Customer Reviews

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda: Slipstream Collection

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised by this. The product details don't mention it at all, but this IS a "thinpaks" release. The set contains all episodes of seasons 1-5 on 50 discs in 25 dual-disc thinkpaks, packaged in a sturdy, cardboard box. The box is much smaller than the Amazon product photo makes it appear. Placed sideways on your bookshelf it will take up less room than the First Season box set. The artwork on the outer sleeves of each thinpak is the same as previous releases. Artwork on the spines of all thinpaks, when viewed together, portray the Amdromeda Ascendant comin' at ya! The discs in this collection are single-sided, unlike the double-sided discs in the 2-5 season box sets. The content and episodes on the discs are the same as in previous releases. If you already own the previous releases, this may not interest you much. However, if you didn't like the double-sided discs of the season 2-5 sets and would like the space this set will save on your shelves, it IS worth getting.

Had no idea the Andromeda series was coming out "bundled" together in one box set collection. Was at Best Buy looking at other items and by chance stumbled across the collection. FYI - Best Buy is selling it for $99

Picked it up as a FY'06 Christmas present for the husband. Regardless if you buy it here or through Best Buy, the price is a great bargain for those who can wait for the box set rather than purchase each season individually.

Some of you may wonder about Kevin Sorbo stepping out of the Hercules role well enough to define himself as a different character. He does a great job in the series and is convincing as Dylan Hunt.

What I like about the series is each episode acts as a stand alone with a clear story to tell. Yet, each episode is woven into the entire series and like a puzzle, the pieces fit. My husband and I were hooked from episode 1.

The boxed collection is attractive and the thin paks will not monopolize an entire DVD shelf. The thin paks, when in the box together, display the Andromeda Ascendent on the spinal cover.

Excellent series. This is a good deal.

I believe this is by far the best DVD set ever created. This set is well worth every single penny spent. I absolutely loved this collection. To be able to see every episode and so much behind the scenes information was incredible. I really wished that Andromeda stayed on for many more seasons. I believe shows like these bring some light into our dark world at times. If Andromeda was to come out again, they definitely have someone here willing to watch every winking moment.

I only saw a few episodes of this "Gene Roddenberry Gem that stayed on his desk long after he died", during its original run, but what I saw intrigued me. So much so I bought the novelized version of the pilot in a used book store. But the discs I thought were coing out too slow (2 discs of 1 season at a time THEN a full season after the final set) and too pricey (even here on Amazon). But when I saw the deal for the Complete Set was much better than the sum of its parts, I couldn't resist it. Unfortunately, dummy me spent a gift certificate I had gotten at the same time on another order, but still this is the BIGGEST MEGASET of a series I have ever bought. Now I am going to take the time and watch all these, season by season, so I can finally understand the plots and counterplots (and counterplotz for that matter ;-)) that I missed earlier this decade. I am especially eager to see the first episode where we see Andromeda's physical body working outside the computer let alone the "transition" in Trance. If you bought the other sets or subsets, just complete your collection whichever way is easiest, if you waited to buy all 5 "complete sets", buy THIS set instead. Now to sit back and (pardon my Arthur Clarke) time for a "Renedesvous With Rommie" ;-)

I just ordered this item so I can't give a review to the set. I did notice in most of the reviews I've read no one has mentioned special features and extras. Does anyone know what this set contains besides the basic episodes?
I watched Andromeda when it began and was very intrigued. As I recall, both the idea fro Andromeda and for Earth: Final Conflict, both pre-dated Star Trek. Both series suffered a tragic problem when Roddenberry died. Both series became "lost" in writing and theme. Andromeda recovered in its final season, and like Babylon 5, tied the storyline from beginning to end.
Andromeda's biggest problem was budget. The writers and plots were amazing. The crew was terrific, but after the first season Andromeda started to recycle special effects. I still remember the same line of soldiers used in four different episodes in two seasons. At times it bordered on the stock footage fiasco of the original Battlestar Galactica. Despite this problem, the series has many huge high points. It also featured a wide range of guest stars including Grace Park (BSG), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Smallville, Saw 2), Michael Dorn, Tony Todd, Michael Shanks and numerous others.
Andromeda is the original space opera. It is as optimistic as the Star Trek universe, but stacks the odds against the crew from the very beginning. Watch Andromeda with an open mind.

