Customer Reviews

Farscape Season 1, Vol. 3 - Back and Back and Back to the Future/Thank God It's Friday, Again [VHS]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have the UK editon of this DVD & it's excellent. The sound is in Dolby 5.1.Wait until you hear Moya flying into starburst across your T.V. screen. WOW!The picture quality is also excellent & is meant for TV's with more than 500 lines of resolution. This Dvd has some cute extras. On disc one there are somewonderful interviews that show just how much work & sweat is put into Farscape. On disc 2 you can finally see the actorwho plays Dargo without make up. Make sure when you view both DVD's you have a home theatre. If you don't have one get one. This DVD is worth the wait for fans of the show. You may also pick up the Farscape music CD to satisfy your cravings. This DVD also contains screensavers & web links. The only difference on the UK version is the packaging. So enjoy. I'll review the next Farscape DVD when it arrives, as I already have it. Blast off into Farscape!

Farscape is a series that goes far out on a limb to maintain the illusion of an alien universe and avoid the cliches of television sci-fi by depicting every other race as human with something on their foreheads. The characters can be funny without ever crossing that line into sillyness, and real enough that it can be a little heavy without being too melodramatic.

The premiere episode does a good job of introducing the universe, the characters we'll follow in it, and the premise of their main conflicts. One of the pleasures of the show is that the status quo will shift significantlt over time, but the premiere goes a long way ot making these developments accessable, so if you're curious about the show, it will help to start at the beginning.

The biggest knock I have against the DVD they couldn't have helped; the second episode just happens to be one of those rare, weak episodes of the series. I, ET may seem a little cheesy compared to the pilot episode because it lacks the ship battles, cosmic scale and (to some extent) humor of the usual episodes but the point of it is to show that the one transplanted human in the 'alien' in the show. It's a good idea, but played better in later episodes.

People who have watched the show may wonder if the sound, picture quality and extra scenes are worth the price of admission for 're-runs'. I'd say 'no' if those were the only benefits. I really enjoyed these, the visual special effects are better, and the sound is crisp, but by themselves these were maybe an extra 10-20% goose to the overall experience. The deleted scenes are nice, but blink and you'll miss 'em.

The overwhelming argument for the familiar fan to get the DVD of these particular 're-runs' are the overlaid audio commentary tracks. It may sound technical and uninviting, but these are fun and I came away appreciating the show on a level that I hadn't really considered before. With the tracks here and on Farscape 2 you'll get a much fuller picture of the craft and consideration the cast and crew put into making this weekly spectacle. It's not like those cheesy infomercial 'making of ...' documentaries, or the director-after-his-third-scotch mumbling over all the dialogue like the tired intellectual that he is. No, on these DVDs you will be entertained by friendly performers and writers laughing about what they tried to do with a scene and candidly exposing the little magician's tricks about how they came about it. If you don't like the initial show this may not interest you so much, but any regular viewer should have these early Farscape DVDs that let everyone in behind the curtain.

I have the entire first series on DVD (its been available for much of 2000 - try amazon.co.uk if you are able to view region 2) and it is incredibly addictive. Perhaps the most original and exciting sci-fi series ever, I'd venture to say. The lavish production puts many Hollywood movies to shame. Comparing it with one of its contemporary series, Andromeda, Farscape has that look of 'no expense spared on wardrobe and sets', while a recent Andromeda episode, er, put some silver paint on the aliens' faces and that was it! I vote Farscape way head of any TV sci-fi you're likely to see, and on DVD the full Dolby experience is awesome. Also the humour is very dry at times, which just adds to the enjoyment. This one is well worth your hard-earned cash, believe me.

