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78 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Atlantis, Still Fun And Entertaining, But Where's It All Heading?!, April 26, 2008
Although the actual DVD set isn't out as of the time I write this, the 4th season finished airing months ago and now since they have the page for pre-order up, I've been kinda itching to write a review.
Well as this season starts off from the 3rd season cliffhanger, it is definately off to an awesome start. Atlantis lost, adrift in space and running out of power. To conserve energy, they shrink the shield down to a small section of the city and then what happens?...Atlantis runs into an asteroid belt! Then to get more power, they actually raid the Asuran homeworld for ZPM's using Dr. Weir! A very entertaining beginning.
While the majority of episodes are hits, such as the episode where a disease causes everyone to lose their memories(Tabula Rasa) or the one where Teal'c comes for a visit(Midway); there are some that fall short of their potential for giving more or are just plain boring! For example: the end-season cliffhanger! This is the first time I've ever been disappointed with an Atlantis cliffhanger, not leaving me anxiously curious to see how they get out of that situation, waiting for the next season. It ends with Sheppard and his team searching a building for Teyla, but it self-destructs and collapses in on them. (Zzzzzz...you know they survive it) A better way to end the season would have been to leave Sheppard stranded 48,000 years in the future, revealing more about what happened in the galaxy in all that time and trying to figure out a way to get back home with the McKay hologram's original plan failing to work! Now that sounds like one hell of a cliffhanger!
I reviewed season 3 as well, saying it gives potential for an awesome season 4. Does it live up to that potential? It comes close, but unfortunately no it doesn't. Why? It just seems like the shows creators/writers aren't willing to go all the way in some of the episode's stories. For that matter, I can't figure out what direction the show is headed in anymore; can you? (I assume the show IS going in some direction)
At least this time around they gave more attention to the Wraith and to Teyla. The whole story arc with the Athosian people being kidnapped and Teyla's search for them, both expanded, and renewed some interest, in her character. In my season 3 review I also stated my favorite character is McKay, but even I am starting to get tired of seeing him so much in every episode.
Dr. Weir was officially lost this season, then killed, then...kinda came back? But fortunately we regained some old faces. Dr. Beckett (or at least a clone) came back at an end of the season episode. And while I liked having Samantha Carter as the Atlantis commander, just like Dr. Weir in season 3, they didn't utilize her character enough!
Which leads us to season 5. SPOILERS AHEAD! I've read various sources about what season 5 of Atlantis will have instore for us fans & veiwers, and most have been confirmed. The biggy for me being that Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) will NOT be back as Atlantis' commander. (Due to the fact she'll be staring in her own show, "Sanctuary".) But she will come back for some guest appearances. Who's replacing her? Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo)! I have completely mixed feelings about his character, but he definately doesn't have what it takes to command Atlantis! So unless he grows a pair and proves himself as something other than a cowering beaurocrat, this alone makes me uncertain about season 5 as well as the future of the show. Dr. Beckett and Dr. Daniel Jackson will guest star in some episodes, as well as 2 new characters and an entirely new race being introduced.
Don't get me wrong, I still really like Atlantis and am going to get the season 4 DVD once it's released, but I must say this is the first time I am uncertain about how the next season will take shape, or if it will even be any good? Let's just hope season 5 will prove me wrong!
The season 4 DVD set itself will have the usual: commentaries, deleted scenes, etc. However, this will be the first Atlantis season DVD that will have a bloopers reel.
**UPDATE: Well, Season 4 came out today, I've got it and am watching it right now. Physical DVD-wise, the video and sound is still great like seasons 2 & 3. Packaging is the same as well. The menus are different from seasons 2 & 3 DVD's, but are still cool-looking and are easy to navigate. (You don't have to go through a lot of submenus to get what you are looking for.) Hope this latest info helps anyone!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rising again, July 22, 2008
Surprisingly, season 4 of Stargate Atlantis is better than season 3--it is just about on par with season 2. Most of the storylines are decent, with some very enjoyable ones; even with the mostly annoying characters, this season is tolerable.
