Amazon.com

This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. As its ratings following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, illustrated, Friends has matured into television's most beloved comfort show. The peerless ensemble--Jennifer Aniston, a pre-Arquette Courtney Cox, Emmy winner Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer--makes a lasting first impression in the first season's 24 episodes, which are presented chronologically on four discs. The perky "Pilot" introduces unlucky-in-love Monica, runaway bride Rachel, sad sack Ross, New Age ditz Phoebe, wise guy Chandler, and womanizer Joey. The focus of the first season is Ross's unrequited love for Rachel, but we have these moments to remember: the arrival of Marcel the monkey ("The One with the Monkey"); Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe's "cleansing ritual" ("The One with the Candy Hearts"); the escalating game of shower peek-a-boo ("The One with the Boobies"); Joey as Al Pacino's butt double ("The One with the Butt"); Ross taking lessons from Joey in how to "talk dirty" ("The One with the Stoned Guy"); former "Must-See TV" stars Helen Hunt and George Clooney ("The One with Two Parts"); and Chandler spilling the beans to Rachel about Ross's feelings for her ("The One Where Rachel Finds Out"). Though its devoted fans can recite these episodes chapter and verse, Friends maintains its sparkle through repeat viewings, a testament to the sharp writing as well as the cast's lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry and lived-in performances. The episodes are presented uncut and extended, with previously unseen dialogue and scenes. And those who hate Friends and would like to drown the characters in the opening credits' fountain are directed to the episode "The One with the Boobies," in which guest star Fisher Stevens hilariously nails the "dysfunctional group dynamic ... co-dependent, emotionally stunted, sitting in your stupid coffeehouse and you're all like, 'Define me, define me.'" --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (134)

The start of a beautiful "Friend"-ship
When the pilot first aired, I was in kindergarten. Though at the time I wasn't old enough to stay awake past the time it aired, I remember my mom always raving about Friends.

I have since caught most of the episodes in syndication, on primetime reruns, and via the "Best Of Friends" DVDs. I'm thrilled that the entire seasons are, at last, making it to DVD.

What is one of the funniest shows ever, Friends should be a part of anyone's DVD collection. In fact, I'd say that these DVDs are basically worth buying a DVD player. Whether your an old fan embracing the nostalgia provided by the discs, a new fan trying to catch up on old storylines, or someone who until now was unaware the show even existed, you will love these DVDs.

Every Friends episode is utterly perfect. When you watch the Pilot and then watch an episode from the current (and final) season, you will see what I mean. The characters are already there in the very first episode. It's as if these actors were walking along, waiting to find Ross, Monica, Chandler, Rachael, Phoebe, and Joey. The characters never develope because they were just there in the beginning. How many other shows can you say that about?

Took them long enough...
...To realize that they needed to release "complete seasons of" box set DVDs here in the US too, and not just in the UK! Finally all US resident "Friends" fans are getting what they want and what they need. If you've been keeping track of all the "Friends" episodes since season 1, then you should have some sort of a clue on what will be included in this box set: every single episode of season 1, and I am sure there will be some great special bonus features added to it. It's kind of unfair that the UK already has the complete seasons box sets up to season eight...and they haven't even released season one here in the United States! So if you really cannot wait, then you can probably order every single complete season of "Friends" on the UK version of Amazon.com. "Friends" is the best comedy show on TV! It's been the best since it first aired and still rules! It's a clever show, about six friends living in New York City and dealing with the everyday problems of life. Joey and Rachel are my favorite characters--and I'd think they'd make a great couple!... I just love "Friends" and I can't get enough of it. My favorite episode from the first season is "The One With The Ick Factor", where Monica dates a guy who thinks he's a senior in college but, while they are "doing it", he confesses that he's actually a senior in high school! I also love the very first episode, of course, as does most fans of "Friends" do. For all "Friends" fans, of course I'd recommend this! It's better than THE BEST OF FRIENDS collection because even though they only show episodes from season one, it's every single episode and not just the most popular ones polled by "Friends" fans...

BRILLIANT
I've been looking at some of these reviews and to tell u the truth i think u should stick to the US version of DVD boxsets. i have seasons 1-9 dvd boxsets and there arent any special features til season four and even then its the same til season 7 where they include extended episodes. although i have all the series im still gona buy them all from US jus because i want the speacial features. apart from that enjoy season 1 starting from when rachel does a runner from her big day to when rachel finds out how ross really feels abt her!! ENJOY

Let the friends fun begin
I'm going to be honest. I did not start watching Friends until the 4th season. I kept hearing people talk about the show and I got curious and decided to catch a few episodes. When the show came on in syndication I tried to catch the shows I missed. Which is why I'm excited the show is on DVD as full season sets. I keep seeing people post that it's a waste of money to buy a show on DVD that you can see on TV in syndication. I thought so too at first, but when you end up seeing the same episodes in syndication over, and over, you begin to miss episodes that are not shown on television. Having the show on DVD means I can see certain episodes when I want, and see them COMMERICAL FREE.

Rachel, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Phoebe and Ross will be allowed into our living rooms for the rest of our lives. It's fun to watch the series from the beginning, and watch how the characters evolve, and their styles change. Ross spent season 1 being depressed about his wife being a lesbian, and facing the facts he would share parenting roles with the ex and the lover. You watch the show, and you laugh more and more with each episode.

My SUPER favorites episodes are(because I enjoy all of them):

1. The one with the East German Laundry Detergent
2. The one with the boobies
3. The one with the fake monica
4. The one with two parts
5. The one with the poker
6. The one with the birth - no matter how many times I see this episode I always cry at the end.

I gave season 1 a 4 because as it good as season 1 is, it just gets better as the seasons go on. This show is a lot of fun, and I hope to eventually own all the seasons on DVD.

Friends Season 1 Disc 4
I never watched Friends the entire time it was on television. I didn't watch the last episode either. But while browsing the video store for something to watch during vacation I picked up The Best of Friends on VHS only 1 and 2. Since then I have rented Seasons 4,5, and 7. I have Seasons 1 and 2 now. The last Disc of Season 1 is by far the funniest. I found myself saying a few days ago..."How you doing?...My favorite characters would have to be Ross (I love that goofy-look) and then Monica. With television shows now on DVD, I am cutting off cable. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Nothing? Seinfeld is a show about everything! It's about the appeal of the posse and coma etiquette. It's about importing and exporting. It's about sneaking a peek, and seeing the baby. It's about this, that, and the other. TV Guide ranked Seinfeld the best TV series of all time. It has become the master of its syndication domain. Its most devoted fans can quote each episode chapter and verse; their absorption of each scene's minutiae anything but a trivial pursuit. With such fervent devotion to the show, and demand for its DVD release, series creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David could have easily just OK'd a bare-bones set containing nothing but the episodes. Not that there would have been anything wrong with that, but instead, the creative team came together to create extensive and encyclopedic features that make this four-disc set buy-worthy. The candid and revealing audio commentaries and interviews, deleted scenes and original episode promos, and optional "Notes About Nothing" pop-ups are as irresistible as a Drake's coffee cake.

It's always fun and instructive to return to the humble beginnings of a series that became a pop culture benchmark. Here are Kramer's first not-so-grand entrance, Jerry's first contemptuous "Hello, Newman," and Elaine's first "Get Out!" shove. But what is most revelatory about these episodes from the first two seasons is what Jason Alexander, during his commentary for the episode "The Revenge," calls a "sweet quality" that somehow redeems these characters' more base instincts. Consider the scene in which Jerry gives a freshly unemployed George some career guidance, or Jerry and Elaine's palpably affectionate banter throughout. The "Inside Look" episode intros offer fascinating insights into this singular show that subverted sitcom convention with such now-classic episodes as "The Chinese Restaurant," in which Jerry, George, and Elaine wait in vain for a table. We learn, for example, why movie tough guy Lawrence Tierney, who guest starred in "The Jacket," never reprised his role as Elaine's father. All of this, of course, is yadda yadda yadda to Seinfeld fans, whose patience for the show's DVD debut has been amply rewarded. As Elaine screams in the third-season episode, "The Subway," "It's not nothing, it's something!" --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (186)

Seinfeld Box Set Seasons 1 and 2 for November!
In case you didn't know, there were disputes for years over whether or not to pay the 3 co-stars residuals for doing extra material on the sets (interviews, commentary about the episodes, etc). The arguments dragged on, Yada Yada Yada, they're making the sets now. The first set will have Seasons 1 and 2 (17 episodes), including the pilot. It will have tons of extras, unlike the Curb Your Enthusiasm sets. The release date is set for November, but chances are it will be pushed back until December to get more sales.

Myself and other Seinfeldians have been waiting for this since the Spring of 1998. It will be soooooo great.

Here is a list of episodes that will be included in the first set:

Season 1:
Pilot (Good News Bad News)
The Stakeout
The Robbery
Male Unbonding
The Stock Tip

Season 2:
The Ex-Girlfriend
The Pony Remark
The Jacket
The Phone Message
The Apartment
The Statue
The Revenge
The Heart Attack
The Deal
The Baby Shower
The Chinese Restaurant
The Busboy

I know these aren't the best episodes of the show, but it is a start.

Seinfeld DVD advertisement in "50 First Dates"
I thought I'd just add that prior to viewing "50 First Dates" on DVD, they were advertising a Seinfeld DVD set slated to "be in stores soon". I believe it's a "Best Of", but they didn't specify it in the advertisement. Take what you will from this. All it did was get me excited.

details of DVD
If you want to buy the DVD now on the internet, it is 205 dollars. There are 23 discs with 8 episodes on each one. Im pretty sure that they are low in quality and there will probably be a lot of other stuff messed up, so im gonna wait untill it comes out in stores.