This is the premiere episode into the new series on the SciFi channel.We see an astronaut jettison into a new era of scifi and into another galaxy far far away.Some have said this is a rehash of Buck Rogers,BULL! The only thing this show and that one is the fact that there both astronauts and from earth and thats it.This show has colorfull characters literally and three dimensional,instead of the same old rubberstamp of aliens. This show blends humans and animatronics that blend well together and after you've seen the rest of the series you look at them as real-life characters.Jim Henson company has done an excellent job of creating these wonderfull characters.The premiere episode sets up who and why these characters came to be with one another and become one dysfuntional family.The special effects is done by the same people who gave us the Matrix and once you get into the series you become hooked.So come along on a ride with Moya (name of the ship, a living ship)and join in on the adventures with John, Aeryn Sun, Zhaan,D'Argo,Pilot and Rygel.If you don't get the scifi channel and you love scifi I highly recommend getting the channel you'll be glad you did.

I didn't really get into Farscape until I saw the trailer for it on another DVD from ADV. I quickly got the DVD and it was worth it. This first of many DVD's contains the first two 50 minute episodes. The first one is basically how John got on Moya and has some nice battle scenes as well as making contact on Blade Runner esque planet. It introduces most of the main characters in the first season such as Aeryn, D'Argo, Rygel, Zhann and the ever popular Pilot. The second episode is I, ET. The reason for this name is that John meets another speices of aliens who think he's an alien (odd), but the best part of this episode is how Rygel and Zhann try to disarm a tracking device on Moya. The main reason I love Farscape is for Pilot. Pilot is my favorite character of the whole show! DVD extras includes a documentary on Farscape with all the cast, crew and puppeteers. Even more, there is another video featuring Ben Browder talking about his character in the show. The DVD also gives image gallery of Ben Browder and conceptual art of the ship and Pilot. Audio preference is very good giving you a choice of English 2.0, 5.1 and commentary which changes every episode. In other words, the first episode has commentary with Ben Browder and Brian Henson while episode 2 will feature commentary by Claudia Black and Anthony Simcoe. The commentary prooves to be very amusing at times giving reference to some of the stage sets and also gives the american audiance a better understanding of the show. The menus are fair. The main screen features a slighty tilted screen, the extras menu has a slower version of the opening in the back, audio select has a nice full screen of the part where Moya crashes into a bog which is really just a 6 second sequence thats played over and over and the scene selection is overall well done. One thing people might dislike is the fact that every menu has the same music (the opening music). One last thing worth mentioning is the English subtitles which are pretty small but you should be able to read them. Overall, a great DVD that is easily a must-see for anyone.

I must admit, this is the best DVD I purchased based on a TV show. I was quite suprised and pleased to find out that not only did the quality of the video rival the broadcast on digital satelitte TV, but they had also redone the audio in full Dolby Digital! The audio effects are now more on par with the show's incredible video effects. It is so much better to experience Farscape all over again in full Dolby Digital. I've been an advid watcher since the original preimer episode on SCIFI, and I must say they did an excelent job on the DVD release! This disc is a must buy, especialy if you have a Dolby Digital home theather setup and appreciate excellent sci-fi. I plan to purchase the entire series. My only complaint is that I wish ADV would release season box sets instead of two episodes at a time. ADV, take a hint from the X-Files and Stargate SG-1 which both are being sold in season box sets. I'd rather buy the whole Farscape seasons 1 and 2 right now, so I can quickly rewatch them all in Dolby Digital.

I'm a sci-fi nut, have been since I was a kid. I actually remember the premier of the original Star Trek. I've seen a heck of a lot of self proclaimed "stunning" television debuts in my day. But the Premier of Farscape is a very rare gem. I can't name even five feature length big budget sci-fi films made in the last ten years that can keep up with the premier of this television series. When you look at just who was involved in this it becomes clear why this premier is as good as it is.

The writing: Rockne S. O'Bannon is an old hand at writing intelligent, witty, sci-fi. He's written for Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone (8 eps), Alien Nation, he created SeaQuest, the guy has been around. This might just be his masterpiece. With the premier of Farscape his writing took a jump up into a whole new league. The characters are truly unique, the dialog is possibly some of the best I've yet to see on the tube or silver screen, the pace is unmatched, and the plot tight, believable, consistent, and at times hilarious. This is possibly the most well written premier I've ever seen for any TV series.

