Stargate Atlantis – Season Two
Picture:
B- Sound: B Extras: B- Episodes: C+
Prepare
for secrets to be uncovered, power to be realized and non-stop action all
around as Stargate Atlantis: Season Two
is now on DVD. For those new to the
series, here is a slight wrap up. Stargate Atlantis is a spin-off of the
very popular Stargate SG-1
series. Stargate SG-1 originally appeared on Showtime and was cancelled,
only to be picked up with great success on The Sci-Fi Channel.
Stargate Atlantis was a branch of Stargate SG-1’s seventh season in which the great city of (you
guessed it) Atlantis was discovered. The
city is most often referred to as the ‘City of the Ancients’ though, for
whatever reason. The Stargate Atlantis team in Season 1 quickly made friends and
enemies (how plot convenient); their allies being the kind Athosians, while
their enemies are the dreadful Wraith.
The first
season of Stargate Atlantis was
mainly setting up the who’s who of the sci-fi epic and ended with a dramatic
cliffhanger. Season Two, however, gets more into the meat and potatoes of the
series and contains many unusual plot twists; from weird vaccines to earthly
invasions WATCH OUT! The series is
interesting, well written and can captivate any science fiction alum to the
end. The following for the Stargate
Series seems to just be getting bigger and bigger and this reviewer can see
why. I would like to say more about this
unusual season, but this reviewer is sure fans would string him up by his Darth
Vader underwear.
The
technical aspects of this 5 Disc Season Set are quite good. The picture is presented in a nice 1.78 X 1
Widescreen. The picture remains crisp
and clear throughout, which is nice because the show does contain a lot of
flash and action that can often not transfer well picture wise, and only
contains the occasional light/dark issue.
The sound is also nice in its Dolby Digital 5.1 Surrounds that ‘BOOM,’
‘POP,’ and ‘SWOOSH’ at all the right places.
The extras are not too impressive but adequate for the series. Extras include insightful audio commentaries
on each episode, a nicely put together ‘Mission Directive’ featurettes, photo
galleries, and much more surrounding production design. Overall, a good quality set for fans to
enjoy.
In the
end, this reviewer has never found the Stargate
Atlantis series to be as intriguing as still running in its tenth season Stargate SG-1, but Atlantis definitely
has its merits. The show manages to stay
fresh and fun throughout, and there is never any doubt that this is a true out
of this dimension sci-fi series.
- Michael P Dougherty II
