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Amazon.co.uk Review
Easily one of the most interesting and unusual science fiction shows of recent times, Fringe comes from J.J. Abrams, the very same man who had a hand in Lost, Alias and the quite brilliant recent Star Trek movie reboot. And while this may be lower profile than some of those projects, it’s nonetheless equally as worthy of attention.
The central concept is actually quite similar to The X-Files, with a core of three main characters investigating what they call ‘fringe science’. This manifests itself with a series of unusual situations and happenings, that the team proceed to investigate and try and get to the bottom of.
The Fringe crew consists of FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop and the quite brilliant creation that is his father, Walter Bishop. Walter, played expertly by John Noble, is like every mad scientist in the world wrapped into one wonderful character, and Fringe is often at its strongest when he’s is stage centre.
This first season of Fringe runs for 20 episodes, all of which are included on this set, and it does occasionally struggle to find its feet. That’s no surprise given the show’s infancy, but it also hits some spectacularly good highs, including a marvellous cameo in the season finale that’d be remiss to spoil here. It also throws in a smart underlying narrative, and leaves things finally poised for the already-commissioned second season. In short, a strong show, and one with real potential to get even better. --Jon Foster
Product Description
From J.J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman - the team that brought you Star Trek, Mission Impossible: III and Alias - and executive producers Jeff Pinkner and Bryan Burk comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality.
When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is called in to investigate. When the search nearly kills her partner, Special Agent John Scott, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to Dr. Walter Bishop, our generation's Einstein. There's only one catch: He's been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), in to help. Under Special Agent Phillip Broyles, our trio will discover that what happened on that fatal flight is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.
- Actors
Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Kirk Acevedo, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Mark Valley, John Noble & Michael Cerveris
- Certificate
15 years and over
- Year
2008
- Screen
Widescreen 1.85:1
- Languages
English
- Subtitles
English ; Danish ; Finnish ; Norwegian ; Swedish
- Duration
13 hours and 50 minutes (approx)
- Region
Region 2 - Will only play on European Region 2 or multi-region DVD players.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
100 of 102 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly hit and miss, but mostly excellent,
By
This review is from: Fringe - Season 1 [DVD] (DVD)
There's no denying it, really: Fringe treads precisely the same ground as The X Files. Except, where X-Files was almost uniformly supernatural or alien-y, Fringe approaches it all with science. Or, rather, "fringe science". So while it deals with the same topics, (such as telekinesis, telepathy, ghosts, "alien" parasites, spontaneous combustion and even vampires) each is given an entirely earthly scientific explanation. The explanations are, of course, as fanciful as any explanation given in the X-Files, and that's a part of its charm.
It has 3 leads, really: Anna Torv as Olivia Dunn, an FBI agent, Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop and John Noble (the unmitigated gem and joy of the entire series) as mad scientific genius, Walter Bishop. Walter is Peter's estranged father, and watching their relationship gradually develop is really very lovely. Fringe is a complex and wildy twisty series, so describing any one part of it is immensely tricky as it's a little like a knotted ball of string, so everything is connected to everything else. Each episode is stand alone in terms of topic, ie, telepathy, but arcing throughout the series are multiple threads and you need to watch every episode to keep a handle on them. There's the mysterious, unseen William Bell, Walter Bishop's former lab partner; there's a shadowy, seemingly emotionless, hairless man who seems to be everywhere you look; Nina Sharp, the secretive face of "Massive Dynamic", a huge science and technology conglomerate started by William Bell; Olivia Dunn's past: the tests she went through as a child, and Bell and Bishop's involvement; the big mystery about Peter's childhood and "death"... on and on it goes, everything inextricably linked with everything else, and everything revolving around Walter. Some of the episodes are phenomenally good and some are terribly lacklustre, making the series so far quite hit and miss. Without John Noble as Walter Bishop, Fringe would be mediocre - he is absolutely its heart and soul - so everything combined, so far so watchable. However. The final episode is breath-taking. Actually, that needs to be condensed even further: the final scene is breath-taking. I can't possibly overstate how powerful it is. The entire episode is hugely intriguing, and asks as many questions as it hints the answers to. Plus there's a lovely cameo from a sci-fi legend, so it was already rubbing the elbow of greatness. Then the final scene came, and I watched it blithely and contentedly, thinking nothing of it. The camera pulled back slowlyslowly for the big reveal and when realisation sunk in, my skin literally prickled. It was eerie, and it made my head fuzzy for about an hour. I find myself thinking of it, and wondering, "What if?" The entire series is almost worth watching for that one scene alone. Luckily, the entire series is, overall, really very good, so it won't be a big ole waste of your time. Yes, Fringe is most certainly an homage to X-Files. But it's done well, so no harm done. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is an homage to butter... but it's still lovely on toast.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's more than one of everything,
By Beryllium Urchin (Tamanrasset) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fringe - Season 1 [DVD] (DVD)
Great series, I think, and friends I've passed it on to / watched episodes with agree.
Yes, you're a bit more likely to enjoy it if you like sf-type shows, but the acting is good and the ever-building narrative is terrific - always enough momentum to get over the sporadic holes in the plot! Plus if you like this, you will certainly want to get Season 2 ...
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imaginative, well written sci-fi,
By Chronosphere (U.K.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fringe - Season 1 [DVD] (DVD)
Being a massive fan of the sci-fi genre, I picked up this boxset just last week (good decision too as it has now gone back up in price!). However, I had already watched the first season. In fact, I am currently watching season two, which will be coming to an end soon.
Firstly, the show is just great. It's refreshing to see a show perfect the sci-fi genre so well. The explanations for each scenario are complete nonsense but when you're watching, it just passes you by and you forget to care about it. The cast is fantastic, a great ensemble of characters that you would never think to see working together yet are thrust into the same team. The show focuses on a team of investigators (an FBI agent, genius scientist who spent 17 years in a mental institution and his wayward son) working on mysterious, odd cases which are all part of "The Pattern". These include mind control, teleportation, alternate universes, astral projection, mutation and many other situations that are simply out of this world. Some of the episodes are genuinely gory and creepy, so this is probably not something to let the young ones watch! The show also has a very interesting story arc that continues through each episode and also into season two. The stories are great, the writing is great, the cast are great. To put it simply, if you like sci-fi and enjoyed watching the x files when that was on television, then Fringe is certainly for you. It's modern, funny at times and genius at the same time. However, there is one thing I must bring up that is not a positive. It is not regarding the show itself, but again, the packaging it comes in. My packaging might simply be a one off but the first time I opened each DVD case, a handful of small pieces of black plastic came tumbling out. These pieces of plastic are what holds each disc in place. The prongs are very loose and although it may be simply a case of bad luck, I fear that if any more fall out, the discs will be unable to remain still and slip about inside the case. On a more positive note, the front cover of the DVD set is great. It is that material that changes picture depending on how you tilt it, which is a nice touch. P.S. Look out for a mysterious bald man in each episode. Buy this DVD and you'll know what I mean ;)
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