Customer Reviews

Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fifth Season

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Stargate Atlantis entering it's 5th season was filled with a lot of suspense, action, drama, and even the good ol Stargte comedy like Rodney delivering Teyla's baby. The show had a solid first part with the brilliant special effects of "Daedalus Variations" and the heart-felt tear jerker "Ghost in the Machine" and "The Shrine". Our friendly or foe wraith Todd makes a great appearance in "The Queen" where Teyla goes through a transformations.

The mid-season 2 parter was epic with a special guest appearance by Michael Shanks to fufill his role as Daniel Jackson. If you are a SG-1 and SGA fan it was an epic episode with a shocking discovery.

As the 2nd half progresses we get epic eps like "The Prodgial" which features an epic scene with Sheppard, Michael, and Teyla fighting on the balcony outskirt of the city Atlantis. Another worthy nod was "Outsiders" which features another episode of the returned Carson Becektt and gives a classic SGA feel with the character interactions. Best line, Mckay: "It's not a volkswagon Carson". Also a shot out at "Remnants" which dives into 3 characters, Woolsey, Sheppard, and Mckay, and features a clever plot twist.

The 2nd half dragged a little with the fueled shipping and relationship of Mckeller. I think that was the only downfall to the season. It felt a little rushed and forced but was not overkill in the season.

The series ends with the last 2 eps. A CSI feel Atlantis taking place in Vegas, titled, um "Vegas". Cool and interesting music selections from Producer Robert Cooper featuring, "Marilyn Manson", "The Rolling Stones", and "Johnny Cash". A very unique episode that really captures the heart and personality of one John Sheppard.

The series/season finale was rushed because of MGM's decision to replace Atlantis with Stargate Universe. A lot of fans were upset because Atlantis was still performing very well in ratings. So the producers, with no slots in their eps, had to quickly come up with a 100ep/Season finale/Series Finale all in one. Did they do it? Well not all the way. It should of been a 2-parter for a lot of fans taste, but it was a very good episode. Felt more like a season finale.

Season 5 was not the best season, but it was up there. Now with a Stargate Atlantis movie in the works and scheduled for a 2010 release it should be interesting how they continue the story where Season 5 left off this past Winter.

They don't have a 4 1/2 option so I'll just give it 5 stars!

I just love how Stargate series usually end. They tie things up nicely, give you a really cool battle, and they don't kill off your favorite characters just to make a stupid point.

The season's arc was kind of disjointed and confusing. You will notice during this season that they are already cutting off the threads for some stories. Over all, the episodes show a little bit of character growth, especially in Woolsey, Rodney, and Sheppard. There is no big bad until the last two episodes. The big bads they do have this season are resolved quickly (for the most part).

I like the episodes with Daniel Jackson. Pairing him off with Rodney was an excellent choice.

I might want to add that the information above is inaccurate. Torri Higgison wasn't in the last two seasons as a regular. She was barely in Season 4, and wasn't at all in Season 5. They missed Robert Picardo who took over Amanda Tapping's role after she took over Torri's role.
Confused? We all are!!

They also forgot to credit the one the only Dr. McKay (David Hewlett). Like him or hate him, the man can evoke emotions in people. He also has a quirky sense of humor, which if you can get it, is hilarious. I highly recommend "A Dog's Breakfast" if you are a David Hewlett fan.

Still the series ended when it should have ended. There were already rumors of cast members leaving and going away. So now they don't have to kill them off in dumb ways.

Well the series does not tie off all of the threads. There is plenty of room for the movies which MGM is salivating over.

Wonderful season 5 for Stargate: Atlantis! Some standout episodes have already been mentioned but the 2 part mini arc with Dr. Daniel Jackson as well as the entire cast was total entertainment and needs to be mentioned again. 'Vegas' was also something special.

I admit to still being ticked off that Stargate: Atlantis was cancelled. Yes a movie sounds great but I feel that the season suffered because of the axe hanging over their heads. This show did not deserve cancellation. The ratings were still solid and there were still plenty of places to go with these characters.

Why bother watching this new show if the plug could be pulled at any time? What is the point in investing the time when the bean counters could pull the plug on something good?

I've been a fan of Stargate: Atlantis since the first episode and I miss seeing these characters in new adventures. I'm still in mourning...

I love SGA. The fifth season had some unfortunate departures from what I loved about the show, but it does contain two of my favorite episodes from the series, The Shrine and Vegas.
I always love the behind the scenes and extras, really liked that they finally had an interview with Joe Flanigan (Sheppard).
I wish there had been more actor commentaries (only one, from Jason Momoa on Broken Ties). The producers and writers seem to focus more on process and the mechanics of making the show, the actors seem to focus on the story and the characters, which is really why I want to hear the commentaries.
I truly did not appreciate the emphasis on the McKay and Keller romance this season, it disrupted the great team dynamics that were the heart of the series and lessened the importance of Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon.
I don't like hearing how the writers/producers think that this romance was cool, but, on the other hand, it is interesting to hear how much their perception of the show differs from what I and so many other fans saw as the good and the bad of SGA.
On the whole, I'd recommend this DVD set. Some great eps and some interesting extras.