I will start by saying my favorite Sci-Fi is classic Doctor Who. The ones from 1963-1989. I like to use that show to campare other sci-fi to. Problem is, those old Doctor Who episodes were usually 96-100 minutes long. Andromeda and most "modern" sci-fi Shows are limited to 45 minutes or so. Still there are 2 part Doctor Whos episodes that only ran 45 minutes. So whats my point in bringing all this up?

Well if you watched a 45 minute Doctor Who show and then Andromeda right afterwards, you would notice some very stark contrasts. Doctor Who was more of a true Sci- Fi show where the heroes relied on intellectual thought and improvisation to get out of 85% of the scrapes. The Andromeda Crew are much more apt to come down to fire all weapons or physical combat.

Is one of these tendancies better than the other? Not really. Its more of a personal preference. Why some people go to see the WWF and others go to see the Boston Pops. Obviously since I stated I like Doctor Who, I prefer the illtellectual sci-fi. This type of Sci-Fi relied more on building up suspense through some type of mystery that had to be gotten to the bottom of.

Moving on to strictly Andromeda. I like the first 2 seasons. By the way Harper is my favorite character, followed by Tier,(spelling?) Rev, Andromdea, Trance, Becka and the Captain is last. I like the tension between tier and Hunt. Rev was good to help balance the other characters. I preferred Purple Trance over the later version. Why you ask? Well you already had 2 alpha males. Tier and Hunt. PLus you had 2 alpha females in Becka and Andromeda as an android. So the writers decide to turn purple Trance into a 3rd alpha female.

Later, when Rev is gone, the only non alpha charactor is Harper. The drawback to me is that more and more the show becomes physical combat and ship combat. There is one episode in season 3 where the fight scene lasts almost 10 minutes. Think about that in a 45 minute show. The same episode then has part of the crew being chased by the Magog ships for another 10 minutes. Thats 20 minutes where the plot hasn't budged an inch. If your thing is fight scenes, then its great.

The charactors pretty much get boxed in during season three and none of them makes any personal growth. Sadly Harper, though more often then not, saves the crew with his genous, never gets much respect from anyone. In fact the crew keeps treating him like he is a teenager.

I think that the actor that plays Hunt was too big for the show and started to take over the writing to some degree. By season 5 he is even credited as a Producer. The same lines get worn out, like "It's never Easy", or "That can't be good". They were cute for one or 2 episodes but get worn out.

After 2 of my 3 favorite charactors got written out and Harper's role seemed to get diminished. I wasn't that sorry to see the series come to a sputtering end.

The 2 parts that ended season 4 are probably the best 2 episodes of the series, and would have been a good place to end it. In season 5 Harper is completely penned in and its mearly extended bar fights with not much imagination left.

Someone was wanting to know about the extras. They are excellent. Lots of interviews with the actors. Behind the scenes look at make up for Trance and Rev. Picture Galleries, Some explanation and clips of the CG effects. Insight from the producers and directors. Out takes. Pretty well loaded and for the amount of entertainment is a great value.

Like any series that runs 5 seasons, there are episodes so good you can watch them over and over. Then there are ones where you want to send the disc across the room. All in all theres more good than bad in this one.

This is by no means another Star Trek. In many ways it's more fun minus the tech babble you'd get on any Trek show. Kevin Sorbo is playing this shoot from the hip character like Han Solo. Why didn't it become a hit like the others? The writing wasn't always there like Hercules but it was still a good series.

If you like Kevin Sorbo and the cast of characters it's not a complete waste of time. Andromeda is much better than Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict series. In this starship the crew does go to other worlds and deals with alien threats in a manner Captain Kirk would be proud of.