It s coming soon
If you watch the beginning of 50 First Dates, they show add of Seinfeld on DVD. They will have a lot of extras on it and all they say it is being released soon. I have heard around the Christmas time frame.

Every Generation
Every Generation had its great comedy series, from Milton Berle, to Lucy, to the Dick Van Dyke show, to Taxi (my favorite, out in Oct), to Seinfeld. And as time went by it seems like the writers got better. Seinfeld is one of those great timeless classics that will be with us for a long time and will be hard to beat . . . Thank you Larry David ! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The seventh and final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation will always remain a curiosity in TV sci-fi history. Despite the end being definite, despite Deep Space Nine taking over, despite knowing there'd be a movie six months after the series' end, and despite Babylon 5 starting that year with its predetermined story arc, there is nothing here to suggest things were coming to a close. Wesley finally gets dispatched ("Journey's End"), but everyone was waiting for that anyway. Some continuity was attempted: there's a sequel to season 1's "The Battle" ("Bloodlines"), Alexander follows the Klingon soap saga through ("Firstborn"), the Maquis and the Cardassians are mentioned several times, and there are final installments for Lwaxana Troi, Barclay, Lore, Guinan, and Ro Laren. None of this brings any form of resolution, however.

The one-off story lines seem to throw out ideas that beg for development. "Force of Nature" suggests frequent high-warp travel is damaging the very fabric of space/time. "Parallels" has Worf experiencing multiple realities, including one in which the Borg won at Wolf 359. "Lower Decks" finally introduces some secondary crew from the more than a thousand supposedly supporting Picard and company. There are even hints at some romance at long last between Dr. Crusher and Picard as well as Worf and Troi. In the long run, even after terrific guest spots from Trek alumni Armin Shimerman and Robin Curtis, and from Paul Sorvino and Kirsten Dunst, there's one thing for which the final year is remembered: "All Good Things..." is a near-perfect denouement for the show. With terrific production values and FX, not to mention standout performances from all concerned, it was an amazing surprise to have Q suggest there'd been a story arc right from the get-go. If only this final script had been fully conceived earlier on, The Next Generation might not have been overshadowed by the glut of TV sci-fi that followed in its wake. --Paul Tonks ... Read more

Reviews (44)

"I LIVE FOR THIS [STUFF]
This season of STAR TREK the NEXT GENERATION was NOMINATED for an EMMY award, BEST DRAMA.
total EMMYs won for this series, 27.

Plus it highly influenced the blockbuster movie XXX,(just kidding)

But it did influence many syndicated Science Fiction shows in later years.

& If I was forced to destroy all but 1 episode in this season, I would spare "GAMBIT",
seeing CAPTAIN PICARD and CMDR RIKER beet the [stuff]out of each other is awesome.

If I was forced to destroy all but 2 episodes, I would spare "ALL GOOD THINGS...?",
My 2 all time favorite episodes are "Best of both Worlds" & "All good things"(this one)
seeing all life saved at the last minute is phenomenal.

If I was forced to destroy all but 3 episodes, I would spare "MASKS", NO IM KIDDING![.],
It would have to be "PREEMPtIVE STRIKE",
Without this episode, there would be NO "Voyager" (& That was a good show)

Another great episode is "BLOODLINES"
It was just..... COOL![.]

I will reccomend the ENTIRE Star trek the next Generation series,
Get em b4 its too late,

& Dont forget DEEP SPACE NINE coming out in FEBRUARY,

& by the way, Dont listen to anyone who recommends DEEP SPACE NINE over Next Generation, Next Generation is a WAY better show.

Some good episodes but some bad ones too.
Season 7 of STTNG suffers from the "too many episodes" malady with STTNG and STDS9 making 52 episodes per year. ... Halfway through the season,STTNG hits it's stride with an eccellent group of episodes in "Attached,Inheritance,Parallels,Homeward,Lower Decks and Thine Own Self",but as no writers were called for the last seven episodes(to save money),the show peters out right at the end with some truly dreadful episodes in "Journeys End,Masks and Emergence",but other good episodes like "Pre-emptive Strike and Genesis" make it worth buying.I was disappointed with "All Good Things" because they recreated the awful mankind on trial plot from the pilot.that idea should have been rejected.Overall,the poorer episodes didn't deter me from having every box set as the good episodes of STTNG are always worth having.This is truly the best Star Trek series with the best cast and the documentaries complete the box sets.What a pity though that they didn't give the show the send-off that it deserved.

Oh no! It's all over!
The seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation would be its last. A hectic time for Star Trek with so many things going on at once. Everyone knew going into the seventh season that it would be the last. We saw some great episodes in this season, however, the only sense of closure we got was in "All Good Things..." This was a fantastic show and all seven seasons are worth every penny. It had great writers all the way through and the seventh season is no different. It's great to see how the show ends its journey. Great show...great season...It's too bad that it's over. BUT. Don't fret...the Next Generation crew returned to the bridge of the Enterprise in four feature films. Congratulations Star Trek: TNG. You never dissapointed me.

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Descent: Part II, Gambit: Parts I and II, Phantasms, Inheritance, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks,Masks, Eye of the Beholder, Genesis, Journey's End, Emergence, Preemtive Strike, and All Good Things...

All good things must come to an end...at least the series went out on the highest note possible!

The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation rounds ou
The final season of Star Trek: The Next Generation rounds out the collection nicely. All seven seasons look great on a bookshelf, and this season has the same layout and quality of the first season.

Season seven has the same interior layout as seasons one and six, with the single screen playing clips of all four episodes. The most interesting feature is noticing that you get a fly-by view of the captain's ready room and the screen he uses to receive transmissions there. It's a variation on the other seasons, which included the communications panels, holodeck, and sick bay.

final season of Star Trek's greatest captain
So what if the story left open plot lines and never came together like in the ethereal final season of Deep Space Nine. That is not what this show was about. Patrick Stewart and his memorable band of space cowboys continued to have new and fresh adventures as in previous seasons, a few episodes including the last one were amazing, and the entire product, the season in general, was some of the best TV you will ever see. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

The Icon of Heroic Anime
Any anime fan knows: There's a lot of cliches out there. But every once in a while, something comes along that does the "same old thing" with such amazing brilliance that it is fresh again, and you realize why you loved it so much the first time.

If you've seen a lot of anime, you won't see any new concepts in Outlaw Star - but you'll love watching it just the same. The action is incredible, the characters are rich and well-developed, and the plot is compelling and twisty. Sure, it's the got the archetypical "fly by the seat of his pants in a cool spaceship waving a magic gun" kind of hero (and he's even got red spiky hair,) an android who is desparate to find out her past, a child prodigy hacker, a samurai assassin, a spastic female were-tiger with revealing clothes, and of course the prudent AI ship's computer, (not to mention a varied cast of space pirates, law enforcement, bandits, outlaws, bounty-hunters, etc.), and they're in search of something with an extremely mysterious name ("galactic lay line?" Come on!) Sounds like the same old anime thing, right?

Think again. Even if you've seen a million animes that sound just like this, you've never seen it done so well as Outlaw Star. The coolness factor is through the roof. A perfect blend of spectacular fantasy and Heinlein-esque realism. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Why isn't this show more popular?
This series has a little of everything. Among the crew of the Outlaw Star are a handsome but occasionally dorky hero; his teenage-genius sidekick; a cute but painfully shy android girl; a tradition-loving female ronin; the ship's cantankerous computer, with the personality of a depressive who's resigned to his fate; and a predictably spazzy catgirl. This should give you some idea of how well it sticks to all the clichés of 90s-era sci-fi anime.

And yet it transcends those clichés at the same time. There are those who say this series does everything and does nothing very well, but personally I'm inclined to disagree. Maybe it doesn't go anywhere that other series haven't already been, but boy, does it have a damn good time getting there. It's wildly funny at times, more than worthy in the action department, and there are quite a few mysteries along the way that make the whole series worth watching.

The animation quality of the show is consistently high, but then again it seems the standards have increased in Japan. Much like the art of Trigun or Cowboy Bebop, the show's visual style is breathtaking and entertaining in its own way. The quality of the sound is also admirable; the DVDs have no noticeable glitches whatsoever, in sound OR video. And I haven't watched it with the dubbed dialogue much, but from what I've heard so far the dub's not as embarrassing as one might think.

This show doesn't necessarily cover any new ground, but damn it, you've got to give them credit for trying. All in all, a very entertaining series.

Great anime! Great characters!
Awesome anime! I loved watching it every single episode is worth watching, the characters are superb. There is no episode where i would go: nah enough is enough. NO CHANCE.

I'm 14, very big fan of anime. I've seen Cowboy Bebop-as it is often the nemisis of OS-and i can say it is good but it's not totally compelling, i would skip most of those episodes if i were to watch Cowboy Bebop. I would much sooner watch Outlaw Star. It's entire vision is creative, yet it's ending took me time to understand. Best way to describe the universe is completely unique, it brings a fresh finesse to the usual action anime. If you're an anime fan there's a 98% chance you'll love this show. Another Bebop comparison is the characters. While characters in Cowboy bebop are good they dont match the characters in Outlaw Star. The characters in this show were very interesting to me, they have a charm i just couldn't get from most other animes. I would say more depth but i don't want to include any spoilers to any who haven't seen OS.

I saw Outlaw star when it aired, it's so much better uncut. There's no other way to watch this show---watch it uncut, it's great.

