LR's THE BLU ROOM: Review of LOST Seasons 1 & 2 Blu-Ray
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By Ron Henriques on
July 03, 2009
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LOST SEASONS 1 & 2 (Blu-ray)
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
2004 -2006/ Not Rated/ 1070 & 1010 mins)
Now Available – List Price $69.99 each
'Cast Away' the series? That's what 'Lost' looked like to me when I caught a glimpse of promos for it back in the summer of '04. That was actually the idea pitched to producer J.J. Abrams and writers Damon Lindelof & Jeffrey Lieber by ABC chairman Lloyd Brown, but as we all know it turned out to be something greater. I kept wondering how a show about plane crash survivors stuck on an island could last more than one season. Towards the end of it's first year, good word of mouth on the show slowly evolved to die-hard viewership, but I still wasn't convinced. What kept me away from the show even longer was probably ABC's ability to over-hype their product. Their annoying network announcer doesn't help either. I really, really hate that guy's voice because he cheapens the promotion of great television by making you feel like you're watching a game show or a carnival.
Season two almost completely passed me by, so it wasn't until the start of season three, that I took an interest in the show. I usually follow television series that have a continuing storyline or mythology and are more than just the crime or situation-of-the-week. 'Lost' follows that trend, but the flashback structure can be a little tiresome, which is why I didn't really become a fan until seasons four and five when the stories became more linear. I've had the dvds for the first and second seasons, but never really dived right into them. The quality of blu-ray and high definition presentation can make almost any TV show or movie look spectacular, enhancing even the most mundane material. But there's nothing mundane about 'Lost.' Here is a television show that's set on not only telling good stories, but presenting realistic and identifiable human characters both good and evil. Overall the stories are part of a much larger picture, one that's being slowly revealed to us as part of a grander scheme.
The first two seasons of 'Lost' do an incredible job of setting up this large story and foreshadowing the tone of the entire series. The spectacular plane crash of Oceanic Flight 815 introduces us to noble Dr. Jack Shepard (Matthew Fox), sly conman Sawyer (Josh Holloway), fugitive Kate (Evangeline Lilly), who will become the object of both their affections, unlikely millionaire Hurley (Jorge Garcia), ex-Iraqi torturer Sayid (Naveen Andrews), heroin addicted rising rock star Charlie (Dominic Omnaghan) rich and spoiled step-siblings Boone & Shannon (Ian Somerhalder & Maggie Grace), the very pregnant Claire (Emilie DeRavin), Michael (Harold Perineau) who has just won custody of his son Walt (Malcolm David Kelly), Jin & Sun (Daniel Dae Kim & Yunjin Kim) a South Korean couple with marriage issues and the mysterious John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), who as far as he knows was a paraplegic before the crash and can now miraculously walk.
As the survivors attempt to establish a camp and some form of hierarchy (with Jack taking the lead and Locke as his second-in-command), they discover that they are not the sole inhabitants of this island and it may not be an island at all. Violent roars emanate from deep within the island, a polar bear is hiding in the jungle, cryptic whispers can be heard through the trees and a mysterious metal hatch is discovered in the jungle floor. Every episode plays like a serial, with intricate explorations into the backstories of each of the characters, ending with some form of revelation or cliffhanger. That was the hook which kept viewers coming back week after week, postulating their own theories over where the story was taking us and what it all meant. Much of the teasing nature of the show has been employed by various other series before, but never with so many, many intriguing characters, each with a sense of depth to their individual stories.
Season one ended with a cliffhanger involving the opening of the hatch and Walt's abduction by pirates, as he Michael, Sawyer and Jin attempt to escape by raft. It disappointed many, yet it still provided a great set-up for season two which introduced additional castaways who had survived in the tail section of the plane as well as the mysterious “Others”, inhabitants that claimed the island to be theirs. There was also a great revelation that the recurring set of numbers that won Hurley $114 million in the lottery also happen to be imprinted on the hatch. Joining the initial survivors were former L.A. Cop Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez) and the enigmatic Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who exercise extreme caution and don't initially trust the group because several of their people where kidnapped by “Others”. The tension between Jack and Locke that is now familiar and will come to a head in the series finale, began to take shape in this season. The hatch is explored as well as the Pearl Station, the existence of the DHARMA Initiative and its benefactor, the Hanso Foundation and the introduction of the seemingly crazy Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) who not only lived inside the hatch, but performed a rather bizarre ritual of pressing a button every 108 minutes. The deadly “column of black smoke” that Locke glimpsed last season is revealed to be a sentient being, Michael makes a drastic decision to get back his son who happens to be with the “Others” and the seemingly innocent, yet mysterious “Henry Gale” (Michael Emerson) turns out to be a player who will affect the outcome series as Benjamin Linus.
