Another entry in the canon of young adult literature about imperiled teenagers in a dystopian future, The 100 (based on novels by Kass Morgan) could have been a movie franchise. The series riffs on the same kind of teens-in-distress—and in heat—themes that fueled The Hunger Games, The Giver, The Maze Runner, and others. The large cast consists of a serviceable group of attractive young people exploring a verdant Earth in the mid-22nd century, 97 years following a nuclear apocalypse. Actually, they are 100 juvenile delinquents who've been sent to the surface from a failing “ark” orbiting above to test the planet's habitability for the 2,000-odd grownups still alive. They don't remain 100 for long: factions form, order crumbles, people die, and boys and girls fall in love (think Lord of the Flies meets Dawson's Creek). It turns out Earth still has a population, dubbed Grounders by the 100, and they're bad (mostly), but not as evil as the Reapers, a mutant species. The 100 offers lots of action punctuated by misty, meaningful, soap-opera gazes between chiseled and coifed characters, including Eliza Taylor as independent-minded Clarke, Thomas McDonell as daredevil Finn, and Marie Avgeropoulos and Bob Morley as siblings Octavia and Bellamy. Compiling all 13 episodes from the 2014 debut season, extras include episode commentary, a 2013 Comic-Con panel segment, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. A strong optional purchase. (T. Fry)
The 100: The Complete First Season
Warner, 3 discs, 544 min., not rated, DVD: 3 discs, $39.98, Blu-ray: $49.99 Volume 30, Issue 1
The 100: The Complete First Season
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