The Stargate franchise is the little franchise that “could.” First it was a failed movie that became a cult favorite, then it became a very successful long running cult show for the then Sci-Fi Channel, then it managed to spawn a spin-off that became a long running hit on it’s own. Fans of the Stargate and many worlds the creators have created can now get the full Stargate Atlantis Series in glorious high definition. This Blu-ray set from MGM Home Video includes all 5 seasons of the series spread out over almost 20 discs. The set includes over 50 hours of extras! 50 freaking hours! And I believe it, as every disc includes something to hang your hat on.
Audio, Video and Packaging
While the picture quality is nice – I’m not blown away by it. Some Blu-rays are so sharp you can see the “pores” in the Actor’s faces, here the soft lighting mutes that effect which makes for a cleaner and smoother picture. On my 55-inch Panasonic the blacks are really black which makes the understated colors and the red in the uniforms stand out even more. They don’t pop, but the contrast looks good enough.
There’s only one Subtitle Track and that’s in English and the Audio track features a nice English 5.1 DTS transfer. The sound is fabulous, but people who don’t speak English should not get this set. I would have preferred some other sound options like Dolby 2.1 but you can’t have everything.
Packaging a full television series is always difficult. It’s either too much – huge unwieldy boxes and a ton of discs (I’m looking at you Family Guy) or not enough boxes with everything crammed on double-sided discs. MGM has this about right; all 18 (or 20 discs) are spread out over three Blu-ray boxes and are easy to pull out and put back in. The main box itself is small and easy to store.
I love the navigation menu; it’s simple, elegant and clean with big bold fonts. You only have to worry about four main menu items – Episodes, Set Up, Search and Extras. The only thing that I didn’t like was the episode descriptions on the pop up use really small and hard to read fonts.
Also a minor quibble is this set doesn’t include the episode previews or recaps.
Extras
Over 50 hours of extras are included, although let’s be honest, I think they count the fact that almost every episode includes some sort of full length commentary track – that’s not something I’m scoffing at, but wow that’s a LOT of commentaries. I think the cast and producers just like to hear themselves talk. Just kidding.
In addition to Episode Specific commentary tracks each disc includes a mini documentary that goes into the production of specific episodes. The documentaries are all in standard definition and lasts about 15 minutes each, some of the highlights:
- Stargate Atlantis Set Tour with Martin Wood and Peter DeLuise
- Wraithal Discrimination: It’s Not Easy Being Green
- Diary of Rainbow Sun Francks
- Mission Directives (Behind the scenes look at pivotal episodes, there are a LOT of these)
- A Look Back on Season 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 with Martin Gero
- Introduction to a Character: Ronon Dex
- Profile on David Hewlett (A man who LOVES Eclipse!)
- Stargate Atlantis: Stunts
- Road to a Dream with Martin Gero
- Other Individual Character Profiles On: Paul McGillion and others
- General O’Neill Goes to Atlantis
- The Making of Trio
- Inside the Costume Department
And a lot more
There are a lot of extras to wade through in this set. I’d prefer it if all the documentaries were put on 2 o 3 separate discs (or a couple of full length documentaries in HD) instead of having them so spread out. Although there’s something to be said about their placement with the related episodes it helps provide a lot more texture and appreciation for the episodes that I just watched.
Conclusion
I’ll admit it, I loved Stargate: SG1, but bailed around season six and never caught Atlantis during its original run. Reviewing this Blu-ray set gave me an excuse to finally sit down and give this show a chance and I love it. There’s no reason fans of the series shouldn’t pick this set up and Sci-Fi fans should definitely consider it. Stargate Atlantis is available in stores now!
Grades
- Show – A-
- Video, Audio and Packaging – A
- Extras – A
Final Overall Grade – A
EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally posted 9.22.2011