Season Four of STARGATE ATLANTIS was the series at its best, in large part because the show shifted the emphasis away from episodic, standalone episodes, to serial, long story arc episodes. Season Five, however, shifted increasingly back to the episodic format. There were some longer story arcs, but sadly most of the episodes were standalone. This isn't to say that there weren't some good individual episodes, but the show lacked the narrative cohesion that drove the previous season and made it so enjoyable.

As with Season Four, a significant number of the best episodes involved the wraith Todd, as Dr. Keller created a genetic modification made it possible for wraiths to subsist on regular human food. There were hints from time to time that this was leading to a dramatic realignment among the wraith, but this was never pushed to its logical conclusion. This was symptomatic of the entire season, with a lack of story arcs that would bring the series to any kind of overall conclusion. Given that they knew well before the end of the season that the series was not going to be renewed, one would have hoped for a better send off.

In the end, the series was a show with a lot of unrealized potential. They had a great concept with Atlantis, the Ancients, and the Wraiths, but the show was hurt by a failure to write strong long story arcs and by some weaknesses in the cast. Joe Flanigan and David Hewlett were marvelous as Col. Sheppherd and Rodney McKay, but too few in the rest of the cast came up to their level, and most of the other characters were either weakly written or never really developed to the degree that one might have wished. Still, the series as a whole did provide a good viewing experience. I think five seasons is about the right number for most shows. Most shows decline somewhat after that many seasons. While ATLANTIS was not as interesting in Season Five as in earlier seasons, it hadn't gone on so long that it became unlikable. And at its best, the show was a lot of fun, with some very good viewing moments. And The Wraiths have to go down on the short list of the great bad guys in TV history.

Yes folks SCI-FI (Now SyFy, the wrasslin' and Ghost Story network) doesn't have to pay as much money to the actors because they never reached 100 episodes. At 100 you get a check as long as it's in syndication, so let's screw the little guys (Flanagan, Hewlitt, Mamoa, etc.) out of every penny we can. That's how they roll.
After being a little slow in Season 3 and picking up in Four, Season Five showed promise. The "Evil" Asgard and the attacking aliens from "Daedalus Variations" offered 2 possible new story arcs. But wait, we can't let any actors share in the success, cancel the show so we can get more money for ourselves! Thanks NBC/Universal!!
I bought this one used on Amazon to deny the rights' owners any new income. MGM's financial cratering and sale of all props and wardrobes pretty well assure that NO future pick ups of Stargate Atlantis and Universe will happen in the foreseeable future so enjoy Season 5, it's all that's left!

Let's face it, Stargate Atlantis is going to appeal to those who already liked the show, and those curious enough to give it a look. For fans, it's a chance to see the crew once again, and they don't disappoint. It was fun seeing the old gang again. The disks contain a basic menu system, and the disk quality is pretty good, especially if you have an up-converting player. Considering the 1st two seasons came packaged together at a good price, picking up the remaining seasons, individually, also at a good price, was definitely worthwhile.

I really do not watch too much TV anymore because of lack of quality and/or story telling. Certain series however are the exception and Stargate is that exception for me. I have always had a liking for good Sci-fi, but that's rare for me also. I think a LOT of Sci-fi is as worthless as much of the other nonsense that is on TV.

I didn't start watching any of the Stargate series because I thought that the original movie "STUNK". But many years later I caught an episode of Stargate Atlantis and began watching the series from that point on the Sci-Fi channel. Needless to say that I began to really enjoy the Atlantis series (Rodney Mac - really takes time to endure his annoying character!). Seasons 4 and 5 were outstanding. Sooooo, I watched the entire five seasons and was not disappointed!

Soooooo, I started to watch the Stargate SG-1, just to see what all of the references, terminologies, etc, were that I did not understand in Atlantis. I began with season 1 and I am now in season 3. I'm truly enjoying the Stargate world. My brother, if he were alive, would really enjoy SG. He really loved sci-fi and turned me on to it many years ago.

enjoy!

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The return of the city of Atlantis back to earth is awesome. It also opens the door to speculations about the real existence of Atlantis here on earth today. I never expected Mr. Wulsy (Picard) to turn his personality around and be the very one that broke all the Rules of the IOA, when he was the one that was so intent in enforcing them. We finally see Dr. McCay's tender moments with his new girl friend. Season was very well executed.

We've LOVED this franchise. We've got all ten seasons of Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection as well as all five seasons of Atlantis, and all the SG-1 movies. We watch them constantly. In this season, you see a lot of story lines wrapped up and a big move for the Atlantis teams. This series has action, science, drama, comedy...something for everyone. All the actors that had anything to do with the Stargate Universe have been supremely cast, too. You are NOT going to be disappointed, except when you realize that the series really is over.