Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season Blu-ray DVD Review
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DVD Release Date - August 19, 2008
Description:
At the end of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” Sarah Connor vanquished the Terminator sent from the future to kill her 15-year-old son, John. Sarah and John now find themselves alone in a very dangerous, complicated world. Fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that still more enemies from the future and the present could attack at any moment.
Review
What a show!
When the idea for this show was getting kicked around, I was sure it would get canceled, and never see the light of day. I mean come on, a movie spin-off? A movie spin-off of a movie that has very little in regards to actual storyline, but mostly just mindless action. I did not have much hope for this series, nor did I actually think it would be to good. Then, I heard Summer Glau was in the show. Once I heard those words, it was my mission to tell the world about this show, in hopes it would be good, I was commenting everywhere about the show, trying to help it see the light of day, as Summer Glau is one amazing actress, and would be perfect for her role here.
Let me go ahead and say it, this is a GREAT show, not only that, it is filled with VERY talented guest stars, as well as main characters. The star power behind this show alone is mind numbing. Let me go ahead and give a run down of some of the cast that brings alot to this show.
Summer Glau plays Cameron Phillips, a terminator sent back through time to protect John Connor. You may recognize Summer from such shows as “The 4400″, “Firefly”, “The Unit” and the movie “Serenity”. She is a very strong actress, very talented, and I love watching her work. She is amazing, not over powering, and brings MUCH to any show she is in.
Brian Austin Green plays Derek Reese, Johns Uncle. You may recognize Brian Austin Green from his earlier days on 90210 (not the new show premiering this year, but the original), and its great to see him back on TV.
Catherine Bent plays Agent Greta Simpson, an FBI agent, you may recognize her from “The Shield” where she plays a “Officer Danny Sofer”, who recently had a baby. I’m not sure if she will be in season 2, but I do hope so.
The other main characters are new to me, but are very good in portraying their roles.
Now onto some of the guest stars from this season, and one that I hope makes it onto many more shows next season and on.
Andre Royo shows up in an episode as one of the soldiers sent back through time. Most of you may know him from his work as “Bubbles” on “The Wire”, which is one of the best shows ever made. In that show he plays a crack addicted informant living on the streets, to see him as a solider is a refreshing change, and I hope he gets the chance to shine this season.
Tony Amendola shows up here in the beginning, as the guy who gives Sarah some ID cards. You may know Tony from Stargate SG-1 as Master Bra’tac, he also did a brief role in season 2 of Dexter which I reviewed and is also coming out this week.
There are others, but these are the two I easily recognized. I really hope Andre gets to do more work on the show.
Summary
This is a great season, when you get to episode 4 you get to see how the show can progress beyond what you may think, and starts getting REALLY good. We get to see scenes from the future, and keep getting introduced to new characters. The way it works is, John sent back people from the future to help out and stop SkyNET from taking over the world and creating Terminators. But Johns people are not the only ones who are brought back in time, you have Terminators who look like humans out trying to do what their goals are.
This is a good show that really did surprise me, I wasn’t sure how good it was going to be, and with the strike, I was sure it would get canned. I’m glad it didn’t as this show is turning out to be pretty good. The first 3-4 episodes play out more like a movie, and then the rest set up the series.
Again this is a very good show, with lots of potential. I cannot wait for season 2 and will be watching each week whilst waiting for season 2 on blu-ray.
Video - 5/5
Very sharp, I love blu-ray and this disc does NOT disappoint. Everything looks beautiful… well, the destruction and grim look beautiful! Really impressed with this set, I got the dvds for my grandpa who is a BIG Terminator fan (hates most TV) but really enjoyed this. The video on the dvds look very good too, not a bad word to say!
Audio - 5/5
Great sound, the special effects blow you away.
Supplements - 4/5
3 Commentary tracks with the cast, close to 20 minutes of “Terminated Scenes”, a cool feature on “Creating the Chronicles” which shows behind-the-scenes material, with interviews from the cast and crew, a short Gag Reel, some Cast Audition Tapes, a storyboard animatic, and last but not least, an extended version of the episode “The Demon Hand”.
Overall - 5/5
Great explosive season, I cannot WAIT for season 2 and have high hopes.
Overall Rating - 5/5 Stars
Video - 5/5
Audio - 5/5
Bonus - 4/5
Story - 5/5
Great show, good season, short but oh so very sweet I recommend it
Bottom Line?
Buy it, and watch it now!
Want to buy this or other seasons? Please click one of the links below (the best price you can find).
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My Amazon.com short review:
When the idea for this show was being shopped around, I thought it would not see the light of day.
A movie spin-off, to TV, normally is not going to be any good. Luckily that is not the case here.
This show takes place after T2, and follows John and Sarah as they try and survive and keep a low profile, while avoiding terminators.
One day something happens, they are spotted, and they meet a new terminator, sent back in time by John. This terminator is to protect John, this terminator is played by the beautiful Summer Glau.
This show is explosive and pretty big budget. The special effects look really good, the fight scenes are amazing, and the show has a pretty good cast. The guest stars are really good too.
After you get to episode 4, the show starts getting even better, it settles into more of a series feel. The first 2-3 episodes feel more like a big movie, then it gets into series territory, and it does a good job.
What I did first was put in my terminator blu-ray and watched it, followed by T2. I forgot how good these movies were, and how awesome Arnold was. When I watched the first episode of SCC I wasn’t sure how this show was going to play out, would it be John and Sarah on the run, trying to avoid Terminators, or would it be something else? Luckily it is something else, but also some running, the show surprised me, and went places I didn’t think they would go, and they do a very good job doing it. This is a pretty good series, unlike the guy below me, please view more episodes, try and make it to at least episode 5, by then you should be hooked!
The video quality is really good. I’m impressed. The audio is fantastic. I love the menus, and the show has some pretty cool special features. I sat down and watched this in no time flat, took maybe 6-7 hours, it flows easily, and is worth watching no doubt.
It is sad the show only has 9 episodes this season, but the 9 episodes are pretty good. Some of the cast you will recognize from “The Shield”, “The Wire”, “90210 - The Original One” and “Firefly”, “The Unit”, “The 4400″ and the movie “Serenity”
The acting is great, Summer will send chills down your spine when you view the episode where she is practicing ballerina lessons.
This is a great show, I highly recommend it, and cannot wait for season 2 to start airing!