I fell in love with this show the first time I saw it.

I recently went into Best buy just to browse because I had some time to kill, and I generally enjoy shopping there and to my Surprise they had Arrow the complete first season on blu ray on sale, so I decided to buy it even though I was only about 13 episodes into the show on Netflix. I am very happy with this purchase, because it tells the story of an underrated comic book hero oliver queen/the green arrow. Although they did change some of his origin story for the most part it was pretty accurate, there are a few things I didnt like about the show like how they call Thea (his little sister) Speedy, even though in the comic books that is the Green Arrow's sidekick's name. But they did get some other things right like how the Character Malclm Merlyn (in the comics his real name is Arthur King) is Oliver's arch nemsis who is known as The Dark Archer, as well as Meryln the magician and Merlyn the Magninficent. I thought it was very interesting of the TV shows interpretation of how the dark archer beats oliver in the show, in the comics the Dark Archer challenges him to an archery competition in which he wins, however on the show they made it different and a little more interesting. Some other things I did not like about the show is Oliver's sister on the show she is a very whiny brat and very spoiled, and like I mentioned earlier they changed his origin not by much but just a little, in the comics Oliver is on his boat but he gets drunk, and someone pushes him off of his boat, but in the show the ship he is on with his father hits a storm and is destroyed and Oliver and two others survive, I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that as far as the ships goes. In the show they also have their own interpretation of Slade Wilson's origin (deathstroke) who is actually The Green Arrow's villian and not Batman's which almost nobody knows that. But this season starts off with an incredible pilot episode and when the end hits, you really want to watch the next one, and that is the way the whole first season is! Although both seasons are 23 episodes long and they could be shorter if you're a superhero fan or a comic fan I would say buying this first season is worth the money, at times you will feel "stuck" like man, I'm only on the 12th episode!? other shows like breaking bad only have 12 episodes in a season! if you decide to hang in there the show is really worth it! I really enjoyed it especially when the dark archer meats the Green Arrow/Oliver for the first time, Oliver asks him "what do you want!?" and The Dark Archer replies "what any Archer wants... to see who is better!!" I liked that part very much compared to their original meet in the comics. This show has plenty of Action, and makes you want to keep watching. I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially comic fans and superhero fans. I've had coworkers who know nothing of comics watch the two available seasons on Netflix and they also enjoyed it very much!

I was one that did not have high expectations for the series, but am very impressed at how it has turned out so far. The character (and overall storyline) is very dark. Much darker even than version of the Green Arrow played by Justin Heartly on Smallville. This version of the character made that one look like a boy scout. To say he is morally ambiguous is an understatement. The series starts with Oliver Queen being rescued from an island he had been marooned on for 5 years. The show actually tells two stories. In flashbacks we learn what happened after the shipwreck and the events that unfold on the island. In the present we see his transformation into "The Hood" a vigilante on a mission to take down the criminal elite in Starling City. He is also re-integrating into "normal" life, reconnecting with his friends and family, while having to lead a double life to protect those he cares about. Throughout the first season they introduce many of the DC comic characters along the way The key to the series is the wonderful acting. There are really no "A list" actors in the group, but many of them are recognizable from other shows. Stephen Amell does a great job playing the brooding role, and yet having to incorporate some of Oliver's past playboy attitude. All of the supporting actors, both series regulars and recurring, bring a lot to the show, and the writers do a good job of giving good stories to all the characters, so it is not just about Arrow out chasing down bad guys. Some of the stories in the first season get resolved, others are left open. So there is a lot to work with going into season 2. As far as this set goes, it comes both on Blu Ray and for some reason DVD. There are 4 blu ray discs and 5 DVDs. The show looks and sounds great on blu ray as you would expect. My only complaint about the blu rays is there there is no season mode. So even if you use the play all option, if you stop in the middle of an episode it does not pick back up where you stopped it. As far as extras go, there are commentary tracks on select episodes, deleted scenes for many of the episodes, a 30 min "making of" feature, an 18 min feature on the stunts, a panel discussion and gag reel. Definitely enough to keep those who like the bonus material happy.

I had low expectations when I decided to download the pilot episode. After the utter failure of 'The Cape' and other superhero TV shows ruined with poor acting, poor action and plots that could have been written by a 10 year old, who can blame me for expecting Arrow to be another loser. However, I actually came away impressed ... and I am not that easily impressed. First, the selection of Stephen Amell as Green Arrow was excellent. I was worried the role would go to a male model more concerned with being pretty than being a hardened man on a mission. With Stephen Amell as Green Arrow you get a guy who comes off more as an MMA fighter, which makes Arrow so much more believable. The action scenes are crisp and effective. Arrow starts out with grit and has an edgy quality that keeps you interested. The plot contains plenty of room for mystery and the dialogue/acting is pretty good. It makes no difference if you are a Green Arrow fan or not, this show is about enjoying a unique action hero. Maybe a bit too much glorification of 'taking the law into your own hands' but, OK, maybe we'll see if the main character grows beyond this. This appears to be a Canadian production. That may explain why the producers of Arrow seems to be taking more risks in making a DC comic action hero into an actual action hero (and showing a bit more respect for the intelligence of superhero fans young and old). I look forward to seeing more from this series. One thing the producers could add - a touch of humor. Nothing sets up an audience for action and dramatic twists than a touch of humor (the Firefly TV show first comes to mind as well and the most recent Avengers film). And, that's why I went with 4 stars instead of 5. Like super heroes? Check out Arrow. Let's see if we can keep this on the air a few years.

I was skeptical going into this show. 1) It was a lesser known superhero, 2) I recall a time when the only really good superhero tv shows were animated, and 3) it's The CW, the only great show they had prior to this one was Supernatural. This show kinda breaks the mold. The first episode is a little awkward in that Green Arrow does not have the previously established pop culture recognition that other superheroes like Batman Superman and Spider-Man do, so going in a little more blind about what to expect makes it a little awkward; additionally the actors don't have previous portrayals of their characters to glean from so it takes about one and a half episodes for them to get comfortable with their characters and make them their own. But when they do? Shoot, this series is well worth the watch. The writers do an excellent job weaving their plots, foreshadowing events and portraying the varied psychological dynamics of the characters. They also do a better job than even some movie franchises do in terms of addressing issues such as "How is this guy funding his vigilantism under the radar?" and "How does he deflect suspicions that he's the vigilante when the vigilante conveniently first shows up a few days after he re-emerges?" That fearlessness in confronting these sorts of questions head-on instead of glossing over them helps make the final product even stronger, and the actors do make the characters their own and make you care about them. Well worth watching.