Overview: Based on Margaret Atwood’s award-winning, best-selling novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of life in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States.

Blu-ray Verdict: Facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, Gilead is ruled by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized “return to traditional values.”

As one of the few remaining fertile women, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is a Handmaid in the Commander’s household, belonging to the caste of women forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world.

In this terrifying society, Offred must navigate between Commanders, their cruel Wives, domestic Marthas, and her fellow Handmaids – where anyone could be a spy for Gilead – with one goal: to survive and find the daughter who was taken from her.

Simply put, 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a 10-episode series not to be compared with any series I've seen before. Showcasing on Hulu, the story shows a terrifying future told by amazing actors, fabulous camera shots and brilliant cinematography.

Indeed, as a lover of the original Margaret Atwood novel - that is a chilling story of subjugation and ideology gone wrong in the face of terror - I was looking forward to watching this.

Elizabeth Moss is, as always, incredible, a force in this role. She embodies the character of Offred, and with little effort or words, you see her pain and anger. Yvonne Strahovski is also incredible, and too, you see her struggle, her anger, her defeat in every scene she is in.

However, completely stealing the show is Alexis Bledel, who is absolutely magnificent! In episode 3, after a horrific act, she has 20 seconds of pure brilliance, showing so many emotions without saying a single word. I was awestruck by the last 10 minutes of that episode, her performance was perfection.

Ann Dowd makes you feel sorry for her and hate her at the same time, and that is an incredible feat of acting. Samira Wiley also gets to have some much-like moments, but I won't give those away here.

I was hesitant about this series when it started, but once I got past the comparisons to the book and went back and watched the story for what it was, I was spellbound. This is something that cannot be missed. Every primary actress in this series deserves a nomination and a win, not just Moss. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

From Script to Screen - Go inside the premiere episode's "Salvaging", a harrowing scene where Handmaids violently participate in the execution of an alleged attacker. Interviews with series Showrunner/Executive Producer Bruce Miller, Elisabeth Moss, Ann Dowd and Madeline Brewer, as well as an in-depth look at the story points, character arcs and complexity of shooting this sequence with Director of episodes one through three, Reed Morano.
Hope in Gilead - Examine the reasons why "THE HANDMAID'S TALE" has captivated millions and become a cultural phenomenon. The cast and crew discuss parallels with today's political climate as well as the series' themes of hope, resilience and the fight for freedom.