Lt. Col. John Sheppard has deviated from his Jack O'Neill Jr. behavior, now becoming a standard yet spineless character; when faced with most women, he's quiet and weak-willed, barely standing up for himself--unlike his decisive attitude around men. Col. Samantha Carter, taking the place of Dr. Weir, is a capable and strong leader--at times, she is the only one to speak up for the right course of action. Dr. Rodney McKay, barely changing in the slightest, remains arrogant and smug; however, Carter can sometimes shut him up with a well-placed comment, which is quite satisfying. Teyla, although the victim of a sometimes pathetic plot twist, is very faintly better than she was in season 3, sometimes offering up Athosian wisdom for those in need. Ronon is, in my opinion, the best character in the show: he is on occasion the only person with common sense, and also tells it exactly like it is.
As for the episodes:
Adrift--5 of 10--We pick up where we left off in season 3, with the city floating in space and losing power. The whole of this episode is spent on creating and solving problem upon problem: an asteroid belt threatens the city, as well as badly damaged power conduits and loss of shield protection. This goes on until it ends in a very unsatisfactory manner. I couldn't help but think that a better solution could have been found to the main, crippling problem of this episode.
Lifeline--7 of 10--Even with the bad ending of `Adrift', this episode finishes things up very nicely, with a daring mission and brave help from the wounded Dr. Weir. Rodney of course discovers something else that they could try to do while going through with their original mission; I expected things to go from bad to worse and their plans to fail, but thankfully everything went well, with the city actually surviving somewhat unscathed. This is a good ending to a bad problem.
Reunion--8 of 10--Ronon stumbles upon three of his friends from Sateda (his home planet) and wonders whether he should leave Atlantis to stay with them. The Satedans are actually slightly dislikeable, being somewhat boorish and rough around the edges; they influence Ronon far too much at times, but they have an unpredictable secret that almost dooms Ronon. As with mostly all episodes focusing on Ronon, this is enjoyable--although it features some very strange fight scenes...
Doppelganger--4 of 10--Sheppard touches a crystalline object on an alien planet and soon appears in everyone's nightmares. The idea behind this episode is interesting; but throughout it, I was laughing! Unintentionally, it becomes more of a dark comedy instead of horrific and engrossing. Something about Sheppard being the villain in each and every nightmare is actually quite amusing.
Travelers--3 of 10--Sheppard is captured by a strange ship and tries to escape while dealing with the ship's stereotypically beautiful commander. This episode might actually outdo season 2's `Grace Under Pressure' in terms of being annoying. Larrin, the commander, is anything but military, even though she lives on her tattered ship; her hair is long and flowing, she wears tight black leather, and she saunters through the corridors like a fashion model. When she gets what she wants, her attitude is predictably smug--when she doesn't get what she wants, she becomes pugnacious and petulant, at one point stomping her foot and hollering like a twelve-year-old. All in all, this is useless.
Tabula Rasa--9 of 10--In an amazingly good and intriguing episode, Rodney finds himself tied to his desk, with almost total memory loss, and strange instructions from a recording of himself. The explanation of the memory loss is logical and understandable; the adventures ensuing are exciting and mysterious; the flashbacks to hours earlier are nice and enlightening; and it all serves to create an episode I heartily enjoyed!
Missing--6 of 10--Teyla and Keller, traveling to spend a day at the new Athosian settlement, find that the people are missing; they encounter the infamous Bola Kai tribesmen wandering the planet and must hide for fear of capture and death. In this episode, Keller at last shows her mettle--after whimpering and moaning for most of the time, she finds her inner courage and faces a dangerous enemy. The largest problem with the episode, though, is that in all other season 3 and 4 episodes, I saw no mention of the Athosians being relocated to another planet. I have no idea when they got there!
The Seer--8 of 10--Still searching for the Athosians, Teyla seeks out a well-known seer--the leader of a group of people on another planet--and finds that he knows much about Atlantis' future. Although the seer himself doesn't have much to do, his visions predict quite a bit of trouble for Atlantis; meanwhile, the team finds themselves inextricably linked with the Wraith in order to fight the Replicators. With the amount of adventures involved--and the very small amount of mistakes made--this episode is very good.
