I hadn’t initially planned to watch Human Target, but when the opportunity came along for me to review Human Target The Complete First Season on DVD, I jumped faster than I realized to own a copy! This year, my love for action has really come to the forefront and I have no idea why, but I love it and I love this show. Watching Human Target is like watching a mini action flick each and every week and I could not appreciate being taken on such a thrilling ride any more than I can on this show.

Release Date: September 21, 2010
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 552 minutes

Are you in extreme danger? Need special security? Is there a bullet out there with your name on it? Leave it to Chance. Mark Valley is protector-for-hire Christopher Chance in the thrill-packed 12-Episode Season 1 based on the DC Comics series and graphic novel. From piloting a distressed, upside-down jumbo jet to bodyguarding a D.A. targeted by a gang, Chance puts his life on the line ? and each new adventure reveals a little about the mysterious past that drew him to this line of work. Chi McBride as ops manager Winston and Jackie Earle Haley as techno genius/fixer Guerrero are Chance?s ace support crew in a series bursting with ?brilliantly off-kilter characters and high production values? (Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times).

After initially not being all that interested in Human Target, I am thrilled to now say that Human Target is one of my favorite shows on television right now. This show goes above and beyond the scale of action on television. Not only is the action grand and real but the script is well written. The characters are complex, the dynamic amongst each character is complex in its own way, and the settings and situations that these characters get themselves into and out of are beyond me. It’s fascinating to watch and leaves you satisfied each and every week…and there is nothing more that I could ask for from a television show.

Though there are stand out episodes, I was ultimately intrigued by every single episode. The first few episodes are quite fun but this is really character driven and the writers tease you with bits and pieces of information about the characters…so I can definitely see this show lasting for some time…because there’s always something new to discover about a person and there are three that we follow each week. Not only that, but there have been some incredible guest stars, including Tricia Helfer, Ali Liebert, Courtney Ford, Emmaunelle Vaugier, Autumn Reeser, Kevin Weisman, Lennie James, Grace Park, and Amy Acker. Ultimately what makes this show so fascinating to me is the fact that I’m following a regular human putting his life on the line to save others. Though based on a comic book, Christopher Chance doesn’t have any super powers. He is the human target and that’s what makes him a super hero. Watch Human Target…you’ll be so happy that I told you to.

Bonus Features:

Human Target Confidential Informant (15:43 minutes) – This special feature is a fantastic analysis of main characters, Christopher Chance, Winston, and Guerrero as well as the relationships amongst each of them. The feature starts out detailing the mystery of Christopher Chance and what we see of Chance that makes him so grounded in what he does and how he lives. Executive Producer, McG points out that Chance is not about the money, he has heart. He is in the business of saving lives. I love that the creators discuss not only the characters individually but the dynamic between each of them in such detail and so eloquently. It is my favorite character analysis on a DVD special feature this year. As mentioned in this feature, the first season shows bits and pieces of each of the guys past and only touches the surface of their history. Because of that, I am looking forward to Season 2 more than I could have ever anticipated. action and comedy aside, these characters have a depth to them that I cannot wait to learn about and this was just the tease to that. If you are going to watch one special feature on this DVD, this would be it.

Also appearing in this special feature:
Executive Producer, Jonathan E. Steinberg
Co-creator Human Target for DC Comics, Len Wein
Pilot Episode Director, Simon West
Director, Steve Boyum
Stunt Coordinator, Dean Choe
Cast mates Jackie Earle Haley, Chi McBride, and Mark Valley

Human Target Full Contact Television (15:30 minutes) – In this special feature, behind the scenes footage of filming is shown as the cast and creators talk about the grand scale of the show. Each episode is generally written in 5 days and shot in 8 days and the goal is to make each episode a mini feature film. They have definitely reached their goal! This show is unlike anything that I have seen on television, because the script and action are both so intense and real. Speaking of real…viewers learn that not only does Mark Valley do most of his own stunts, but the show in general is all about real action and not cgi action. The creators stress the goal of creating fight scenes in new environments, planning the length of the fight scenes, creating set pieces that aren’t generic, and much more. For those of you are are interested in the stunts, stunt coordinator, Dean Choe briefly talks about the process of choreographing the fight scenes. For those interested in the music, viewers will see the orchestra recording the score as composer, Bear McCreary talks about the score. The score really takes the show to a whole new level, so I was thrilled that time was taken out in the feature to discuss this. I enjoyed hearing everyone discuss the different components of the show and would have loved if this feature had been longer. But this show loves to tease, so I can understand the length.

Also appearing in this special feature:
Executive Producers, Jonathan E. Steinberg and McG
Co-creator Human Target for DC Comics, Len Wein
Pilot Episode Director, Simon West
Director, Steve Boyum
Cast mates Jackie Earle Haley, Chi McBride, and Mark Valley

Unaired Scenes – There are unaired scenes for the episodes, “Embassy Row,” “Sanctuary,” and “Christopher Chance.” There seemed to be 3 sequences for “Embassy Row”, my favorite being Guerrero bringing in a defibrillator into a case. There was one seen in “Sanctuary” involving Chris heading below the church which seemed more like an alternate scene since we do see Chris go underneath the church in the episode. There were 2 sequences for “Christopher Chance,” one involving Chris at the safe house and the other involving Winston and his job being on the line. I enjoyed the deleted scenes for “Christopher Chance” though I can see why the other scenes were altered or deleted in the end. If you are a fan of deleted scenes, you’ll enjoy these but no scene is a true must see.

Pilot Commentary – The commentary is conducted by cast members, Mark Valley and Chi McBride and executive producers, Jonathan E. Steinberg and Peter Johnson. I enjoyed this commentary much more than I had anticipated. This show is so unlike anything that is on television right now and far from what I usually watch on television and in film in general. So I actually had no idea what to expect but I enjoyed every moment. I learned an awful lot about not only the Pilot but the show as a whole. There was discussion on casting Mark Valley and Chi McBride, the chemistry between the 3 main characters
pitching the show, the comic book, the score, the sets, and so much more. It really brought things into perspective when the guys mentioned the inspiration for the show (Die Hard, Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc…) which was making the show all of your favorite action films week after week but playing with the format and showing different variations of those themes. Even more incredible is that in the original conception, Guerrero was supposed to be a one off but he soon became a series regular! That was a very smart casting decision. This show is truly very smart. Another example of the show’s intelligence is the decision to make the “hot girl of the week” actually significant to the story line. Everything is really thought out and very well crafted. I absolutely loved this commentary and appreciate the show even more now, as things were brought to light that I didn’t even realize that pulled me into the story. So definitely listen to this commentary, you won’t be disappointed.

Own Human Target The Complete First Season on DVD & Blu-ray today.

Human Target Season 2 premieres Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 8/7c on Fox.