Bottom line: Good characters, unique universe, creative and mystical story, dark but stylish animation. Geh, this is a great anime over all. I'll be re-watching this one for a loooongggg time. It really absorbed me into the universe.

The most underrated anime of all time.
Outlaw Star is an anime about a group of bounty hunters in space going to find a treasure called the Galatic Leyline. Now that sounds very cliche, but understand that Outlaw Star has some of the best character development ever. I not going to compare it to Cowboy Bebop, but it is equal to it. Gene is a young pilot out to make it big. Jim is his genuis hacker friend. Malpheena is a android girl looking for her true self. Aisha is a cat-girl working for the glory of her people, and Suzuka is a cold-blooded assassin. This is the crew of the Outlaw Star.

Story - Very few filler episodes, the first 8 episodes (out of 26) all tie in to the story well. The last 18 contain a few that veer off a bit, but they all add to the plot. The last 3 episodes are a must see for the action. The sci-fi atmosphere is great is very original despite what many people take it for.

Animation - Very good for a TV show released in 1998. The characters move fuildly and few frames are repeated.

Music - Its solid all aorund and doesn't seem out of place. The sound effects are awesome on DVD, and the English dub is equal if not better than the Japanese dub.

Action- Gunfights, swordfights, magic, grappler ships, bombings, killer robots, magic, duels, hand to hand combat, and the Kei Pirates, the coolest groups of villains ever. Enough Said.

Characters - You learn a lot about everyone, even the villains. Some of the minor ones such as Fred Luo are fall out your chair hilarious. Even the Outlaw Star's AI Gillian is pretty comedic. The crew is very funny when they interact. They act like real people and even complain about things like bills and money. Its not slapstick comedy its more of a dark comedy that even adults can appreciate.

Overall - If you are tired of DBZ and that ilk, or just want to watch something very entertaining, Outlaw Star is perfect.

Also- There is some swearing, but its not excessive, no f-bombs or god----. There is no graphic violence or sex, but the content is enough to make this for teens and adults.

Does it beat Cowboy Bebop?
Gene Starwind, (the main character) saw his father killed when he was a child by ruthless pirates named the Macduggal Brothers. Gene grew up and became a bounty hunter for hire. He aquires a unique spaceship called the, Outlaw Star, which has a navagation system provided by the android, Melfina. This ship is the only one able to find the coordinates to a great mystery known only as the Galactic Leyline. Gene Starwind is joined by an interesting crew; Jim is a computer hacker, Susuka is an assassin, Aiasha is a beast girl, Melfina is an android who has human feelings. They all embark togther on the quest to the Galactic Leyline. Gene also has a score to seatle with the Macduggal Brothers. I enjoyed watching Outlaw Star very much. The story flows well right from the beginning when each character is introduced. The characters themselves are fun to watch as they have their own charm and personalities. The group does a lot of traveling between cities and planets. They meet a host of characters both good and bad. Gene Starwind is adventurous, funny and deadly- he is a good example of the swashbucking hero. He also posses a gun called a, Caster. The interesting thing about the Caster gun is the it shoots shells which contain magic spells from- magna-. So this Quasi fantasy and science fiction element makes it more interesting. The ship itself is interesting as it contains an artificial intelligence on board and intereacts with the crew. The ship-to-ship combat lacked intensity found in other anime titles. A big part of that fault was the low framerate, low detail designs, and having the ships fight with grappler arms. So yes, it was strange to see ships holding hands and punching each other. The character design and animation were average, it just lacked the fluidity of high quality anime. The sound effects and music were also average. These are just minor complaints I have. I personally liked Cowboy Bebop much better, but Outlaw Star was a lot of fun to watch, the storyline and characters were good and this is the basic foundation of good anime. Good for teens and adults. Ends on Episode 26, but hints that the series might continue. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This sweeping miniseries from 1986 captures the rise and fall of an African emperor. Shaka Zulu begins following a British expedition sent to bargain with the fearsome Zulu army assembling on the outer edges of the British colonies in South Africa. Led by Lt. Francis Farewell (The Day of the Jackal, A Bridge Too Far), the expedition hopes to bamboozle a superstitious primitive, but their arrogance gets taken down a notch by a cunning and ruthless warlord who has unified vast territories through a combination of political charisma and military discipline. At this point, the focus shifts to how Shaka (the riveting Henry Cele), king of the Zulus, rose from a brutal childhood to royal grandeur--a semi-mythological tale filled with family strife, political intrigue, witchcraft, and bloody warfare. Powerful performances by Cele and Dudu Mikhize (as Shaka's iron-willed mother, Nandi) give this sprawling epic the drive and emotional scope of a Shakespearean drama. Shaka Zulu also draws sneaky parallels between the Zulu and British empires, often to sharp satirical effect. Full of richly conceived characters and compelling political maneuvering, this eight-hour series brings faraway history to living, breathing life. Also featuring Christopher Lee (whose always-steady career exploded at age 79 with juicy roles in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones). --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Amazing
This is a Brave heart movie wayyyyy ahead of time, great plot, landscapes, action, and is a real history that is a "wanna see movie"

S P E C T A C U L A R !!!!!!!!
AN "EXTRAORDINARY" FILM IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE WORD ! A 4 DVD SET UNLIKE NOTHING I EVER SEEN BEFORE, IT'S WORTH EVERY PENNY. GET THIS MOVIE WHILE IT CAN STILL BE FOUND.

Something to remember.
I saw this mini series when I was 13 - ten years ago. Even then it had a major impact on me. I've been trying to find it at rental stores for the last five years, but unfortunately, I'd been living in a small town and the movie rental stores were less than impressive in regards to selection. Only recently did I find out that Amazon sells movies as well as books (and lots of other merchandise) and so I immediately searched for it.

And Voila! I found it.

I can't in good conscience put five stars here, since I haven't actually seen the DVD version - but I KNOW that the mini series merited at least four stars. I highly recommend this set to anyone interested in history, Africa, or even just an excellent epic story of adventure, adversity, and triumph over the life-sucking blood-spattered desert sands.

I honestly don't think cutting 3 hours of film out of this does the film creator's vision justice. I suggest you at least rent the mini-series, even if you decide to buy the 5-hour version.

Turning The Tides of Warfare
Empires rise for the sole purpose of cresting in the valleys of time, destined to always find a stumbling block and fall into the sea. From those that never see the setting of the sun to those rapidly built on the dreams and conquests of one man, this is the legacy of anything that rises to power. So has it been with many, and so it was with the birth of the Zulu nation and their prophetically foretold figurehead, Shaka, as they moved forward and conquered all.

The validity of this tale, well, that would remain something of a speculative tale since there are so many elements of witchcraft and prediction riddling it. Here, things that might have been mentioned briefly are accented to play out the 220 minutes of production, birthing a legacy of darkness and shadows. Still, as far as a tale adapted for television goes, it was brilliant and enjoyable to watch. Many of the elements that led to the myths of this man and the growth of his empire are included herein, from tales of a son that would one day slay his father and propel his people into power to those that spoke of how he would succumb. It covers the boy himself, his relationship with his mother and how they were outcast, and it shows him grow into something that was propelled only by the need for vengeance. Here, turns that could have prevented this from happening are showcased and the markers making him are defined, helping one understand his accent from nothing to a soldier to a feared ruler.
And it also introduces many people that know nothing of history to a name they should all know; that of Shaka Zulu.

Presented alongside this is the European side of the coin and what Shaka Zulu meant to it. It shows the overestimation of how expansionism into areas fueled by "savages" were, and how the cultures of those neighbors shared were actually more than the occupiers bargained for.
Seeing the Zulus as nothing more than barbarians, the British Cape Town establishes itself and survives with little to know interruptions. Then, out of the blue, the Zulus begin taking over everything. Tribesmen could be found running to the hands of the slavers, trying to avoid Zulu spears.
And that makes the British apprehensive.
Then it one day finds itself looking at a situation of enormous proportions, the Zulu close at hand and the white men knowing nothing about them. Added to this was the fact that the garrisons therein weren't equipped to deal with a force of that size, the journey for reinforcement is a four-month journey by sea, and they could find themselves overrun by then. So, an alternative solution is rendered, sending a crew of men out to negotiate and to showcase fear in order to provide a solution.
And thus begins a tale of gunpowder and magic, of chess and tactics, with groups of men from different worlds playing mental games of chess.

In the rendering of this tale I personally liked how both sides were shown as players trying to outmaneuver the other. More impressive than that, however, was the fact that Shaka Zulu was portrayed as a powerfully intellectual leader and not as an insignificant threat. Instead of falsely delivering a savage into our midst, the viewer is shown a world outside of the world that the Europeans knew, introduced to its continental customs the people that conquered it with shields and spears. Within those showings, the game of cat and mouse is played and the outcomes, they have more to do with internal afflictions than anything delivered by the white man.
It also covers the effects Shaka had on the way wars were fought, on the way people were encouraged, and on the impressive way that one man's mind functioned.
And then there's all the lovely impalings that begin to fall like rain, too.

Shaka Zulu an Exceptional Production
Shaka Zulu was by any standard an exceptional production. The cinematography, script, actors and setting were all superb. Henry Cele was extraordinary as Shaka and I can't imagine that there is an actor anywhere in the world who could have portrayed him any better.

The native settings and attire added greatly to the production.

The characters and performances were all top notch and the relationship between Edward Fox (as Farewell) and Henry Cele (as Shaka) was portrayed beautifully and powerfully. Drama at its very best.

This production is without doubt as good as anything I've ever seen on television or in the movies.