Miller's Crossing--5 of 10--Rodney's sister Jeannie is kidnapped and, in searching for her, Rodney stumbles into a trap. This episode gives Rodney and Jeannie a chance to argue and sulk, which they are both quite good at. Just as in season 3's `McKay and Mrs. Miller', the premise itself is not very sound; the decisions that Rodney, Jeannie, and even their kidnapper make are foolish; as a plus, Jeannie decides to call Rodney by his real name, Meredith, through the entire episode--even though he has already told her that he goes by the name of Rodney. Like before, this is rather worthless.
This Mortal Coil--9 of 10--After a strange drone from an unknown source crashes into the city, the denizens of Atlantis slowly begin to realize that there's something unusual going on. At the beginning, this episode is a game of `what's wrong with this picture?' Once the truth is finally known--shocking not only the team, but myself as well--the team must work to avert disaster and provide help...but those who need help are the most unlikely of people!
Be All My Sins Remember'd--7 of 10--Since the Replicators are attacking more and more planets, the team decides to settle things once and for all. Larrin, clichéd commander of the Traveler warship, gets an appearance; when Sheppard comes to her--virtually groveling for her help instead of candidly asking for it--she decides to tie him to a chair (apparently a running gag). What's nice is that Col. Ellis, commander of the Apollo, finally manages to give Rodney a piece of his mind before they all go off to fight the Replicators. In the end, though a new and shocking enemy is revealed to us in the audience, although the team knows nothing of them.
Spoils of War--7 of 10--The team, led by a signal from Todd's subspace tracking device, stumbles on a top secret Wraith outpost, where they will find many threats. Teyla finally gets a chance to help out, with as much courage as ever, while Sheppard, Rodney, and Ronon explore the facility. A Wraith queen is spotlighted and gets to hiss and spit in the usual over-the-top manner. Although this episode is contrived in spots, it still is somewhat decent.
Quarantine--6 of 10--After the city mistakenly quarantines itself, many of the main characters find themselves trapped together, giving them a chance to learn more about each other. We find that Dr. Zelenka raises pigeons; Dr. Keller graduated from college at age 15; and other assorted little tidbits. Rodney is of course featured prominently in this episode, as he is in almost all of them. The extremely good part about this episode is that Dr. Zelenka finally gets a chance to do something beneficial for the entire city. Otherwise, it's the usual, mediocre at best.
Harmony--4 of 10--Sheppard and Rodney agree to shepherd a young princess on a rite of passage; in a reverse of Star Trek: The Next Generation's `The Dauphin', the girl--who bears the Earth name Harmony--develops a crush on Sheppard. This results in her acting somewhat like The Lord of the Rings' Gollum, pretending to cry in Sheppard's arms while smirking at Rodney instead. She is the classic spoiled-brat child, not caring whether Sheppard or Rodney survive their mission, and explaining her actions with the words "I'm the queen!" Throughout most of the episode, I could see all the major events coming easily. This is a light, very faintly comedic episode that is worth seeing only once.
Outcast--6 of 10--Sheppard's father dies and he comes home to Earth for the funeral, but then finds himself in much deeper trouble than he expected. His polished brother wears a fancy suit and has perfectly coiffed hair; his ex-wife, even with her nightclub-style outfit, works implausibly for the Department of Homeland Security; strangely, Sheppard finds himself at a complete loss for words every time he encounters either of them. Otherwise, the main storyline--featuring Replicators, as well as an unexpected appearance by a former supporting character from season 1--is decent at the very least. Of course, there are some story points that I can see coming...but then again, that's true for almost all the episodes.
Trio--8 of 10--Carter, Rodney, and Keller are trapped in a former Genii mine that is racked by tremors. Thankfully, Rodney doesn't get to show much of his very annoying tendencies in this episode, although contributing an idea on how to escape; Carter and Keller also do their separate parts, trying to get out before the tremors destroy the mine. While this is the standard `a problem arises,...
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stargate Atlantis Rocks, May 17, 2008
I think that Stargate Atlantis Season 4 is well worth watching. I would agree with other reviewers that Carter should have been in more episodes (it was fun to see how she and McKay got along). I also agree that I continually expected to see something else on Weir and the Replicators, but it never happened. However, I think overall this season was great. I can't wait to own it on DVD this summer or for the next season. I hope it lasts as long as SG-1, or even longer!
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