"SANCTUARY: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Amanda Tapping as DR. HELEN MAGNUS Robin Dunne as DR. WILL ZIMMERMAN Emilie Ullerup as ASHLEY MAGNUS Ryan Robbins as HENRY FOSS Christopher Heyerdahl as BIGFOOT/DRUITT Not Rated Studio: Syfy Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping)is a 157-year-old scientist who has spent her unnatural life building a Sanctuary for “Abnormals,” which are real-life monsters. She works with her protege Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) and kick-ass daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup) to hunt down, capture, study and protect Abnormals. However, not only do they face challenges of human misunderstanding, but they also face an external threat of The Five, a secret society of Abnormals and advanced humans who are trying to control the world.
WHAT I LIKED
Like any fan of the “Stargate” series, I took a shine to “Sanctuary” because of Amanda Tapping’s involvement. I missed the original web series, but you don’t need that to get into the show. In fact, the first handful of episodes rehash the webisodes, and they are also included on this DVD set.
I have a lot of respect for what the filmmakers are doing with “Sanctuary” in terms of taking a new step to the future of television. The use of virtual sets (to a lesser degree than the original web series, but definitely utilized quite often for the show) and the rich character history is particularly compelling.
“Sanctuary” sets itself up to go almost anywhere from a story perspective. There are countless Abmormals that they can encounter, and historical mythology provides a fertile ground for speculation. However, it’s not the monster-of-the-week element that I enjoyed about the show. I really liked the secret society and background of the characters. Helen Magnus has a past, and it is slowly revealed throughout the series.
Like “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” “Sanctuary” uses real-life people (like Nikola Tesla) and fictional characters (like Dr. Watson) to fill its bill, giving them an action movie backdrop. Shake that up with a gothic feel to the show, and you have a neat series. And, it doesn’t hurt that there are a few episodes that pay homage to other creature features, from “The Trouble with Tribbles” to “Cloverfield.”
As far as the cast goes, Amanda Tapping does a fine job holding things together. I was never a huge fan of her character on “Stargate SG-1,” but I like her a lot in this role. She has more flaws and a dangerous past, which makes her stand out from the squeaky clean and too-capable Samantha Carter. Toss the hot Emilie Ullerup into the mix, and you have a nice female side to the cast.
But I have to give props to Christopher Heyerdahl, who pulls double duty as the manservant Bigfoot and John Druitt (Magnus’ old flame and Ashley’s father), who steals the show. I loved him as Todd the Wraith on “Stargate Atlantis,” and he gives us a similar tongue-in-cheek gray character here.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While Tapping, Ullerup and Heyerdahl bolster the cast well, the rest of the characters are a bit dull. Robin Dunne is relatively forgettable as the newbie Will Zimmerman, and Ryan Robbins is a bit too cliche for my tastes. He’s just a retread of Topher from “Dollhouse,” whom I never liked in the first place.
The gothic production design and virtual sets are very cool, but they tend to bog the show down in murkiness. The stories can use a bit of a punching up and a lighter tone, if not in set design but at least in dialogue and character.
DVD FEATURES
The four-disc set features audio commentary on all thirteen episodes with Amanda Tapping, creator Damian Kindler, director Martin Wood and various other members of the cast and crew.
There are three behind-the-scenes featurettes that examine the show’s production. “Welcome to the Sanctuary” is a general making-of documentary. “Sanctuary Residents” spotlights the different creatures in the Sanctuary. “Sanctuary Visual Effects” looks at the intense effects works that goes into making even the most mundane shot.
Additional features include bloopers, a photo gallery and a teaser for season two, which premieres on Syfy on October 9, 2009 at 10 p.m. ET.
However, the best feature of the whole set is the original webisodes that started the “Sanctuary” phenomenon. Two hours of content is featured, which is impressive for a web-based show and includes some nice cameos from the “Stargate” universe.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
SyFy fans who like a monster-of-the-week show with an LXG gothic feel.