The DVD would have been greatly enhanced if post production interviews could have included Henry Cele. He was truly the star of this series, and that's saying a great deal given the quality of all of the other performances. ... Read more

Description

Finally all three programs from the Emmy Award-winning Walking with... series--Walking with Dinosaurs, Allosaurus: A Walking with Dinosaurs Special, and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts--are available for the first time as a collector's set on DVD. The epic begins with a journey back 65 million years ago to a virtual lost world which has been recreated with spectacular digital effects and animatronics. The series continues as we follow the life and death struggles of "Big Al," the most complete allosaurus skeleton ever found. And finally, we explore our planet after the reign of the dinosaur and the succession of extraordinary creatures that came and went over the following millennia. The end of the dinosaur was only the beginning! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

NOT a complete SET!!!!!
The series is, in my opinion, nothing less than outstanding. HOWEVER, what is being offered as a complete set is, in fact, missing the latest DVD, "Walking With Cavemen." Hope this information proves helpful to both the sellers and buyers.

Simply Fantastic - Beyond 5 Stars
Everyone has summed it up, this is a good as it gets in the doco world. Pure, undiluted quality. Fantastic animation, production values, narration and all around a+ performance, many of the effects in this series would not look out of place in a feature film, indeed the guys at Framestore have gotten so good at doing this they beat ILM at their own game at times IMO.

However, it's not really the 'complete' Walking with Collection, there have been 5 new episodes since this was released in the form of the BBC's followup new 'Chased by Dinosaurs' series (known as special episodes of Walking with Dinosaurs in the UK though still). They covered big dinosaurs like Argentionsaurus and the Gigantosaurus and lots of sea creatures like the giant shark Megadolon. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the series.

Monumental product
1000 words cannot describe the incredible graphics and presentation quality of this series. I consider these stories, based on real science and a monumental effort, to change the way we have thought of the earth millions of years ago. The dinosaurs in Walking With Dinosaurs are very real, maybe too real for young viewers, but believable and memorable. This $60 purchase could be the best investment in DVDs that can be bought. I have watched select story lines from the collection over and over without disappointment. Hence the purchase keeps on giving unlike the rest of my DVD purchases.

Ultimate dinosaur dvd set for kids too
This set is a must have for any dinosaur lover. My future paleontologists, Will (5 years) and Annelise (2 years), watched these every day for the first six months. We've had the set for a year now, and we still watch about twice a month. Whenever a playmate comes over, he or she requests watching a dvd from the Walking With collection. The kids especially like to watch in the van. They are fun to view, informative, well-organized, beautiful, timeless and interesting for all ages.

An Excellent Special
I'm not really a big fan of buying DVDs for specials or films that have already been shown on TV> Why would I want to pay $60 for a DVD of a show that I saw for free on Discovery Chanel? However the shows shown on Discovery channel are the exception to my rule. And "Walking With Dinosaurs" is one of the best.

This special is worth every penny of the advertised price if you can't find it airing on TV anytime soon. For a TV special, the effects were some of the best I've seen on television. The combination of computer generated and animatronic dinosaurs looked incredible, and really give you the feeling that we were able to capture these creatures on video. The great thing about this special is that, unlike traditional documentaries, they used the scientific evidence they had found to create a story, as they did with "Allosaurus."

Overall, while I tihnk that maybe this DVD would be a little better value around $40, the specials are, without a doubt, the best nature specials I have ever seen. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When it was first broadcast in 1975, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, a British production whose budget for the first of its two seasons ran an astounding £3.25 million. What keeps us fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to due with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models, and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV sci-fi predecessors such as Star Trek, whose mood was more convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth's orbit and travel endlessly through space, turning our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this.

Of course the show is not without its detractors; it has been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticized the show for its premise in the opening episode, "Breakaway," which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propelling it out of Earth's orbit and flying through space without regard to any physical laws. In "Earthbound," aliens traveling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena that the crew members encounter on their journey through the galaxy.

The Space: 1999 Mega Set collects all 48 episodes broadcast over the show's two seasons, contained on 16 DVDs that include vintage interviews, production stills, TV promotional spots, and interactive menus. All episodes have been digitally remastered, and some material that was not seen in the original U.S. broadcasts has been restored. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (25)

SPACE 1999 THE NEXT GENERATION!
If you want to see the science fiction show that bridged the first Star Trek and the Next Generation, this is it.Many of the plots, characters and ideas would be used for the next generation series , and even The X-files and Alien. When Space 1999 came out in the early 70's George Lucas claimed he woudn't have been able to make Star Wars without it. Even today the show feels very modern with its blend of gothic horror, the paranormal and science fiction. Many episodes are filmed in a neo-surrealistic style akin to Luis Bunel and Hitchcock. This mega set is the way to go, since it has year 1 and 2 episodes in order and bonus material. In a long run it will be cheaper to buy this set than the individual sets. This is the sci-fi release of 2003!!!!!!!

Which came first,Star trek or Space 1999?
I guess I am going to upset a few "trekkies" with this review. But as a new Star Trek "Next Generation" fan I was a bit surprised to see a lot of similarities between the two.
There are several episodes in Space 1999 where they bring up the "Prime Directive." Also there is an episode "Alpha Child" where a child is born then matures immediately which is similar in a way to the episode where counselor Diana has her baby. The stun gun idea, the costumes..... it all seems like this is a great idea source for the later Next Generations series. I do agree however with the other reviewers about it being two dimentional and charcterless. But it is worth watching as a background to Star Trek's Next generation. (I will probably get blasted by Original Star Trek fans who will no doubt let me know that this series has borrowed its' ideas from the original Star Trek. I can't tell as I have not seen that series since I was a child)

A truly big and beautiful set!
I love this show! Space 1999 the Mega Set is indeed MEGA!! You get both seasons and a bonus disc with a special final episode. I loved both seasons of Space 1999 for different reasons and wanted to add each episode to my DVD collection. This mega set is just perfect for me.

Great Series, Great DVDs.
I actually bought all 8 seperate 2 disc boxes rather than wait for 6 months until this 'mega-set' came out. Either way, you are getting the entire series of Space 1999, which hasnt aired on TV where I live for 20+ years. A great collection for fans. On an intresting note, A&E have a 17th 'bonus disc' which includes a 'series finale' that wasnt ever aired, only available on their website.

I definatly recommend getting this series from amazon.com and then checking out the 17th disc on A&E's site.

Ah, yes . . .
I was born on Halloween of 1969, making me a little too young to have really watched the chronicles of the Moonbase Alpha and understood them. They have probably been shown in syndication, somewhere, but I've missed them. As I got older, I recall back-to-back episodes of STAR TREK (preceeding the Merv Griffin show, unless I'm mistaken), and the requisite STAR WARS fanaticism of most boys my age. Naturally, I ate all of that stuff up, collecting all of the toys and books upon which I could probably retire if they were still in my possession. Yeah, yeah - I did the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA thing too (and recall enjoying it, though SF purists now tend to scoff at it).

But SPACE 1999 . . .

I know that I've seen it, for there is one thing that leaps to mind whenever it's mentioned: that shape-shifter chick. She was alien, I would surmise - and HOT. That's what I remember, and all that I remember. Just an attractive, sexy, dark-haired being who could turn into . . . other stuff. I can almost, just vaguely, see Barbara Bain - but the alien girl . . . she must have sprung some kind of tiny spring in my pre-adolescent being . . . and it sits there, still boinging in her memory.

This, and the faint recollection of being scared as I watched a show which was probably way above my head . . .

The reviews here are very good, intriguing. There were always articles on this series in the movie mags I got as a kid (Starlog, Fantastic Films, etc.), nestled in between the episode guides to STAR TREK and the I-wish predictions for REVENGE OF THE JEDI . . . I guess that I just never managed to catch it when I got older.

But, if I get the extra money, sometime - yep, I'm going to spring for the megaset . . .

I hope that chick is still hot . . . ... Read more

Reviews (10)

An Incredible Documentary
Vietnam: A Television History is a phenomenal documentary on the before, during and after of the American War. 14 hours and worth the time! You can watch invididual segments one hour at a time.

It's a remarkable piece for understanding this conflict. The video is rich with battle and geographic details...far reaching in its interviews of North and South Vietnamese as well as American voices...textured with information on virtually every angle (CIA involvement, the reaction in the U.S., Cambodia and Laos, etc.)...and told in a clear and gripping format. It explained a war I previously could not quite understand, and also provided a huge amount of information not found in most American shorthand retellings of the war. Hugely recommended for anyone interested in the war or interested in Southeast Asia.

This is visual war history without precedent
After seeing the series, one by one, and every which way, I can only come to the conclusion: unparalleled history. Only a doctrinere bigot and a mad-dog at that, would see how it tries to be balanced-- any rational being would see as America's greatest surrender and tragedy--so far--the Irag debacle is still underweigh. Of course, one is expected to read more, to not think this is the last word on the Vietnam War. How ridiculous! Previewed in 1983, no one should think there should be more evidence presented. Only in time, well-tested opinions and with all the evidence in, can a clear perspective be seen of the whole. I lived in that era, the Nixon era to be exact, when I understood what was happening. Before which, in my teens and brought up in rural Maine, I thought America could not be wrong, the government was right, Communionist were evil haters of our way of life. When I understood, I was against. But I was not all the way, my disagreement was fully conditional. It was Watergate and finally Reagan that made me see my intuition against the Vietnam War was right. It was not a good feeling. I did not want to think it was all in vein. I did not want to accept the inevitable. This documentary is the best balanced visual history of its kind on a post-WW2 (cold gone hot) war, from the first misunderstand to the last revisionist spin.