Whatever the ultimate secret is behind this epic story, there will not doubt be people disappointed by its final reveal. You can't please everyone and holding an audience in suspense for so long only raises expectations and creates personal theories. Sometimes those theories are often better than the final result or what the viewer would rather see. Sometimes the journey is better than the destination and whatever the secret may be, you have to admit, it's been a hell of a ride.
Video: I've already seen 'Lost' broadcast in HD in 1080i and 720p, but with the 1080p AVC 1.78 to 1 encodes on these blu-rays, its an entirely new experience. Season one suffers from a few problems with a bit of artifacting and washed out color, but I suspect that's because the show wasn't initially produced with the budget it has now. Season two excels, giving this television series a look and feel that surpasses many theatrical movies.
Audio: The same can be said for the DTS Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. It's nice to hear a soundmix for a TV show that feels like a theatrical film for a change. There's an incredible amount of ambiance within the jungle locale as well as impressive bass impact whenever something exciting occurs. Even Michael Giachinno's popular score has a grand sweeping presence that punctuates the drama at all the right notes. Pretty impressive.
Extras:
Season One:
Audio Commentaries: Five tracks are available, starting with the two-part "Pilot" episode featuring executive producers J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Bryan Burk; "Walkabout" includes commentary from writer David Fury, director Jack Bender and actor Terry O'Quinn. Lindelof and Burk as well as actor Dominic Monaghan give an analysis of "The Moth", while "Hearts and Minds" features writers Carlton Cuse and Javier Grillo Marxuach plus actors Ian Sommerhalder and Maggie Grace.
The Departure (SD, 106 mins total): On disc seven, the featurettes include The Genesis of Lost 9:00 mins), Designing a Disaster (8:00 mins) Before They Were Lost (23:00 mins) a nice look at the casting process, Welcome to Oahu (33:00 mins) The Art of Matthew Fox, (9:00 mins) a recreation of the photo scrapbook Fox fashioned at the end of the season and Lost at Comicon, (2:00 mins) involving cast members visiting the popular comic convention.
Lost on Location (SD, 44 mins total): This documentary is divided into the eight segments, The Trouble with Boars, House of the Rising Sun, Confidence Man, All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues, Whatever the Case May Be, Hearts and Minds, Special and Exodus.
Additional Features (SD, 56 mins total): The final bit of featurettes include Flashbacks, two that were cut from the finale, Deleted Scenes (15:00 mins), Bloopers, a look at the cast's visit to the Museum of Television & Radio, a sketch with Jimmy Kimmel and the Backstage with Drive Shaft short.
Season Play: This is a nice feature that gives you the option of picking up where you left off if you should stop the disc or remove it from your player, never breaking the flow of watching consecutive episodes.
Season Two:
Audio Commentaries: Five tracks are also available starting with "Man of Science, Man of Faith" where executive producers Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Bryan Burk and director Jack Bender provide comments, "23rd Psalm" features Lindelof, Cuse, and Burk, Bender and actors Jorge Garcia and Cynthia Watros analyze "Dave", "What Kate Did" features an interesting examination by director Paul Edwards, director of photography Michael Bonvillian, and actress Evangeline Lilly and "The Whole Truth" features writers Elizabeth Sarnoff & Christina Kim and actors Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim.
Fire + Water (SD, 32 mins): This is probably the best documentary so far because it tracks the creation of an entire episode providing a thorough behind-the-scenes tour that covers every aspect of the production. If you choose to watch only one special feature on this set it should be this one.
Lost On Location (SD, 45 mins), Deleted Scenes and Flashbacks (SD, 23 mins), fourteen in total, Mysteries, Theories and Conspiracies (SD, 10 mins) where the cast share their own thoughts on what they think is going on and where the story is headed, Secrets from the Hatch (SD, 16 mins) and The World According to Sawyer (SD, 5 minutes).
Additional features include:
Bloopers (SD, 4 mins) one of the better outtake reels I've seen.
Channel 4 UK Promo (SD, 2 minutes): A commercial created by famed director David LaChapelle that's actually better than any of the ABC promos,
Lost Connections: An interactive experience previously available on the DVD that allows users to view the various connections between the characters and events of season two.
Season Play: Again, this is an impressive feature and should be required for all TV shows and movie releases on blu-ray.
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