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EARTH 2
COMPLETE SERIES
Release Date: July
26th 2005
MSRP Price: $49.98
(estimated price)
Amazon Price: $34.48
Costco Price: 33.99
Sam's Club: $34.99
Complete Series - 22 Episodes
Format: full-screen
Length: 42 minutes each
Studio: Universal Television
Run Time: 17hr, 5min
Number of Discs: 4
Sound: Remastered Dolby Digital 2.0
Earth 2 Complete Series
Boxed Set Rating: "B"
Video: B
Audio: B
Acting: A
Content: A
Packaging: C
Extras: C
STARS:
Debrah Farentino, Clancy Brown,
Jessica Steen, Antonio Sabato Jr., Rebecca Gayheart, John Gegenhuber,
J. Madison Wright, Joey Zimmerman, and Sullivan Walker. Tim Curry
guest starred for several early episodes.
Earth 2 was a sweet
series Sci-Fi drama. The ratings weren't bad for a Sunday night
show, but NBC decided to pull the plug. It was deemed to expensive
since most of the episodes were lensed outdoors rather than a sound
stage. I remember in the sixties when it was the other way
around.
Earth 2 is the
adventure of Devon Adair and her ragtag band of non-conformists who
leave the space stations orbiting a dead Earth to develop and Earth
like planet, in a distant galaxy, despite government orders to the
contrary. The expedition is sabotaged and they barely make it onto
the planet surface - their supplies scatter all over the planet. The
expedition has crash landed on the wrong side of the planet and must
now work their way to the original landing site gathering what they
need as they venture toward their goal.
Earth 2 is a dramatic
television series set in a slightly futuristic period. They are
wilderness travelers now with a few modern items. The shows
storylines are well written and acted. The cast works well together
and you find yourself carrying about these people and wanting to
learn more.
Most of the actors I
had never seen before. Clancy Brown I remembered from Bad Boys and
Highlander. Sullivan Walker and Farentino I had seen in some other
off the wall stuff. The remaining cast members were new to me then
(I have seen some of them since the shows departure) and I was
amazed at the quality of their performances in the series. The
writing, the cast and the special effects created a very
entertaining series that many will now get a chance to see uncut and
their own leisure.
I never missed an
episode of the series and had recorded the original broadcast to
VHS, but in SLP format. When the series aired again on the Sci-Fi
Channel (cut to 40 minutes) I quickly burned a set to VHS in SP
format. It's great to finally have the entire series on DVD and I
can trash the old VHS tapes.
PACKAGING
The photo of the packaging looks great
don't it? That about the best it will appear too. Once the packaging
is opened you realize the... cheapness of it. The digipack slides in
with the flap sticking out rather than being on the inside. The
cardboard designer sleeve is only half the normal size and looks
impressive with the embossed surface and metallic look to it. The
four disc fold out digipack is three way with panel hold two disc.
You have to pull the top disc out to get at the second disc. The
discs are double sided. It's not as bad as Sliders, but it could
have been better. The images and colors used on the boxed set are
excellent. It's a beautiful design that just doesn't work for
functionality. It will however look excellent on the DVD
shelf.
VIDEO:
Based on the tape masters being from 1994 the video transfer looks
outstanding. Universal did a nice job with the transfer, but there
is still some dirt and debris flickering here and there. I found the
colors to be true with no washouts or bleeds. The video is a bit
soft, but it works for the show. The special effects on the space
station look awesome.
AUDIO:
The audio is remastered to Dolby
Digital 2.0.
The opening narrative sounds a bit
muddled at the beginning of the first disc but the voices and
effects are clear on the actual video. There's not much activity
with the rear speakers but it's not expected on a show from
1994.
BONUS FEATURES:
The bonus materials are limited
but include the stuff I enjoy which is outtakes and deleted
scenes.
SUMMARY:
It looks like Universal performed an very nice creation with the
series transfer and packaging. Both could have been better, but it
looks great and having it on DVD is what it's all about. This is a
quality series that many are going to get a chance to discover for
the first time. Earth 2 is entertaining and that's all any mogul
wants to be.
What about the price?
The MSRP of $50 is steep, but if you can shop at Costco, Sam's or
Wallmart you might be able to get the set for a few bucks under $40 and that's
an awesome purchase.
Earth 2 Overall Rating: B
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