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DVD Stargate Atlantis - The Complete First Season
It's not a franchise on the order of Law & Order, CSI, or Star Trek--not yet, anyway--but with Stargate Atlantis, a more than worthy successor to SG-1, Stargate is becoming a nice little cottage industry in itself. The premise, in a nutshell: The Ancients, the greatest race the universe has ever known (or something like that), abandoned Earth millions of years ago, taking Atlantis with them; they then sunk the entire city in order to escape the clutches of the dreaded Wraith, an implacable bunch of villains who nourish themselves by sucking the life from humans. Now, as the two-hour "Rising" pilot details, a new team has gained access to the legendary city. Once they arrive, Atlantis loses the power to sustain its protective shield and rises to the surface, and thus begin the team's adventures (i.e., using the stargate to travel to other planets in the Pegasus galaxy, encountering aliens both hostile and friendly, and trying to defeat the Wraith, or at least stay out of their way).
Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson), SG-1's driving force, is missed, but Atlantis has a strong replacement in Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), easily the most charismatic member of the new team. Like O'Neill, Sheppard is a wiseacre and a loose cannon, as well as a superb pilot with an innate understanding of the Ancients' arcane technology. His humor, humanity and conscience provide a welcome contrast to the other characters, especially brilliant-but-neurotic Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) and ultra-serious project leader Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson), who has little to do but give orders and stand up for her people. The Wraith, who resemble a vampire mutation of the albino blues guitarist Johnny Winter, are the focus of most of these 19 episodes (including the pilot). These bad boys will stop at nothing--nothing, I tell you!--in their quest to snack their way through every galaxy in the universe, with Earth their ultimate feeding ground. And while the final four episodes, dealing with the Wraith's massive attack on Atlantis, end with an unsatisfying cliffhanger (basically, nothing is resolved), earlier shows effectively keep their ominous presence in the forefront. The episodes in which the Wraith play little or no active role are often compelling as well, including "Thirty Eight Minutes" (one of our heroes' "puddle jumper" spacecraft gets stuck in the stargate), "Childhood's End" (we meet a race whose members are convinced that only ritual suicide is keeping the Wraith at bay), and "The Eye" (a planet-size hurricane/tsunami bears down on Atlantis). As is the case with SG-1, the visual effects work, especially by TV standards, is excellent; in fact, one might wish for bit more cool sci-fi action and less talk in some of the episodes. Special effects include commentary (by directors, writers, and/or actors) for every episode, as well as the occasional behind-the-scenes featurette. --Sam Graham
Review(s): DVD Stargate Atlantis - The Complete First Season
Atlantis: Just As Good As SG-1!
The first season of Stargate Atlantis is definitely just as good as the best seasons of SG-1. Only a couple of episodes feel borrowed from SG-1, other than that, this series truly is incredible. Almost every single episode is action packed and full of adventure. The new characters haven't had the years to grow like the SG-1 cast has, but they have amazing potential in the years to come to be just as good as SG-1. They are already on the right track with this season. They have a good list of guest appearances from SG-1 cast members and Hollywood stars. If you are a fan of Stargate, you definitely owe it to yourself to buy this DVD set as well.
It's definitely not SG-1, but it's still AWESOME!!!
I, being a huge fan of SG-1, owning the first eight seasons (nine coming soon), had no idea what to expect from a spin-off, mainly because SG-1 started deteriorating after the episode "Promethius Unbound" in which they introduced the stupidest character ever invented. But, back to Atlantis. Totally new characters (except for Weir and McKay), in an amazing new setting, with lots more technology, is a good setup for a great show; which it is. McKay is just as much of a jerk as when his character was invented (the season five episode of SG-1 called "48 Hours"), and I don't like Dr. Weir that much, but Shepherd is pretty cool and somehow, it all works out. So, where the heck is Season 2?! For some reason the Austrailians get it this November, while those of us in America are getting it "sometime in 2007." Oh well.