Based on a combination of two original ideas from the late Gene Roddenberry,Andromeda gives us another unique take on the Sci-Fi universe,and a wonderful trip it is.
There are so many plot turns and twists in this five year,110 ep show,that it is impossible in the space provided here to give you a proper synopsis of the show in any great detail.
The series story is based around the rescuing of the star ship Andromeda and its'Captain,Dylan Hunt,from the event horizon of a black hole.300 years have gone by and the Commonwealth that he served during his lifetime has now fallen to two main factions,Nietzscheans and the Magog.Dylan sets out,with the help of the crew that rescued him,to restore the Commonwealth...quite the monumental task.That crew is made up of one Bekka Valentine(the captain of her own ship the Eureeka Maru),Tyr Anastazi(a Nietzschean),Trance Gemini(species unknown-purple,with a tail!),Rev Bem(a Magog seeking enlightenment and the true path)and Seamus Harper the genius with the wise cracking attitude(like a smart Morey Amsterdam).Along with the important main plots that move each show and the story arc along are the many sub plots involving each crew member and how their lives past,present and future, effect and fit into the entire puzzle.The story arc in toto is a gloriously rich tapestry of human endeavour and of good trying to triumph over evil,and some of the story line's journeys simply amaze.It is a smartly written series and the CGI effects throughout the series are nothing less than spectacular.Kevin Sorbo who plays Capt.Dylan Hunt is an extremely likable actor and plays his character with much elan and pinache.He is the star but that it is an ensemble work there is no doubt.Mr.Sorbo is always there and hits his marks and really anchors the show when it's most needed but the shows' main strength is what every actor in this show brings to the table...and none of them at any time fail to disappoint.There may be eps that are better than others,which is de rigeur of ANY show Sci-Fi or otherwise,but the acting throughout this series is first class all the way.
The shows themselves were shot on a no more than SIX day shooting schedule and sometimes were completed in FOUR! Budgets were apparently very tight throughout this series shooting which is all the more amazing when you look at the finished product.This was a Cadillac show produced on a Volkswagen budget.The show was shot in Vancouver,B.C. and from what little of the special features in this set I've seen there is consistently high praise for the crew and staff by the actors and production staff behind the cameras.And speaking of special features this set is packed with them.I do not believe there is anything that has been left out.You will learn everything about specific sets,set ups,make up,the camera crew,the producers and directors,the music and on and on and on.My favourites are the multi blooper reels for the crew in general,each crew member and even special guest stars! All 110 eps along with their trailers are here and in beautifully transferred(clean and crisp) widescreen formats.
This show was co-backed by Tribune Entertainment(U.S.) and Global-CanWest(Canada) which ran concurrently on both their respective networks.Global treated their product with what I can only describe as sheer neglect and disinterest.They ran the show on a fairly consistent basis for about the first two years in a regular time slot.After this Andromeda's appearances on the network were sporadic at best.You just never knew when and where the show would surface on its' schedule as it would preempt it for(it seemed) the local weather report! And of course they would never tell you why it was not showing or when it would reappear.I eventually gave up about a quarter of the way through the fourth season because I had totally missed so many eps of the third season.I understand now that Global was reluctant to carry on with Andromeda past the fourth year.It was only Tribunes' insistence that won the day.Thank goodness someone had the guts and vision to take it further.
I am glad also to see this set is now available on both Amazon.com and .ca.I however had to get my set from another source than Amazon.A few months back I did try to order it from Amazon.com when it was available.However a couple of months later(no explanation has ever been forthcoming) I was no nearer to getting a copy than before so I had to cancel my order.By this time Amazon.ca had also run out of copies so I ordered the first season set only from them.It was defective!(my luck).I returned that.So I got my set from elsewhere and my luck again there was a defect in some of the first season disks.I phoned ADV video in Texas which makes and distributes this set and got one Lisa,in the customer service department there.She,with no questions,sent me replacement discs for the set.Absolutely wonderful service.So if anyone ever has a problem that can't be resolved through Amazon(which is RARE!)then by all means contact Lisa at ADV Ent.(1-800-282-7202,ext#1).It's an extra bit of peace of mind to know that not only are you dealing with one of the best consumer oriented companies around in Amazon.ca. and .com,but also the very makers of the product you are buying!
In conclusion no fan of this show or of just good,intelligent and smartly written series in general,will be disappointed in their choice to buy this set.With 110 eps packed into 50 discs(two to a thin pack-less chance of damage),filled to the brim with special features and in their gloriously transferred widescreen format,Andromeda will not fail on any level to disappoint.Get your copy today and take your private journey with Dylan Hunt and his crew.

