admiration for the creative process. Black Sails is best seen in high definition. This is Caribbean pirates for broad minded adults, not for the faint hearted and easily offended. There’s a lot of swearing and as one of the sets is a brothel, some nudity including graphic sex scenes largely in the opening episodes. They don’t really add to the programme and are unforgettable. There’s a nice touch of humour too particularly from SIlver and Randall. My favourite line from the programme, “my names John SIlver and I’ve got a....” I watched all 38 episodes last November and immediately wanted to watch it again. Can’t wait for this November.

My absolute favourite show ever made. Such gripping drama and amazing characters. Constantly getting better and better. I always knew I'd wait for the show to be finished before buying a complete boxset when it came. I have purchased the steelbook edition and it looks incredible. However I had a few qualms about the packaging. The plastic sleeve is very thin and flimsy and doesn't seem tight enough. When I pick up the box, the 2 steelcases slide out of the bottom of the sleeve far too easily. I have to grip really hard to insure they don't fall. Also, (and I don't know if this is just mine) but there seems to be a thin extra plastic film around the sleeve which is already peeling and making it look tatty. I don't know if this is safe to just peel the whole thing off since I don't know if this is what the design is printed on, if so, the design would be peeled off with it. (SEE 1st and 2nd pictures for evidence of this. Let me know what you think) Another small issue is with the way the discs have been stacked on each side, (particularly a problem with season 2 since there are 4 discs on 1 popper, causing the top one to fall out when the case is opened). However this isn't a big problem, just a little annoyance. And I am a tiny bit disappointed that a limited edition boxset doesn't come with anything else. No booklets or a little poster or anything. Bit of a shame but not really an issue. >> NOTE: I WILL UPDATE THIS REVIEW TALKING ABOUT THE BONUS FEATURES ONCE I HAVE FINISHED WATCHING THEM ALL <<

Dark, violent, serial, good acting , and atmospheric dipictian of pirates and British navy

What a TV series, it blends historical fact with fiction, that is, it tells the story behind characters such as Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack and Blackbeard amongst many others and combines fictional characters such as Captain Flint and Long John Silver. This was a truly epic series, 15-rated for a reason as it shows violence as it was during that time period. If you like your pirate films then this is a must buy.

This show gets 5 stars because it’s amazing. However be warned this is a !!!!!!UK IMPORT AND WILL NOT WORK ON JAPANESE BLU RAY PLAYERS!!!!!. You need a European player for this product! But the show is just fantastic

the set is not expensive; all disks are stacked in one pile so be carefull. What i didn't like was the fact that subtitles are only available in season 1 (first 3 disks) After that no more subtitles! Why??? This was an unpleasant surprise and a dealbreaker for me. Not all actors speak clearly enough so I do need those subtitles. I've therefor returned the set.

One star for box set being 1080p. Second star for seller being well-priced. Third star for seller being speedy with delivery. Fourth star would've been for the disc providing a thorough choice of audio dubbing and subtitles, but only the season 1 discs have alternate audio and subtitle tracks (and only for French and Deutsch). Fifth star would've been for ALL those juicy special features the disc cases and box set both boast special features that are not on any of the provided discs. Season 1 has special features, season 2 and 3 don't. Haven't had the heart to check season 4 yet. The show is provided on these discs and at a good quality, but man... I don't know if Starz, Anchor Boy Entertainment, or Platform Entertainment (or any combo or all of the three) are responsible for dropping the ball here, but a ball has certainly been dropped on this "complete" collection. Such a waste of a boxset.

Authentic environments and clothes. No Swedish subtitles lowers the rating and that there is a error on the last DVD so the picture is completely blurry in the middle on episodes 3 and 4. Autentiska miljöer och kläder. Inga svenska undertexter. Det drar ner betyget och att det fel är på sista dvd skivan så bilden är hel blurrig i mitten på avsnitt 3 och 4.

Late to the party on this amazing series, but it's among one of my favorites now. I binged all four seasons from the library then had to have my own copy, and of course I couldn't resist something as shiny as the steelbook edition blu-ray set. The show itself is wonderful, full of complicated characters, minorities of all kinds (racial, gender, and sexual), and the kind of rage specific to those minorities when oppressed by mainstream society as they would have been at the time. It's a fantastic "what if" look at history, of what happens to stories when they are shaped and told by the victors, and weaves together historical figures (Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Woodes Rogers, etc) with characters from Treasure Island and original characters created for the series, all revolving around the true (and exaggerated/sensationalized) accounts of piracy based in Nassau while also serving as a prequel for the novel. There's plenty here for the pirate and/or history buff to enjoy, and for those who are familiar with Treasure Island, but more than enough for any viewers not well acquainted with either of those things as well. The first season is the weakest, with a slow setup and enough gratuitous sex scenes to rival Game of Thrones as well as a disappointing rape plotline, but once everything gets going it only gets better and better with each season. The whole cast is excellent and well lead by Toby Stephens as James Flint, one of the best characters I've ever seen on television. Each character is complex and carries their own backstories and motivations - no one is ever simply a hero or a villain, with good people doing horrible things and bad people doing good things along the way as everyone fights for survival. Each revelation about a character will shed light on something that happened earlier in the series, and every character grows and changes throughout the show. Try not to be spoiled for this one if you can! Production values start high and keep rising higher with each season. Battles start small then progress to full scale invasions of Spanish fleets. The series was filmed in and around Cape Town, South Africa, and really showcases the natural beauty of the region alongside the detailed setpieces. The underwater sequences are particularly impressive, as well as the storm in season 3. As for the steelbook set, for the most part it's very impressive. Each "book" contains two seasons, with the front and back artwork on each lining up to form one larger image on each side. The downside to the design is that multiple discs are stored on one "peg", making it difficult to just grab the disc you want from the pile. One of the pegs has 4 discs crammed onto it, so the top one doesn't always stay put properly. Season 1 is spread over three discs, while seasons 2 and 3 are on four discs, then season 4 only gets 2 discs. The extras are all over the place - they don't seem to be anything new that wasn't on other DVD releases, mostly one long behind-the-scenes interview with cast and crew that's chopped up into smaller "episodes" so that they tie in to each ep as you watch them, but they're nice to have. The little plastic sleeve is fine to keep the set together, but it's very easily scratched and smudged. The set in general seems to attract fingerprints, really. There's a different menu style for each season, with season 1 being the odd one out. It looks like it's the only season with subtitles and language options - there's a screen at the beginning where you choose the language, then the menu will come up. It's very minimalist, with only icons to select. The anchor is for "play all", the parchment page lets you select an episode, the ship's wheel has the setup options, and the arrow sends you back to the first language selection screen if you accidentally click the wrong one. All the other seasons have a more standard text-based menu screen (see pics, some of them are rather beautiful too look at). I just finished rewatching to test the discs, and every one played fine. Be aware that this is a region 2 blu-ray, so will only play on region-free/unlocked players in the US. There were two moments where the sound dropped out for a split second (and did so every time if rewound and played again), but that seems to happen randomly to some blu-rays and it wasn't during any dialogue, just background sounds, so it doesn't bother me that much. The picture is excellent, the colors are crisp and bright, and the sound is adequate on my system. Very happy to have this set in my collection!