Great reference tool!
I had to rent this tape set for school as there was a college course on Vietnam, but decided to buy it instead! I am glad I did because I can pass this down to my daughter. It was an honest account of not only the war, but the history of the country as well, which I found interesting! Worth the money!

caution about reviewer's advice
This is a good video as introduction to the War.
It could be updated based on what we've learned since relations thawed somewhat with Vietnam.
Caution about one reviewer's advice to watch the Accuracy-In-Media rejoinder to the program:
See it. It is horrible; the video pieces don't show what they say they do; Charleton Heston narrates a sappy poem about boat people; and the head of AIM later, when confronted with the shows innacuracies said that they don't matter --- all that matters is its anti-communist point-of-view. Some "accuracy"!

So This is History?
This series is not solid history. There are two essential facts you must get right to start with in order to interpret the Vietnam war. First you must understand who Ho Chi Minh was and second you must understand the nature of the Geneva Conference of 1954. Third, in order to understand why the U.S. lost one must be understand the critical importance of two decisions made during the administration of John Kennedy. First, the 1962 Geneva Accords which created the "facade of Geneva" and prevented the U.S. from selecting a winning strategy (i.e., cutting the Ho Chi Minh Trail). See Norman Hannah's book, "The Key to Failure: Laos the Vietnam War." Second, you must understand the unethical decision made by the Kennedy administration in backing the coup against Ngo Dinh Diem that resulted in his assasination and a deeper immersion of the U.S. into the military government we created without even knowing the makeup of the characters in it. Read "A Death in November: American in Vietnam, 1963" by Ellen Hammer. The point is the war is hugely complex and the video series is not. It is extremely biased, Ho Chi Minh, a dedicated international communist is the hero! and the U.S. is the villain. The
It is only in video 13 that the producers discover that the communists are bad guys and it is a belated discovery! So they killed one third of the population in Cambodia, subjected Vietnam to hellish re-education/prison camps and produced millions of deaths, not to mention two million or so boat people who fled the country. This is the regime of a nationalist? But they constantly produce a dialog heavy in ideology, communist ideology. Perhaps that is a concidence, like their land reform program that killed off the landlord class or their police state. Just coincidences I am sure, after all, Uncle Ho was a nationalist wasn't he? The video series never takes the trouble to examine the Soviet Union or Communist China's role in the Vietnam war in any depth. It is as if all of history is understood by psychoanalysis of the what goes on in Washington. I use this series in the classroom to teach students how to detect bias in a badly flawed historical series and while there is some good history in it, there is far too much that is poorly done and now, outdated, given new information. Even communist histories belie some of the points made in the series. Hanoi now admits that planning for the war in the South began in 1956 and was well along in 1959, when the 15th Party Plenum ordered armed struggle in the South to begin. For example, Communist Party Politburo member Le Duan was responsible for the formation of 37 guerilla companies by October 1957. The respected Soviet diplomat, Andre Gromyko, said of Joseph Stalin in his Memoirs, "it seems to me that the nature had endowed him with the ability to hide the harsh side of his character, and very effectively so. He also seems to have had the capacity to appear at times even gentle and sensitive to others. The conversations he had with some foreign personalities, especially writers, confirm this." These words could have written about the man who called himself "Ho Chi Minh" or "He who enlightens." His frail and gentle manner belie the harsh, ruthless man beneath the veneer. In fact, having studied him for many years, I would have to say he was one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century and one of its most evil men. The key to understanding him lies in understanding what brought tears to his eyes. It was not the nation but rather Lenin's "thesis on national and colonial questions" which called for international communist liberation of oppressed peoples from colonialism. The trouble is so many fail to study this and therefore miss the import of Ho's ardor for the doctrine. Nationalism is the foe of internationalism and communism embraces only the latter. This is clear from Lenin's writings. Recommend you read Lenin! There is a video series that attempts to correct some of the errors (Television's Vietnam: The Real Story) in this one and although, it carries some biases of its own, it does help to bring out some of the worst features of this seris. It is put out by Accuracy in Media and is worth your effort to investigate if you are going to view this poorly done series. On the Tonkin Gulf incident, the Canadian series, the Ten Thousand Day War, is far superior. It seems American film makers are more enamored with Uncle Ho than his own people. Ask them if you don't believe me. ... Read more

Amazon.com

By its third season, The X-Files had grown from a cult hit to a global phenomenon, becoming the most popular show in many countries outside the U.S. Armed with the knowledge that the show was here to stay, series creator Chris Carter expanded its mythology, and the 24 episodes in this boxed set represent arguably the strongest of all the X-Files seasons. As usual, stand-alone episodes explored the paranormal and sometimes terrifying possibilities in mythology, pop culture, and religion. Darin Morgan helps the show to mature by expanding its use of humor, directing classic episodes such as "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (featuring a fabulous performance from Peter Boyle) and "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space.'" Meanwhile, two-part episodes continue to delve into the X-Files own mythology, introducing the alien black oil, the implant in Scully's neck, the mysterious Agent X, and the shape-shifting Jeremiah Smith. But following the complex mythology is not crucial to enjoying the show. The strength of the X-Files lies not in resolution but in feeding the paranoia of its rabid audience by revealing conspiracies that linger in the mind as unanswered questions. Series creator Carter realized wisely that fans did not look to the X-Files to explain the unexplained, but to question that which they thought they understood. The third season was effective because it hinted that while the truth was out there, it was more complex, sinister, and amazing than even Mulder had imagined.

Commentaries and deleted scenes are available for some of the 24 episodes, and the last disc in the set contains numerous TV spots and interviews with the creators about the filming of the third season. --Eugene Wei ... Read more

Reviews (63)

Tied for the single best season
Season 3 has got to be the best season in terms of the complexity displayed. The knowledge that The X-Files wasn't another run of the mill tv show with a tiny cult following enabled Chris Carter to expand the mythology episodes to, well, mythic proportions. The third season also gave Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny a chance to do yeoman work, and each came up strong performances. The third season was nominated for a 8 emmy awards, and won five (though both the show and Anderson were overlooked, and Duchovny wasn't nominated!).

The Best episodes (I see no point in limiting myself when there are many of equal quality).

---The Blessing Way/Paper Clip: A Brilliant conclusion to the cliffhanger that Anasazi was in Season 2. Not only a very good wrapping up, this became the episodes that truly (in my mind) kicked off the complex mythology episodes. ---Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: Take a very funny Peter Boyle, mix in two bemused FBI agents, an outlandishly hilarious plot, and a superb technical team and what does one get. Merely one of the best episodes period. And that is high praise indeed folks. ---Nisei/731: The episode that introduces the chip in the neck. Anderson and Duchovny are marvelous when apart, but their scenes together are sheer brilliance, something vital to the life of the series. ---Revelations: Sheer beauty. The technical team deserves credit for fashioning this episode, from the brilliant shots, to the Snow score, everything here is dazzling, especially Anderson. ---Piper Maru/Apocrypha: David Duchovny is incredible. The black oil introduced becomes very important later, but it's commencement was another complexity in the mythology. ---Pusher: Another great stand alone. This one is a cut above the rest. My personal favourite of season 3, Pusher gives us what many movies can't: realistic characters, a thrilling set-up, a nail biting climax, all while re-imagining the limits of television. As brilliant as any episode in later shows, I highly recommend one watches this in conjunction to Season 4's Paper Hearts. Two brilliant guest actors give magnificent performances. Gillian Anderson is simply luminous. ---Jose Chung's Aliens from Outer Space: Thought Clyde Bruckman was outlandish. Watch this episode. It defines outlandish, while allowing everyone to be in on the fun. ---Talitha Cumi: Though it pales to the previous year's Anasazi, or the next year's Gethsemane, this is an episode to catch.

All are episodes to catch, and I highly recommend you get this as soon as possible.

X-Files Season Three.. The Search Continues
What can i say? I think we should all give fox a round of applause on they brilliant treatment the have given our favourite show.

Both the series one and two discs had exceptional picture and sound quality which i'm sure were as close to the high-quality film source as possible. i can without a doubt say that season 3 will be worth the money if you have not seen any of the previous disc sets.

in terms of the storyline, season 3 is when the ball was truly in motion. expect to be treated to some classic episodes such as The Blessing Way, Paper Chip, Clyde Bruckman's Final Response, Jose Chung's "From Outer Space", Talitha Cumi and many more. These episodes are simply selections from the series, there are many more gems.

in terms of extra features what more could you want? promos for all the episodes (i believe both the 20 and 30 second versions), documentaries (i believe the "truth about" ones are made specifically for dvd, although i may be mistaken), deleted scenes etc. you can also expect english and spanish subtitles, english and french audio. the only french subtitles that have been on previous series is a translation of text on the screen (such as the location writing).

please note that x-files did not feature dolby digital surround (5.1ch) and widescreen video until season six, but you can still expect excellent prologic surround-encoded audio tracks.

just as a bit of a side note, the x-files dvd sets have previously come in fold-out boxes which expand to a large size and become annoying if you simply want one disc. because of this i have created some high-quality printable inserts for the season 1 and 2 dvd sets to be used in normal dvd cases. these feature an attractive, consistent design including disc number on spine, chapter stops on back, and episode names for the specific disc on the front. please note these covers are a completely non-profit fan based project provided as an alternative for people who don't like the box the discs come in... ...anyway, do yourself a favor and buy/preorder this awesome set.. you won't regret it.

