DVD Review
by Kevin Carr and Carol Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Joe Flanigan as LT. COL. JOHN SHEPPARD David Hewlett as DR. RODNEY MCKAY Rachel Luttrell as TEYLA EMMAGAN Torri Higginson as DR. ELIZABETH WEIR Paul McGillion as DR. CARSON BECKETT Jason Momoa as RONON DEX Not Rated Studio: MGM Created by: Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper Back to DVD Review Home |
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I’ve never watched the first spin-off series to the “Stargate” movie. I remember when it began on Showtime, long before SciFi Channel took over. Not being a huge fan of the movie, I never tuned into the series. Even when I was sent season 9 to review, I let my mother (an avid fan of the show) watch it, considering there was no way for me to quickly catch up and fill in the gaps of eight seasons.
But when “Stargate Atlantis: Season Two” came across my DVD player, I took a stab at it. I was only a season behind, and I could fill in the gaps for that. (After all, what else is Wikipedia for?)
This series takes place in a forgotten city dubbed Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, far from the Stargate SG-1 home base. While they can communicate through the stargates, they can’t exactly send warships over to save their hides. Along with a new galaxy comes a new enemy – the Wraith. These vampire-like creatures feed on the life force of humans. After the race woke up in droves, they began hunting humans mercilessly.
Season Two opens with the Wraith attacking Atlantis. One warship makes a hyperspace trip from Earth to help, but it’s not enough to do away with the entire Wraith armada. The humans on Atlantis must find a way to hide their city from the Wraith and stop these creatures from heading to the Milky Way to find the source of humans on Earth.
Throughout the season, the folks in Atlantis search the Pegasus Galaxy for ZPMs, which can power the city. They also try to form alliances to hopefully fight against the Wraith. Along the way, they pick up some friends, like the Wraith bait Ronon (Jason Momoa), as well as some nefarious creatures seeking to betray them.
“Stargate: Atlantis” reminds me a lot of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” mainly because it’s a group of humans far from home, searching for allies through a wormhole. Of course, the creators of “Stargate: Atlantis” and the whole Stargate universe itself have improved a lot on the old “Star Trek” model.
Rather than having a rosy outlook on life in the universe, the Stargate universe reveals some downright evil creatures – from the Goa’uld to the Wraith. It also refined the characters to not bow so much to the political correctness of Hollywood. While Dr. Weir is a woman leading the Atlantis team, she’s not without flaws. She’s also a good leader with some charisma, unlike the wooden Captain Janeway from “Voyager.”
My favorite character on the show by far is Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett), who was the anchor character used to bridge the show to “Stargate: SG-1.” He’s an arrogant, condescending ass, but he’s a riot. He’s also the most interesting character because his flaws are so real. Consider the sci-fi geek audience (and I say that with great love because I am a sci-fi geek myself). It’s completely populated with Dr. McKays. We totally relate to him.
While the Atlantis team isn’t the brightest bunch, they sure have fun. Most of the episodes involve the leadership making a really bad decision on how to approach a situation, get in a whole mess of trouble and then rely on Dr. McKay’s genius to save them. But again, us sci-fi geeks love it when everyone has to rely on the nerdy genius to save the day. If only he could get the girl as well.
The DVD comes with a load of special features spread among the five discs. All episodes have commentaries, and there are “Mission Directive” featurettes that focus on characters and other story elements. There are also photo galleries and other spotlights on aspects of the show.
This show exceeds the quality of the “Star Treks,” except for “The Next Generation.” It plugged a lot of the holes that resulted from political correctness and visions of a utopian future. Sure, all the planets they visit are inhabited by agrarian villagers wearing robes, and they all look like the forests in British Columbia, but I can look past all that when I really like the stories.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