The direction: The name Andrew Prowse is very well known in Australia as one of the leading film editors trusted by some of the best directors in the business. Now with his step into the big chair himself he shows just how much he learned. His direction in this premier is nothing shy of brilliant.

The Cast: Sci-fi is a rarity down under in the land of Oz. So when the casting call went out for Farscape it literally drew in every top actor in the biz down there and the quality clearly shines. All of them are top notch A-list people with dramatic credits that make you wonder if "Tinsel Town" will ever match Sydney for quality sci-fi again.

The Production Values: With most TV shows the Production Designer will have 6 to 8 weeks to develop the sets and props used. Ricky Eyres spent 7 whole MONTHS. And it shows. The level of detail and thought put into the sets and props is simply mind blowing.

This is one you'll want to own and keep. Few feature length sci-fi's are half this good, and ten years from now you'll be asking why they don't make shows like FARSCAPE any more.

These two episodes, "Back and Back and Back to the Future" and "Thank God It's Friday, Again" are excellent episodes that demonstrate the many strengths of FARSCAPE. Both episodes feature great performances and effects and in each the writing is superb. The first episode takes the familiar science fiction premise of a character forced to repeat events and gives it a fresh new spin of desperation as Crichton tries to escape his predicament and save his friends. Browder's performance makes you feel his increasing frustration and makes the situation seem that much more intense.There are some other very subtle character nuances and revelations that bear careful watching, especially in the case of D'argo. Events are foreshadowed that will not become obvious til much later in the series. The second episode is an example of another classic FARSCAPE trick, taking a seemingly innocuous situation and twisting it into something strange and troublesome. In this episode, the crew finds that all is not as it appears to be on a pastoral paradise planet. The episode features some wonderful comedic moments thanks to Rygel's bodily functions and some terrifying and painful moments at Crichton's expense. But it is the actions and reactions of D'argo, Zhan and Aeryn that really bear watching. What they say and fail to say speaks volumes about their feelings and their futures. No one in this show is ever truly who they appear to be and these two episodes begin the process of unlocking these complex puzzles. Watch as an intricate puzzle is created before your eyes.

Back & Back & Back to The Future-Moya rescues two Ilanic scientists from their disintegrating space craft, but their transport pod exposes Crichton to a mysterious force that jolts him back & forth in time.One of the pair the sensuous Matala, sets out to seduce & divert D'Argo. But Crichton realizes that his moments in the future have allowed him to glimpse what Matala is really like, & he tries to change his Actions in the present to avert a potential disaster. An episode worth seeing.Thank God It's Friday...Again-During an excursion to the planet Sykar, D'Argo finds a new life, Harvesting Tannot root just like the other drone inhabitants of the planet.The rest of the crew try to convince D'Argo to return to the ship. After all he is a wanted fugitive by the peacekeepers,Rygel ingests large quantities of Tannot, & he soon discovers an unwanted side effect...Meanwhile, Crichton works hard to free both D'Argo & Zhann from the effect of the root before the pretty Sykarian leader enslaves them all & takes over the ship....Great stories & Great effects. I enjoyed Thank God It's Friday....Again. It reminds me about the many religous cults in our own backyard. You'll also enjoy the video profile of Zhaan.A worthy effort. So Enjoy!

Back and Back and Back to the Future is one of the best early Farscape episodes. Crichton, due to a temporal fluke, is getting "flashforewards," which allow him experience the future, and it isn't pretty. Two visitors split the crew's loyalties, and of course have hidden agendas. In a future flash, Crichton sees what's going on, and tries to stop it, getting killed in the process! Luckily, he gets another shot or two in the present (and future) :-). Excellent Episode.

Thank God It's Friday, Again puts the crew on a planet where everybody's happy all the time, and they're coming to take me away ha ha! The planet's inhabitants are forced to farm (and eat) a strange plant with druggy qualities (although they do get to party on Fridays.) Nobody wants to leave this happy happy place, but somebody had better do something before they think happy happy thoughts forever! (And did I mention there's a conspiracy involved?...) Overall, a decent episode. Obviously, DVD is the ultimate way to watch Farscape. The effects and quality are incredible! Enjoy!