Tv doesnt get much better than this
If this isnt the best season of X files, it must be at least equal. they didnt step a foot wrong here, the pacing of the one shot stories mixing with the on going story arc (which is fully flowing by this season)is amazing. Also great character development and great mix of dark and funny episodes (not unlike Buffy and Angel). This season is a must.

The best season so far...
Up until recently, I never watched a single episode of the X-Files. However, now that the DVD sets have been reduced in price, I had the opportunity to start watching the show. The first two seasons of the X-Files made me become an instant fan of the show, and my only complaint so far has been the lack of consistancy brought on by the 6-8 boring episodes per season. After watching the third season of X-Files, I can finally say that there was a season that deserves a 5 star rating by being great from start to finish. By the end of the third season, the X-Files really becomes established as one of the best and most addictive sci-fi shows ever created.

The third season only featured two bad episodes, which means that 22 out of 24 episodes were fantastic. The third season offers some of the best stand alone episodes of the show like "Clyde Bruckman's Final Response", "Pusher", "Quagmire", "War of the Coprophages", "2Shy", "Hellmoney", and "Wetwired". The mythology episodes - "The Blessing Way", "Paper Clip", "Nisei", "731", "Piper Maru", "Apocrypha", and "Talitha Cumi" do a very good job on expanding the overall conspiracy of the show by introducing a powerful group of men called "The Syndicate" which are connected to the conspiracy and the Cigarette Smoking Man. There is also a few things that are revealed about Mulder's source "Mr. X" as well.

The third season of X-Files on DVD also continues the tradition of offering a fantastic set filled with wonderful extras and wonderful picture/sound quality. As with the previous two sets, series creator Chris Carter takes you through the best 12 episodes from season three and talks about each episode. There is also a great documentary that covers season 3 as a whole. If there was one season of the X-Files that you should buy, it is definately the third season. The season is amazing from start to finish, and the DVD extras are great.

A solid 5 stars...

Top-league stuff from the best TV series ever...
You ask any X-files die-hard fan about which is the best season of the series and they will readily answer either the third or the fourth. This is no coincidence, and i would totally agree with them.
In this third season all the elements of the series come of age: the two main protagonists are at the top of their game giving very high quality performances and cementing the legendary characters of Mulder and Scully. While in the first 2 seasons these two characters were essentially still being constructed and the relationship between them two still being built up, in the 3rd installment this has all fallen into place making it a very solid, very well put together dram-plot, equal of which you'd have to search hard to find in TV history.

But even better than that, the script-writting hits masterpiece levels, not in a few episodes, but rather all and throughout. In fact, as far as season 3 is concerned, any "weak" episode would still be considered top-level stuff for any other TV series. But the overall level of the storylines introduced here is so high that your expectations rise as you move along from episode to episode. This is basically a season that made anyone that watched it at the very least more suspicious (do a simple search on google on some of the storylines and you'll understand what i mean) or simply a more intelligent viewer and thinker alltogether.

Another important factor introduced in Season 3 is that certain plotlines were here to stay, that is, they were stories to be extended and interweaved in following seasons as well, stories that were among the very best the X-files have offered us.

Big time fans of the series (and man, there are many) cherish this season for mega-classic episodes such as :
"Paperclip",
"Nisei",
"731",
"War of the Coprophages",
"Grotesque",
"Apocrypha",
"Jose Chung's "From Outer Space"
"Wetwired" and
"Talitha Cumi"....

But watch anything at random from the 6 DVDs with episodes and the chances are very high you'll be in for a major cerebral treat.

The success of this tremendous series is not only on the artistic achievements but even more so on the fact that most of the dramaturgy involved in the X-files is tied with multiple leads to realities most people are absolutely unaware of, in certain cases even X-Files fans themselves. This is a feat only achieved to a similar degree in that other TV classic from the 60s, the Twilight Zone.

If you're not very familiar with the series i wouldn't reccommend you to start at Season 3, mainly because you simply need to watch the characters develop from the very beginning, at Season 1. What i am saying though, and that with emphasis, is that having watched all of the seasons involving Mulder and Scully, Season 3 and Season 4 are beyond any doubt stunning. ... Read more

Reviews (246)

At Last!! Season One of Star Trek Voyager is here!!
On January 16, 1995, Star Trek Voyager launched into TV history with Season One. Clearly the best series of the Star Trek franchise, due in large part to an outstanding cast, led by the great Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway. In Season One, we meet the crew as they are thrust into the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light years from Earth, and watch two ships of enemies, Star Fleet and Marquis, band together to begin thier perilous journey home. Sporting superb visual effects, excellent writing by Brannon Braga and Jeri Taylor, and one of the best theme songs ever written for television, Star Trek Voyager is a timeless masterpiece of science fiction and human drama.

Episodes:

101 Caretaker Pt. 1*
102 Caretaker Pt. 2*
103 Parallax
104 Time and Again
105 Phage
106 The Cloud
107 Eye of the Needle*
108 Ex Post Facto
109 Emanations
110 Prime Factors
111 State of Flux
112 Heroes and Demons
113 Cathexis
114 Faces
115 Jetrel
116 Learning Curve

*voted top-20 episode from the seven seasons of Voyager.

Finally Voyager on DVD
We knew this was coming, ever since Paramount released TNG and DS9 in boxed sets last and this year. The releases continue with Star Trek Voyager. Apparently these will be released in the same fashion as DS9, 1 every two months, with bonus material. Here's what we know will be released in this first set:

The contents of the set are as follows:

Disc 1: "Caretaker," "Parallax," "Time and Again"

Disc 2: "Phage," "The Cloud, "Eye of the Needle," "Ex Post Facto"

Disc 3: "Emanations," "Prime Factors," "State of Flux," "Heroes and Demons"

Disc 4: "Cathexis," "Faces," "Jetrel," "Learning Curve"

Disc 5: Special Features

"Braving The Unknown: Season One": Includes new interviews with Executive Producers Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor discussing how they created the series. The trio reveals the challenges of creating fresh, new characters, a new premise and the risks of sending the crew into unfamiliar Trek territory.

"Voyager Time Capsule: Kathryn Janeway": A new, exclusive interview with Kate Mulgrew talking about how she landed the role of Janeway, the challenges of playing a female captain and her Broadway play on Katharine Hepburn, "Tea At Five." Also includes archival interviews with the actress and rare behind-the-scenes footage.

"The First Captain: Genevieve Bujold": Reveals rare footage and outtakes of Ms. Bujold as Captain Janeway, with commentary by Executive Producer Rick Berman.

"Cast Reflections: Season One": Voyager's principal cast members discuss their reactions to joining the Trek franchise, getting fan mail, and auditioning. Also featured: Armin Shimerman discussing his role as Quark in the pilot episode.

"On Location With the Kazon": Supervising Producer David Livingston guides viewers on an exclusive tour of the desert locale used for the Kazon Village in the pilot episode. Includes interviews with Director Rick Kolbe and behind-the-scenes footage of the cast.

"Red Alert: Visual Effects Season One": Dan Curry and the Visual Effects crew give a blow-by-blow of some spectacular visual effects created for Season One. Highlights include: behind-the-scenes footage of exploding space station, utilizing fire elements in crashing Chakotay's ship and secrets of shooting the Voyager ship model.

"Launching Voyager On The Web": Veteran Web site designer and producer Marc Wade explains how, in the early days of the internet, an interactive Voyager Web site was created to help launch the series. Included is rare footage of Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo playing their roles for the Web-based trivia game, plus an overview of Star Trek's history on the Web.

"Real Science With Andre Bormanis": Science Consultant and writer Bormanis explores how the writers strive for authenticity by incorporating real space phenomena and scientific theories. For Season One, Andre discusses how Hubble photos helped create "the Badlands," voyaging through wormholes, and the possibilities of time travel.

"Lost Transmissions From The Delta Quadrant": Hidden in the Voyager menu, viewers who search and click with their DVD remote can find special interview clips with Kate Mulgrew, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga and guest star Vaughn Armstrong (from "Eye of the Needle").

The Least Trek of the Lot....
I love Gene Roddenberry's creation, STAR TREK. I was one of those tuned in at the beginning in 1966, and stayed with it through the doubts of "Next Generation" (original fans were crying, "Gene, how COULD you?") and I love "Deep Space Nine." With all that, yes, I watched "Voyager." For three seasons, I tuned in and watched. The pilot started with a great premise, and I kept waiting for it to figure out where it was going. It never really did.

The series hyped the idea that this ship would have a woman as captain. (So what? Across space, on B5, there were lots of those, plus ace women fighter pilots.) The original decision which mired Voyager in the Delta Quardrant seemed too politically correct, but I knew it was a plot device and let it ride. However, I completely lost faith with Janeway and crew when she put the entire SHIP AND CREW in jeopardy in order to rescue 1 infant who may or may not have been sired by her second-in-command.

Even Troi (TNG) came to the realization when she earned her command rank that sometimes people have to die for the greater good. Spock said best in "Wrath of Khan" when he told Kirk, simply, "The needs of the many outweight the needs of the few, or the one." (Janeway take note.) Rick Berman and Michael Pillar didn't have any trouble with this concept in either "Next Gen" or "Deep Space Nine." I'd still like to know what happened at the highest level. The series as a whole seemed way too politically correct to be considered a part of the overall Trek Universe.

It all starts with the writing. This series didn't have it. The storylines seemed contrived, the dialogue trite, and no matter how good a cast is, without consistently good scripts, there's no where to take the show.

Side note: this is the only entry into the Star Trek Universe not blesses with an appearance by Majel Barrett Roddenberry. I honestly kept waiting for Q to whisk Lwxanna Troi up and off to set Janeway straight. Too bad it didn't happen.

