Customer Reviews

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World - Season One

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is very loosely based on "The Lost World" written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So loose that if you took away the character names it would pretty much lose all resemblance. That however does not take away from the wonderful stories and characters. The acting is quite good and the sets, special effects, and music are better than adequate. The dinosaurs may not be up to Jurassic Park standards, but they are fairly good. My whole family enjoys this series. Devout fans of the book may find it a let down, but anyone that enjoys light TV series like Hercules with Kevin Sorbo, Zena, or Mutant-X should find it fun. Even fans of more in depth series like Stargate SG-1 will probably like it.

The set includes six slender cased DVDs with twenty-two episodes. It is 16 hours and 8 minutes of entertainment. The first two seasons have all the original cast. The cast includes Peter McCauley as Professor George Challenger, Rachel Blakely as Marguerite Krux, Will Snow as Lord John Roxton, David Orth as Ned Malone, Jennifer O'Dell as Veronica, and Michael Sinelnikoff as Dr. Summerlee. After that the Australian TV industry intervened with tax laws at the the end of the second season, both Ned and Veronica had to be guest stars and the series started to go down hill after that. I highly recommend the first two seasons. The picture and sound quality is good and although the set does not includes any extras it is well worth the price.

Buyers beware: The versions of The Lost World on DVD are NOT the original pay-per-view versions that aired on DirecTV before they aired in syndication on WGN and local stations. The original DTV versions contained nudity and other extended content, while the scenes were obviously edited down or replaced for syndication. The DVD producers should have used the original episodes instead of the edited ones, in order to create more value for the DVDs. In fact, this point is never even mentioned on the box or packaging.

There's nothing worse than a DVD of a TV series that does not include uncut episodes, and that goes for network TV DVDs too. I'd rather have had the choice of seeing TLW uncut than to be stuck with ONLY the syndicated versions that most people saw. There's a huge audience of people that never saw the show as it was originally intended, and the show is unlikely to ever be released again, and that's a shame.

I had no idea what to expect from this show when I first programmed it into my TiVo as a Season Pass. The inclusion of one of my favorite filmmakers John Landis and the alluring physical beauty of Jennifer O'Dell (as Veronica) had attracted me to the title at my local video store. But I had resisted purchasing it, unsure of the quality and if the premise from the Conan Doyle story (which I read years ago) could sustain a full-blown weekly adventure series.
I need not have worried. Currently in syndication on the cable channel TNT, `The Lost World' is well acted and features some of the best dialogue written for the genre on television and although Peter McCauley receives top billing on the show, nearly every episode is stolen by William Snow as the adventurer Lord John Roxton and his interplay with Rachel Blakely as Marguerite.
Indeed Blakely's character goes through a transformation as the series continues. In the initial episodes she is a clearly motivated by self interest - she trades Veronica's freedom for her own in the second episode `Stranded' - yet later she becomes more of a team player and more sympathetic.
Of course the presentation of the impossibly beautiful Jennifer O'Dell on the cover of the DVD set (and down the spine of both the first and second season sets) highlights another attraction the show holds. Playing a character searching for lost parents she displays physical prowess and a defiant charm all the while skimpily clad - I don't recall such a character appearing in the work of Conan Doyle.
Another crowd pleaser is the dinosaurs and special effects which are quite well done by television standards. The team are menaced by everything from ape men to raptors to human eating plants and the occasional t-rex.
The story - for those that are unfamiliar with either the show, movies or Conan Doyle novel - concerns a group at the turn of the 20th century who travel to a mysterious plateau deep in the Amazon jungle. There they discover dinosaurs and embark on all manner of adventures.
Handsomely produced and endlessly entertaining this is a fun series and should please fans of the genre (and fans of Jennifer O'Dell).

How do you encapsulate a great series like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's: The Lost World?
I will certainly give it my best try.
This series has it all - action, adventure, romance, comedy and drama.
Season One starts things off with the aptly named episode "The Journey Begins". Our explorers Prof. George Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Ned Malone, Prof. Arthur Summerlee and Marguerite Krux are taken in by Veronica Layton (a young woman whose parents disappeared 11 yrs before and grew up alone on the mysterious plateau). The stranded group realizes getting off the plateau and back to London is no easy task (luckily for us). You'd think dinosaurs would be their biggest problem - think again. They encounter slavers, ape-men, cannibals, headhunters and raiders, just to name a few. I think all the episodes have something to offer but here are a few of my choices as standouts.
"Cave of Fear" delves into Roxton's guilt over his brothers' death by his own hand.
"Out of Time" sheds some light on Marguerite's destiny.
"Prodigal Father" Veronica is confronted with the possible return of her father.
"Absolute Power" Challenger is transferred extraordinary powers and the consequences are devastating.
"Birthright" finds Summerlee hunted by an angry T-rex.
"Camelot" takes you back to the days of jousting and dragon slaying or should I say dinosaur slaying.
"The Beast Within" Malone tries to rectify an error in judgment.
"More Than Human" introduces one of the more charismatic recurring characters named Tribune (he also shows up in "Barbarians at the Gate" and again in Season Two).

