It’s hard to believe that it was seven whole years ago that the web series Red vs. Blue first came into the public sphere. This comic piss-take on the Halo video game series is almost as old as the Halo series itself, effectively planting it one of the mainstays of Halo’s giant footprint in modern culture, even if it didn't start out as an official part of the franchise.
The Blood Gulch Chronicles spans 5 seasons of exactly 100 episodes, all of which are included in this comprehensive DVD set that also features a couple of other Red vs. Blue mini-series and some bonus videos.
The concept is simple enough. In the Blood Gulch, one of the multiplayer levels in the Halo games, a sitcom takes place involving clueless space marines who have no idea why they’re there, or why they’re fighting each other. At least that’s what the series is about at first. These early episodes of Red vs. Blue are the best of them. This was before creators Rooster Teeth realized that they have a hit on their hands that could go on for seven years, and were simply poking existential fun at the illogical nature of both the Halo universe and multiplayer video game battles in general. “Why are we fighting each other, anyway? I signed up to fight aliens,” one of them wondered aloud in the first season. Even better is their send-up of “Capture the Flag” modes: none of our goofy characters can explain why the flag is so important, a question I'm sure many bored players have asked themselves (I did).
Eventually, gamer in-jokes are not enough to sustain an ongoing series, so the series quickly switches to a M.A.S.H.-like satire of military life (except maybe not as clever), particularly the pointlessness of their post and the obtuseness of command. Because of the obvious limits on objects and expressions, the humor relies very heavily on witty banter. Sometimes it can be really funny, but at other times it can be all noise; very much in the very labored, often shrill Clerks-mold of dialogue. It reminds me of a Sunday strip, but with modern computer animation.
Red vs. Blue is animated using a process called machinima, which is the technique of using real-time graphics engines to create animation. The most typical form of this art makes use of video game engines; in this case, the Halo games. Because of the familiarity of the Halo components—in today's culture even more so than when the first season premiered—the effect is not unlike the conceit in Toy Story. It’s as if the avatars have lives and normal thoughts in between our play time.
The box set boasts of “remastered” episodes, but it’s more like they re-shot most of the series. Video game graphics have improved tremendously since 2003, so they’ve done what George Lucas attempted to do with the Star Wars special editions: update the visuals for the present. Those early Red vs Blue episodes from seven years ago now matches the graphics quality of season 5, when Blood Gulch ended (this is why only seasons 1-4 were remastered). Rest assured that, unlike Lucas, Rooster Teeth did not alter anything else.
I’ve always had reservations on the idea of stitching webisodes together. On this set, The Blood Gulch Chronicles isn’t presented as five seasons of 5-minute episodes, but five 95-minute features. This is fine for projects that are meant to be a single story chopped into pieces (the recent Angel of Death and G.I. Joe: Resolute come to mind), but awkward for a series clearly meant to be enjoyed in small doses of funnies. Before long, I found myself getting bored by the endless chatter and shifting plot, funny they may be. Which is a shame, because when Red vs. Blue is funny, it can be pretty damn good.
DVD Bonus Features
Each season’s disc comes with a set of features like commentary track, deleted scenes, outtakes, etc., with the mini-series Out of Mind and an alternate ending included in the Season 5 disc. But the truly impressive part is the sixth bonus disc. The supplements on there can only be described as thorough. In addition to the Recovery One mini-series and the Halo 3 launch videos, there are also a few bonus new and unreleased episodes. Also present are the exclusive vids they’ve made for various events like PAX, E3, G4 awards, A-Kon, Spike TV Video Game Awards and even a Bare Naked Ladies concert.
Additionally, there are the behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, a Comic-Con road trip video, and even a collection of the best fan art and fan videos from the online community. It’s like they wanted to make sure that any Red vs. Blue newbie who buys this set would be able to enjoy everything that the longtime fans experienced.
The layout of the bonus disc makes it so that you can choose to have the extras categorized by what they are (by selecting “Red Base” or “Blue Base”) or have them listed in the chronological order that of their making (by selecting “Command”). It’s another extra initiative that shows a lot of care for giving the fans a proper bang for their buck.
"Red vs. Blue - The Blood Gulch Chronicles: The First Five Seasons" is on sale June 29, 2010 and is not rated. Animation, Comedy. Directed by Matt Hullum. Written by Matt Hullum, Burnie Burns. Starring Burnie Burns, Jason Saldana, Gustavo Sorola, Geoff Fink, Joel Heyman.