If you must watch "Voyager," seasons one had some good moments. Frankly, though, you might want to consider any of the other Trek series (I recommend "Deep Space Nine") or wander over to "Babylon 5."

My favourite Star Trek
I happily admit this is my favourite Star Trek series. I think that the manuscripts have a subtlety, that the other series lack. Much of it boils down to the characters of Janeway and the Hologram. Janeway is caught in an impossible situation: a routine mission turns into a desperate attempt to get home. The mere presence of the Voyager in the Delta Quadrant upsets the fragile stability of the region. Instead of causing good, Janeway has to work on limiting the damage they cause. Several times she has to make painful decisions, decisions that are not right or wrong, they are rather based on convenience. Star Trek has come a long way from Kirk!
Secondly, the Hologram is a particularly strong character. He desperately wants to be a human, but lacks the capability. The one time he has the chance, Janeway takes it away from him. Again, a strong development from Spock and Data. I also like many of the minor character, especially Chicote. At last a Native is allowed into the Star Trek universe. And he carries his own luggage.
Many of the stories are based on human falliability, they lack the grandeur and paraphernalia of, say TSG, but I think that that is where their charm is.

Condensing The Facts
Paramount gave little thought to Voyager maintaining the Star Trek franchise. It was treated as the "Money Making Monster" that 'Star Trek' has become. Greed relentlessy dictacted the direction Voyager would take - AUTO DESTRUCT!

* It's all but impossible not to compare it to the other Star Trek series. Voyager is the worst of them all. Deep Space Nine is by far the best!

* Voyager dwells too much on their return home and give it a "Lost In Space" feel - corny, stupid, dull and overly dependent on the special effects, i.e. read that as 'weak story'.

* The characters weren't quite 'real' and as they developed the writers put the wrong people in certain situations Ex. Janeway would head missions just like Kirk did, a blatant abuse of protocol. Sometimes Tuvok (a full Vulcan) would be the most emotional character! Most of the rest of the cast would move from overwhelming a story to just 'disappearing'. The ensemble cast element rarely existed and when it did the actors were most likely 'out of character'. For the sake of screen time?

* There were some fine episodes (none that I can think of in Season 1) but even most of my favorites wouldn't make my best of list against Next Generation, DS9 or even some of the Original series!

* Being Star Trek you would expect nothing short of great packaging (consensus says no) but Paramount is just peddling something the fans are so addicted to that they will buy it in droves, no matter the packing or...

* High price for a short season, which is also one of the worst as far as stories go. It makes Next Generations' season one look brilliant (it wasn't).

* The sad truth is the market was prepared for the onslaught of sales of a so-so series at a very high price with the poorest of packaging and the extreme hard core fans have left everyone else wondering why? Save your money, watch the reruns. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The James Bond Collection, Vol. 1 collects the same feature-packed DVDs that appeared in previous Bond boxes, but in a new combination of titles, one with a decidedly golden gleam. In 1962 Sean Connery defined the cinematic James Bond as a tough, charming, and thoroughly professional cold war spy with a license to kill in the lean, hard-edged Dr. No. With Ursula Andress (as the original Bond girl Honeychile Ryder, who makes her entrance in a bikini), Bond battles a renegade supervillain with little more than his wits, his cunning, and his Walther PPK. In Goldfinger (1964) Connery's steely presence helped forge the formula of tongue-in-cheek wit, wondrous secret agent toys created by Q, and megalomaniac supervillains bent on world destruction.

Roger Moore brought a light tone and a suave assurance to the series, and in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), he battles million-dollar assassin Christopher Lee, one of Bond's most magnetic adversaries. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), perhaps Moore's finest hour, is a return to the extravagant set pieces and cold war thrills of Connery's pictures and introduces Richard Kiel's steel-dentured Jaws to the series. Timothy Dalton made his second and final appearance as Bond in Licence to Kill (1989), the toughest of the Bond films since Connery's early efforts. Though not a fan favorite, it's a sleek, solid adventure with an edge missing from the Moore pictures.

Pierce Brosnan is the latest to take on the 007 mantle, combining the best of Connery's cool and Moore's humor. GoldenEye (1995) is a grand globetrotting adventure with lovely Bond girls and a tough new M (Judy Dench). Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) doesn't recapture that magic mix of action, gadgetry, and romance, but does feature the first Bond girl to match 007 blow for blow: Hong Kong action superstar Michelle Yeoh. The DVD editions of the films each feature audio commentary tracks by the director and key members of the crew, making-of documentaries, and a host of stills, TV spots, and trailers. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (65)

Volume 1 of a classic line of Spy films
"The name is Bond, James Bond." With these words a franchise was born. In 1962 Ian Flemming launched a franchise that would forever change the action film genre. Starting with Dr. NO, one really couldn't tell that it was really a Bond film until that famous line was uttered. Now then, the Bond series has gone through no less than 5 different actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, finally Pierce Brosnan. Each having their own style. In my opinion, Pierce Brosnan is about as close to the original Sean Connery Bond as you can get. He's got the same pizazz and pinache as Connery did.

This first set of a re-issue contains seven of the soon to be twenty installment franchise. The first is the 1962 release "Dr. NO". This was Connery's first, and Bond's first official appearance.

Then comes '64's "Goldfinger", the 3rd Bond film. This film had one of the cleverest lines in a Bond film that I can recall. Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?" Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."

Then comes '74's "The Man with the Golden Gun". The 9th Bond film and Roger Moore's 2nd appearance as Bond. This film stars Christopher Lee as the villian who we now know as Count Dooku from Star Wars Episode II.

Then we have '77's "The Spy Who Loved Me". The 10th Bond film and Moore's 3rd appearance. This film stared Curt Jurgens as the villian and introduced the character Jaws played by Richard Kiel.

Then let's skip way forward and stop at '89's "License to Kill". This is the 16th Bond film which was Timothy Dalton's 2nd appearance as Bond. This film also stars Robert Davi as latino drug cartel leader.

Next comes '95's "GoldenEye". The 17th Bond film and also Pierce Brosnan, the modern Bond's first film. This film spawned one of the most popular N64 video games ever. Stared Sean Bean as 006 who turns traitor.

And finally '97's "Tomorrow Never Dies". The 18th Bond film and Brosnan's 2nd film. Stars Teri Hatcher, TV's Lois Lane from The New Superman Adventures.

And so completes the first Volume of DVD reissues. Hopefully Volume 2 will come out sometime early next year.

A Very Good Addition to any DVD Collection
I originally bought this box set and the others when they were done to conicide with the release of Tomorrow Never Dies. Sadly that was not included in the box set so I had to buy it separately. While Tomorrow Never Dies is not the best, the others do not disappoint. You get some of the best Bond films Connery did. Dr No, Goldfinger. Licence to Kill with the dashing Timothy Dalton does not disappoint. Also included is Goldeneye, the first Bond with Pierce Brosnan. While it sometimes seems far fetched, the highlight of this film is really is Sean Bean who plays Alec Trevelyan. He is 006 turned bad. To watch Bean play this deliciously evil baddie is interesting and fun as he anticipates Bond's every move.He is perhaps one of the best Bond baddies in a long time because he is an intellegent bad guy who knows Bond better than anyone. The others included Man With The Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me, like many of the Bond films may seem far fetched but are great fun to watch.

Not closed captioned in English
I bought this box set as a birthday present for a friend who is hard of hearing, thinking that he could use the closed caption option.

I was shocked to find that all the DVD's in all of the James Bond boxed sets are NOT closed captioned in English!
They are only closed captioned in French and Spanish.

How can they sell these these DVDs in the USA, label them as "closed captioned" and not state on the box that they are NOT closed captioned in English?