I saw the initial broadcasts of the series and was glad to finally see this released for the price. Less than $.72 an episode people. I don't mind the thin packs but hate that the descriptions/synopsis' are poor...I don't know if this was lacking on the individual seasons or not but even at the bargain price, a simple synopsis would have been great and in fact should be standard. I loved that it was in 16x9 format and thought the transfer looks excellent as well.

As for the series plot, Special fx, acting I have to say that overall I give it a three and a half. Better than average, but not quite the full four. I would even say three and three-quarters.

Kevin Sorbo-Dylan Hunt-Acting, while I like Kevin Sorbo, he has the same style as he did in Hercules as are the deliveries of his lines. This is not a bad thing but I guess I have seen all of his stuff and it seems the same BUT I will say that it is strong and vibrant. He is able to show a strong and commanding presence in his roles without even trying, so take the first comment in after reading the second.

Lexa Doig-Romy/Andromeda- is a favorite and played Romy quite well being mechanical when needed but showed a truer human side in many episodes. The way her character was shifted around though made for sometimes odd unexplained behavior changes.

Gordon Woolvett-Harper-was very likeable and true to his character throughout the series always looking to scam and claw his way to a better place in the world...He seemed more Nietzschean at times than Tyr. I loved that he was brilliant and very flawed not in his brilliance but in his character flaws.

Keith Cobb-Tyr-Well played and consistent.

The special Effects were good for their time and still hold up today. The sets and settings were varied up until the last season and made their journeys quite varied.

The Plot was refreshing at times but did have heavy destiny/prophecy filled themes as well as some old standard sci-fi fare episodes to tie them all together. I loved that most episodes had a continuing overall story arc that carried from season to season.

As sci-fi goes this is a solid 8 out of 10.

I'll review this product in 2 parts: 1) Andromeda as a series 2) The SLIPSTREAM collection DVDs. Andromeda is the standard episodic version of futuristic scifi. It's action orientated with numerous special effects and some outlandish aliens. In true Gene Roddenberry fashion, the captain is the hero and always gets the girl. Apparently all female species in the universe are beautiful, love to show cleavage and have no morals. But it does make for good storytelling. The cast here is top notch. Lisa Ryder, Gordon Woolvett, Laura Bertram, Keith Cobb, Steve Bacic and the incredible Lexa Doig all are accomplished and polished entertainers. Kevin Sorbo is a good lead but at times is a bit too stoic. The episodes each tell their own story but there are also a couple of story arcs that run the length of the series. Characters come and go throughtout. The problems this show encountered were a vast - vast overuse of flashbacks and heavily overused stock footage. The editing leaves much to be desired, there are actually scenes where cast got out of character before the cameras stopped rolling. This is slightly above average scifi. 2) The Slipstream collection is well packaged and compact. The special features are tiresome and often duplicated. There are even deleted scenes and bloopers on the wrong discs. Interviews are repeated and sometimes serious, most times not. An uninspired production at best.
If you take anything from this series, it should be an appreciation for the acting chops of Lisa Ryder, Lexa Doig, Steve Bacic and the very likable Gordon Woolvett. I also was amazed that Laura Bertram spent almost 1800 hours in the makeup chair during the 5 year run. I give the series a grade of "B+", the DVD collection a "C".