From "The Journey Begins" where they are still getting a feel for one another to "Barbarians at the Gate" where they would die for each other - you'll follow these characters through many trials of courage and strength. It's a journey you'll be glad you started.

I first started watching the lost world when it started the second season. I was captivated by the way the characters interacted with each other and the way the dinosaurs passed for actually good special effects considering it was a tv series.

I like Roxton, he's the man in my opinion, but Ned and Veronica are also great. When this came out on DVD I bought it with lots of anticipation, and it did not dissapoint.

The main story is that a group of explorers, led by a scientist George Challenger, have travelled to the Amazon in search of a lost world. But while they finally reach the plateau that the world lives on they are attacked by cannibals and only five expolers:
The visionary, George Challenger, the mysterious yet beautiful Margarite Crew, the hunter, John Roxton, the reporter, Ned Malone, and the scientist, Arthur Summerlie manage to survive.

As they land the hot air ballon they escaped in they meet the impossibly beautiful Veronica, my second biggest crush ever! She knows english because her father and mother came to the same plateau years ago, but disappeared when she was 11. The rest of the seasons continue that story. She then brings them to her incredibly awesome tree house, and from there, the rest of the series takes place.

The dinosaurs are actully great to look at, although sometimes when the T-Rex is running I have to hold back a laugh. But there are more than just dinosaurs on this plateau. There must be at least 100 tribes that share the land, the most common one you hear about in the first season is a tribe called the Zenga. There is also the feirce looking tribe of Ape Men, which really show us what they are made of in the first two episodes. Each episode has new bad guys in them, and Tribune, a reptillian overlord in one of the episodes, will appear more than once as the seasons continue.

There are 20 plus shows on the first season and my favorite would have to be when the explorers try to escape the T-Rex and fall into an underground whirlpool. After getting sucked up they surface to find themselves in another land where reptillian human shaped creatures have established a sort of Roman empire and have humans for slaves. Being the typical male that I am I loved it when veronica was shown in that blue dress, Yeeeah!

Anyway, this is still a great DVD collection that has twenty two great episodes in it. You have to get this, it is a lot better than what some other people are saying. You will instantly become a fan of great action and acting, which you rarely see nowadays.

The Series:
The Lost World was one of the few fantasy-based series of the 2000s. Debuting in April 1999 on WGN, Chicago; The Lost World provided a great weekend escape from reality. While the series was billed as a show about dinosaurs, and quickly dismissed as such; in fact, dinosaurs played only an incidental role in the series. Most episodes focused on the party's confrontations with various human and inhuman threats. The Lost World blended Doyle's own fantasty stories with elements of horror, science fiction, and historical mythology. It is this variety in storytelling that kept this series fresh and enjoyable.

The acting is decent, although there is a certain '80s action show feel to The Lost World. The characters are likeable. Lost World fans all have their favorites. The special effects aren't very special. Unfortunately, this series was made on a budget. While the CGI alone is decent for a TV series, the way CGI is blended with live action is not seamless. For some reason, perhaps because of the quality of the DVD release, the technical flaws in the series' special effects are more obvious now than they were then.

The DVDs:
The DVD keep box is made from typical hard paper stock and is visually attractive. The case can crush easily. The slim cases that the six DVDs are stored in are a poor choice for long-term storage since the cases lack a locking feature to prevent discs from falling out.

It seems like most DVD releases of TV series show little investment in creative or even efficient menu systems. The Lost World is no different, although the menu system doesn't tend to annoy the way the menu system in Dark Angel did. There are no DVD extras, so the series remains as much a mystery as the plateau where our band of adventurers were stranded. That being said, the video is clean and clear, and each episode will appear just as it did on TV - to include a plug for the website that appears on the end credits of each episode. The lack of extras is probably forgiveable only if you were already a fan of the series.

4 stars for being an entertaining series. 3 stars for the DVD release. Those taking this first *pricey* plunge into The Lost World should be aware; this series is addictive, and each season finale ends on a cliff-hanger.

I love the Lost World! The storyline is wonderful and the characters are fantastic! After seeing one episode I wanted to see more and more of the show! If you like action and adventure than this is the show for you! It's GREAT!
I would recommend this DVD to anyone!

I really love the Lost World as it is a great adventure, romance, comedy, everything story. My favorite character is Marguerite Crew. She is greedy and sometimes a biatch but she's independant and smart. All I can say is once you start watching this show, you can't stop. It's better than watching Passions that's for sure.

I would recommend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World - Season One DVD to ANYBODY!!! It has everything - action, adventure, love, humor, and edge of your seat suspicion. I think everybody should buy this DVD collection, it's a great price for and awesome show! I hope they come out with a Season 2 and a Season 3 on DVD, I know I would buy them. I also hope The Lost World will come back on television for a Season 4, there is still hope!!!

... THE LOST WORLD is a group effort, with a terrific ensamble cast, and one of the best action-adventure shows to ever come on television. It's all there: Adventure, passion, romance, drama, comedy, handsome men with dimension, beautiful women with strength and courage -- played by some wonderful actors who share a chemistry that is absolutely terrific to watch. Get ready to "suspend belief" and have a GREAT time. The only thing I can add is a simple question: "When will season two come out??"