Blu-ray Review - AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT, Series 13

 After 25 remarkable years, it’s the end of an era as Agatha Christie’s brilliant and beloved Hercule Poirot investigates his final cases in AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT, Series 13 debuting on DVD and Blu-ray on November 4, 2014 from Acorn, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. In these final five feature-length mysteries, the persnickety sleuth, played to perfection by David Suchet, relies on his “little grey cells” to solve complex crimes. Guest stars include the return of Poirot’s friends Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), Assistant Commissioner Japp (Philip Jackson), and Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) as well as Zoë Wanamaker, Iain Glen (Games of Thrones), Helen Baxendale (Friends), and Philip Glenister (Life on Mars). The 5-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets contain five feature-length mysteries, including the series finale, Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case, as well as a 19-minute bonus interview with Suchet ($59.99 each, AcornOnline.com). The final three mysteries made their U.S. Premiere on Acorn TV and now the entire 70 episode series is available to watch any time on the premier British TV streaming service at www.Acorn.TV.

NOTE: Also released on Nov. 4, AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT, COMPLETE CASES COLLECTION, which includes all 13 series (70 episodes) of the beloved mystery, remastered and restored to original UK broadcast order, plus several bonus features - Being Poirot documentary (62 min.), Super Sleuths (47 min.), David Suchet on the Orient Express (47 min.), and more. The DVD 33-Disc Collector’s Edition retails for $349.99, and the Blu-ray 28-Disc Collector’s Edition is $399.99.

BONUS: Interview with David Suchet (19 min.) and a photo gallery

Street: November 4, 2014                                  SRP: $59.99 U.S. (each)

DVD 3-Disc Set: 5 mysteries on 3 discs • approx. 462 min., plus bonus • SDH subtitles • UPC 0-54961-2218-9-9 • ISBN 978-1-62172-218-2

Blu-ray 3-Disc Set: 5 feature-length mysteries on 3 discs • approx. 462 min., plus bonus • 1080p/16:9 • 2.0 DTS-HD MA • SDH subtitles • UPC 0-54961-2219-9-8 • ISBN 978-1-62172-219-9

My Thoughts

 I've been following this series for a while now and was looking forward to the release of the final series. This box set includes four exciting mysteries with Poirot leading the investigations as only he can, but with lots of fabulous guest stars sprinkled in along the way.  This season includes five awesome episodes.

·         Elephants Can Remember— Poirot is checking into psychiatrist’s murder, but a crime writer might get under his feet when they look into a few murders of their own

·         The Big Four—Poirot takes on a political case that might be directly tied to the war.

·         Dead Man’s Folly—A play hunt turns deadly when one of the participants turns up dead.

·         The Labours of Hercules—Poirot follows a thief to the Swiss Alps

·         Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case—Poirot and Hastings team up to stop a series of killing, but its his own conscience that might make this Poirot's last case.

I really enjoyed Series 13 of Poirot and I'm sad to see this series come to an end. It's packed with lots of mystery, intrigue, and humor.  Poirot remains an engaging character with a lot of personality (and a really cool mustache). In this series, the story of the renown Poirot is told in a way that Agatha Christie would be proud off. If you want to take advantage a whole set of great mysteries, this is the series for you. You can order Poirot Series 13 on Blu-ray for only $49.99 at Acorn Media. Series 1-12 are also available for various prices on both DVD and Blu-ray.