Vancouver is good for Sci-fi
This is great science fiction and I agree with all of the positive reasons written here. The cast is absolutely magical with an international quality that adds depth to the drama that unfolds. Torri Higginson is perfect in the role as Dr. Weir and to think further on this.......I don't see any weak characters in this highly interactive lineup. The development of Dr. Beckett from a background role to one of the front core characters was a good move by the executives of the show. Another big plus in Stargate Atlantis is the fabulous Bridge Studios facility in the Vancouver area and the wonderful forest backdrops. Southwest Canada is perfect for science fiction shows like this. This is a DVD set for all SciFi fans.
Related DVD's Stargate Atlantis - The Complete First Season
Stargate SG-1 soldiers on with this five-disc, 20-episode set from the sturdy franchise's ninth season (2005-06), incorporating numerous changes while continuing to distinguish itself as one of the television's best sci-fi shows. Longtime star Richard Dean Anderson makes only brief cameos these days, after seven seasons as Lieutenant Colonel and one as Brigadier General Jack O'Neill. Stalwarts Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Michael Shanks (as Samantha Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel Jackson, respectively), are still on hand, but with Season 9, Ben Browder (known to many genre fans for his lead role in the excellent Farscape series) takes over as leader of SG-1, the Stargate project's ace team in the field. As Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell, Browder effectively projects the... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 03 October 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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There are those who may regard it as old wine in a new bottle, but that doesn't mean that Stargate Atlantis doesn't have something to offer to both newcomers and fans of Stargate SG-1, the franchise from which it evolved. Co-creators and executive producers Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, both of whom worked on the earlier show, have concocted an appealing premise for this spin-off, in which the so-called Ancients abandoned Earth millions of years earlier, taking their city (i.e., Atlantis) with them. Now, a new team has gained access (via the Stargate, the "wormhole" our heroes use to travel to different worlds) to the legendary sunken city, where new adventures and deadly new enemies await. Stargate SG-1 stars Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks make... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Martin Wood DVD Release Date: Released the 07 June 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A gradual shift in overall style, character homecomings and departures, and evolving on- and off-screen roles for the major players are among the attractions of the seventh season of Stargate SG-1. Spread out over five discs, these 21 episodes are ample indication that changes notwithstanding--and admittedly, not all of them are for the better--the series remains arguably the best-made, most compelling sci-fi program on television.
Perhaps most noticeable is the reduced role of star Richard Dean Anderson, who opted to limit his number of trips to Vancouver, where Stargate SG-1 is filmed. But that's not a bad thing. The show's ability to poke fun at itself has always been a strong suit, and while Anderson still brings a welcome sense of humor to his portrayal of... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Battlestar Galactica's Edward James Olmos wasn't kidding when he said "the series is even better than the miniseries." As developed by sci-fi TV veteran Ronald D. Moore, the "reimagined" BG is exactly what it claims to be: a drama for grown-ups in a science-fiction setting. The mature intelligence of the series is its greatest asset, from the tenuous respect between Galactica's militarily principled commander Adama (Olmos) and politically astute President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) to the barely suppressed passion between ace Viper pilot "Apollo" (a.k.a. Adama's son Lee, played by Jamie Bamber) and the brashly insubordinate Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), whose multifaceted character is just one of many first-season highlights. Picking up where the miniseries ended (it's included... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 20 September 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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It now seems clear that season 5 of Stargate SG-1 will be remembered as the one in which something went awry with Daniel Jackson. Lots of behind-the-scenes rumors fueled the idea of cast tension, but whatever the problem, his sudden departure from the show was obviously through a quickly contrived scenario. In retrospect, there must have been a problem for some while before the weird penultimate episode ("Meridian"). Michael Shanks looks frequently bored in his rare moments of individual screen time as he infiltrates a Goa'uld meeting and even when making friends with a creature everyone else wants dead. In fact, there's only one point when everyone really seems to be having fun, and that's in the spoof 100th episode "Wormhole X-treme!"
Most shows go through a run-around,... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 13 June 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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