Stargate Atlantis - Seasons 1-5 - Complete [DVD]

Stargate SG1 is an interesting and entertaining story-driven Sci-fi series, although the characters tend to be rather bland. Conversely the latest evolution of the program Stargate Universe is character-driven, but (currently) at the expense of any strong story-line.

Stargate Atlantis however manages to combine both an engaging story and genuinely likeable characters.

Indeed not since the original Star Trek (with Spock and Kirk) has a sci-fi series managed to balance so effectively all the key components of memorable escapist entertained. Enthralling stories, good scripts, challenging ideas, really nasty villains, lovable characters, and plenty of humour, along with a strong slice of action, all make up the perfect mix for that most rare phenomenon ... a TV series you can watch time and again and still love every moment. And this only happens when you become so fond of the characters you simply want them around.

In Atlantis the characters remorselessly send themselves up, frequently comparing each other to Star Trek or Star Wars figures (usually in a less than flattering way), and the program is littered with memorable one-liners. However the heart of the series has to be David Hewlett as Dr Rodney Mckay. Brilliant and resourceful but often obnoxious, cowardly, anti-social, and hopeless with the ladies, Mckay lifts the entire series out of the mundane and into something genuinely entertaining. That said he is ably supported by a troop of actors who are clearly having as much fun playing their characters as we are having watching them.

Added to this the DVD of the entire series also demonstrates how cleverly the central story grows, and expands and develops, thrusting the characters into more and more dangerous and challenging dilemmas, leading ultimately to breathtaking escapes and momentous space battles. Moreover the stories lead on from one to another so effectively that watching many episodes at one time starts to feel like reading one very long (and massively satisfying) book.

Clearly this is five star entertainment (for me anyway), and I am only surprised the series was never as popular as it deserves to be.

This five series box set is the best Christmas present I've had in a long long time!

There are two things to rate when it comes to a boxset such as this.
The first being the content of the series, special features and whatnot; the latter being the aesthetic and quality of packaging.

For the majority of people purchasing this series, at this moment in time, it's most likely you have seen the series before and know what to expect. If that is the case, expect a whole lot more, the DVDs also contain MASSES of special features. If I'm not mistaken every episode has a commentary, or at least a great deal do. I believe Martin Gero, one of the Stargate writers comments in one that he hopes you've watched the series before then going into watching the commentary, as they often link up talk about character development, prop usage and all manner of things which may occur in later seasons - which is by no means a flaw, it just adds to the replay value of this box set.

If you haven't seen Stargate Atlantis before and have seen SG1, there are a lot of similarities to comfortably keep you at ease, and a whole GALAXY of differences to add to a whole new adventure. I'm not going to go into plot lines, but the series gets progressively better per season in my opinion.

The product itself, the aesthetic and quality is somewhat pleasing. On the plus side we have a beautiful box and a well presented means of storing the DVDs within the ideal holding of the cases.

One of the big arcs of the "Stargate SG-1" series was finding the Lost City of the Ancients, also known as Atlantis.

It also turned into fertile fodder for a spinoff series (come on, you KNEW they had to make one eventually). And though it had a slightly shaky start -- much like its parent series -- the following seasons saw "Stargate: Atlantis" blossom out into a solid sci-fi series with a legendary series, new alien parasites, and new nasty machines from long ago.

At the Antarctic base, Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) has finally figured out the location of Atlantis -- in the Pegasus galaxy. General Jack O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) lets an exploratory unit to go to Atlantis -- even though they don't have the power to return back to the Milky Way, and will be stranded there.

So Dr. Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) leads an international group of scientists and military personnel to another galaxy, and arrive in the sunken Ancient city of Atlantis. After some initial problems, the ancient city is secured and has risen above the water -- but unfortunately the military unit, including Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan), have run afoul of the parasitic, life-sucking alien Wraith, who destroyed the Pegasus Ancients long ago.

And the Pegasus galaxy has plenty of its own dangers -- nanoviruses, spies, life-sucking bugs, cannibal Wraith, enzyme addicts, whales, an egomaniac baker, weird Ancient devices, Wraiths transformed into humans (and vice versa), "alternate reality drives," Ancient artifacts, crooked businessmen, fear machines, a race of hybrid bug monsters, crystalline nightmare aliens, and a race of ruthless soldiers pretending to be Amish-like farmers.

The Atlantis base regains contact with Earth, but this may not be enough to save them from the Wraith's attempts to gain control of Atlantis -- and the only Stargate with Earth's coordinates. To make matters worse, they encounter a planet of what seems to be Ancients, only to find that they are in fact a mechanical experiment gone horribly wrong. And they really, really hate humans -- and an attack of theirs leads to Weir being horribly injured.

At the same time, Atlantis receives two new commander -- first Colonel Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping), formerly of SG-1, and then the once-fussy Woolsey (Robert Picardo). Not that it's any easier than SG-1 was, as the crew faces a startling pregnancy that attracts unwanted attentions, predictions of doom, and Wraith incursions that are striking a little too close to home -- on the way to Earth.

"Stargate: Atlantis" has an easier introduction than most series, even spinoffs. The whole idea was introduced over a few seasons of "Stargate SG-1," some of the characters (Weir, Woolsey and McKay) were also recurring characters, and Tapping was a regular. Teal'c and Daniel even drop in. And while the first season is a bit bland ("The romancing of the alien priestess? It's very 1967 of you," Rodney snipes) the storyline hits its stride in the second season.

And it has plenty of sci-fi staples -- ugly nasty aliens, tightly wound scientists, little tubular ships, explosions, moral quandaries and a bit of classic-style horror (just look at Michael's "experiments"). But it doesn't lose its laid-back style (Rodney having trouble with a mustached woman who resents being called "sir"), or its human side, such as the handling of certain characters who are lost (some of whom are not really gone for good).

And the dialogue is pretty great, with lots of one-liners and snappy exchanges, with the occasional pop culture reference ("It's the ultimate answer to the great question of life, the universe and everything!"). Most are from Rodney ("Just once, I would like to be taken prisoner by the sexy alien!"), and Sheppard ("But then I'd be The Man, and who would I have to rage against?"). But there's humor from everyone ("He put his hand in my forehead! How can you resist that?" "Well, I like to close my eyes and think of England"), including the Wraith ("I hope they prove as delicious as the farmers who grew them").

One thing Atlantis does have is a high cast turnover, compared to the relatively unchanging cast of the previous series -- Higginson does a pretty good job as the scientist-command but is given too little to do.After season three, she she was replaced by Tapping, who brings a bit of seasoned science-military fusion to the mix, then fusspot Woolsey who manages to actually be a good if befuddled commander ("Monkey? Did you say flying?").

Flanigan has a nice O'Neillian snap to his performance ("I HATE clowns!"), David Hewlett is hilarious as the antisocial, ever-exasperated scientist, and Paul McGillion is adorable as a Scottish doctor. And while Rachel Luttrell and Jason Momoa are never quite as endearingly alien as SG-1's Teal'c (who makes a guest appearance), they are quite solid as a psychic martial-artist and a rough-edged warrior.

"Stargate Atlantis" loses a few too many cast members, but the storylines and aliens add a fresh dimension to the Stargate universe. Definitely worth the while.