An Endearing Man of Action and Honor
Only one person can stop the maniacal villains trying to monopolize the world: Bond, James Bond. The groundbreaking DR. NO is one of the best James Bond films of the series. Sean Connery's performance is that of the no-nonsense dedicated civil servant entrusted with a "licence-to-kill" when he chooses, where he chooses and whom he chooses. His screen presence alone conveys the physical, intellectual and moral conviction of the character. Many elements that distinguish the James Bond series were introduced in this film. The opening gun barrel trademark, "The James Bond Theme," M played by Bernard Lee, Miss Moneypenny played by Lois Maxwell, Ken Adam's distinctive melding of modern and futuristic production designs, Maurice Binder's unique main titles, the "Martinis shaken not stirred," exotic locales, just to name a few are all here. Bond is sent to Jamaica, land of the Undertakers Wind, to investigate the elimination of British field agents and strange signals that have been interfering with the American space program. Joseph Wiseman as DR. NO is one of the best villains of the series. His steel mono-toned performance is eerily unsettling. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder leaves the most indelible image of the series as she emerges erotically from the blue waters of the Caribbean clad in her white bikini. Along with Felix Leiter and Quarrel, Bond must uncover the trail that all leads to DR. NO's mysterious Crab Key. GOLDFINGER contains a well-balanced level of depth and action leaving one emotionally charged. This is Sean Connery's finest James Bond film. The golden girl, Oddjob's bowler hat, Goldfinger's lethal laser, the Astin Martin DB5 with modifications introduced by Q, and Shirley Bassey's legendary rendition of the theme song belted out over the titles immediately became an integral part of the James Bond lore and remained in the psyche of the public. Production designer Ken Adam and art director Peter Murton gave the production a stunning and lavish distinction. The Fort Knox set and Goldfinger's playroom at his stud ranch was a testament to imagination and achievement. John Barry finally honed his distinctive style to perfection with this memorable score. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN contains one of Roger Moore's best performances as James Bond as he injects Bond's virility, worldliness and sardonic wit back into the character. Christopher Lee's performance as the enigmatic Scaramanga is refreshingly energetic giving the assassin an amiable quality on the surface hiding a darker side beneath. Bond sets out to find the person responsible for sending him a golden bullet with his 007 number on it. Maud Adams' is Andrea, Scaramanga's beautiful mistress. She brings genuine compassion to the role as the tormented individual who can not escape her master. There is also great location cinematography in this film that inspired John Barry to compose a lush exotic score. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME is a big-budgeted opulent film with effective screenplay and editing delivering one of the most succinctly structured films of the series. Roger Moore clearly re-established his approach to the role as the good-natured British agent. His Bond is suave, debonair, never condescending and resorts to seriousness only when confronted with malevolence. The globetrotting THE SPY WHO LOVED ME featured a gadget laden Lotus Esprit as its centerpiece and a demented villain Stromberg whose immense wealth featured an aquatic empire aimed at global domination. Great action sequences and chases abound. LICENCE TO KILL has Timothy Dalton as an avenging James Bond turned rouge agent out to eliminate drug lord Sanchez in Isthmus City. There are many great action scenes on the land, on and under the sea and in the air. The best element of the story line is having Bond place doubt in the mind of Sanchez that henchmen in his organization were plotting against him. The film's greatest asset is Benicio Del Toro's performance as Dario, a Sanchez henchman. GOLDENEYE is Pierce Brosnan's first film as James Bond and seems more like a hybrid of Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton, combing the best elements that each brought to the role. He possesses intelligence, wit, charm and dedication and delivers these with no-nonsense passion and drive. GOLDENEYE is a great looking film beautifully filmed for mood and action. Some of the film's high points are the miniatures by Derek Meddings; probably his best work in the series, the return of the Astin Martin DB5 and Eric Serra's original if controversial score. Serra's interpretation of "The James Bond Theme" over the opening gun barrel trademark is powerful and very innovative. One can not appreciate Serra's contribution to this film unless the DVD is played through a surround stereo system with a good amount of bass and volume pumped up. In TOMORROW NEVER DIES Pierce Brosnan delivers a more definitive interpretation of James Bond above and beyond his excellent portrayal in GOLDENEYE two years earlier. In this film Brosnan has honed in on his maturity and a physical presence that consummates his overall performance of Bond when combined with his intelligence, wit and charm that he delivers flawlessly with assured confidence. This film brings a realistic and gritty look to the series that LICENCE TO KILL attempted to achieve. This is one of the best films of the series combing an integral plot with rich characters, action and suspense. Director Donald Spottiswoode never diverted the focus of the film away from the main plot, yet he gave a sense of real depth to the characters. He has a good understanding of how to deliver action with emotional impact. He did a brilliant job and has been highly underrated for his efforts. Also, the producers finally discovered a composer that could combine the traditional and highly personalized sound of John Barry with today's trends in scoring for this genre in the talented David Arnold. Arnold much evidently has a good understanding of the series and the character of James Bond.

Not Good
I bought this collection from a company called Digitaleyes.net off this site as a birthday present to a friend. Problem is half of the disc's do not play (ie) "No Disc inserted" error message on my Sony DVD player.
I'm still waiting for a response back from the Digitaleyes.net about this. I would not recommend using Digitaleyes.net to order through. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Sailor Moon S Kicks S ;)
Season one blew me away....the uncut Japanese version made me respect the series far more than I did when it was shown by DIC. I found Season 3 through a company who sends directly from Malaysia before it was offered on Amazon, and the story line blew me away! It's a far cry from the Americanized version, definitely not a little kids show. The revelations throughout this season are astounding. This season is probably my favorite, along with Season 5, Sailor Stars. If you want the URL to order Sailor Stars, feel free to email me at kevinpeterstewart@hotmail.com. In short, Season 3 should NOT be missed and is definitely worth the cash. Ciao!

My favorite season so far!
Sailor Moon and the sailor soldiers may have ended the battle with Death Phantom. But now, they all must face a greater challenge: They're in 9th grade now, and have to study for the high school entrance exams! That, and face a mysterious, powerful new enemy that want to steal people's pure hearts. And they encounter two new mysterious soldiers, who apparantly don't want to be involved with Sailor Moon.

I first saw Sailor Moon S when it was aired on Cartoon Network, and I was really suprised with the improvements that they made with the dub. The original background music was used, and most of the new characters names had been retained. These were removed when Dic dubbed the first two seasons, but luckily, CWI took over to dub the third and fourth seasons.

Even though I'm mentioning the dub, I prefer the original Japanese soundtrack. And in this boxed set, the sound and video were clear. Those were the problems that I found most irritating in the previously released ADV boxed sets of the first and second seasons. My only critisizms on the boxed set itself is that it lacks the reversable covers that were in the original releases, and the cases are thin-packs. Other than those drawbacks, this is an excellent boxed set to an excellent season of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. And I suggest that if you're a fan of the dub and the original version, you should definetely get this.

Great Set!
This set is really great. I am so happy with the Japanese subtitled version.
I was all ways ticked off, that the American public had to change so much of Sailor Moon.
So I was glad to finally see the rightful version of Sailor Moon S.
I love Uranus and Neptune even more now, because I finally get to enjoy the characters.
As they were meant to be!

Box Set!
Wow, I bought all these dvds separate. Im sad. The box is so pretty too.

I give this 4 stars only because it wasnt my favorite season. The first two seasons and Sailor Stars (Which you can buy on ebay) were my favorites. mmmhm.

But if you are looking to own this season this is the way to buy it. Not separate.

Sailormoon at it's best!
I'm a huge Moony so I love all the seasons, but S is the best! Please, everyone, don't watch it in English! The changes they make are awful. Starting with the names: Serena, Lita, Darien, etc. But more importantly, Haruka and Michiru are Amara and Michelle, COUSINS. Anyone who knows the real Sailormoon knows that they are a lesbian couple, and that for some reason the American dubbers considered that inappropriate. (Bigots). Anyway, this season is the best because it has all my favorite Sailor Senshi in it (meaning not the Starlights or Chibi Chibi or the evil ones), and lots of plot twists and an interesting and touching end. After S, Stars is the best. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The long, long story of evolution is told very well in this extensive eight-hour series originally shown on PBS. The production begins with a dramatization of the struggles of Charles Darwin in a two-hour film aptly titled "Darwin's Dangerous Idea." Scenes of actors portraying Darwin and his contemporaries are supplemented by interviews with experts such as Stephen Jay Gould. In further installments, various topics related to evolution, such as major transformations of species, the intellectual development of humans, the phenomenon of animal extinction, and even the organized opposition to evolutionary theory by religious fundamentalists, are discussed with considerable depth. Interview segments with scholars (and their opponents) are accompanied by extraordinary visuals, including some computer-generated sequences (such as one illustrating how whales left land and evolved in the oceans) that are dazzling. This series, which is narrated by actor Liam Neeson, is a remarkably intelligent and entertaining approach to a fascinating topic.--Robert J. McNamara ... Read more

Reviews (31)

The PBS TV Series, -not- the David Duchovny film..
This series has very well chosen scientists who say very interesting things. Several of my favorite authors including Peter D. Ward, Simon Conway Morris, and Stephen Jay Gould provide explanations for their ideas on the subject. Compared to similar efforts, the animations of Burgess Shale organisms are a bit stiff and unrealistic. And it's maddening that all of the DNA helices seen in animations are left-handed, i.e. the mirror image of what DNA really looks like. But this series is touching all the right bases, from my p.o.v. and provides much valuable food for thought.

Informative, Well Produced, Timely
This is a DVD Boxed set that belongs on every shelf, period. While highly informative and very well presented, it is also entertaining to watch. Before I knew it, I had watched through the entire series and was wanting even more! I wish that more had been done in the series, particularly an episode dedicated to the budding science of Evolutionary Psychology for example.

It provides an exacting overview of Evolutionary Theory in our current understanding. At the same time, it provides well explained and detailed analysis of the evidence that has been building behind the theory over the last century or more. Of interest to some was the time spent on the debate between Evolution and Creation *Science*, with a full hour dedicated to the issues of faith and science in and out of the classroom.

All in all, entertaining and informative to the open minded, likely an affront to the closed minded, this boxed set comes HIGHLY recommended for anyone regardless. Easily worth more than it costs.

Evolution is fact
There have been bad reviews for this series. Creationist say things like there is evidence for creation and that there is no evidence for evolution. This series proves them wrong. It shows convincing facts that evolution is real. Evolution is the fact that all life came from lower life over millions of years. Creation is the religous fariy tale that the earth was created by god in 6 days less than 10,000 years ago. Creationist say major scientists don't believe in evolution but 96% of scientists believe in evolution. This series shows evolution has been proven and observed. Creationists say there is evidence for creation and this series doesn't show it. The evidence doesn't exist and if the slightest piece of evidence exists than I would be a creationist. If you are a creationist watch this series it will help you see the light. No evolution is not athisum since god is the one who controls evolutions path. The fossil record, DNA, early embryos say evolution and they believe a book written by ancients. I think that creationist should stop writting false reviews and saying there is evidence without evidence existing. So get evidence or get out. Watch this series and see what the creationist are hiding from you.

Not one shred of evidence for accidental life...0 Stars
There is not one shred of evidence that life can, or ever did, spontaneously start apart from infinitely complex design pre-existing the formation of living cells. This series is based on old science that has been discredited. Forget the faith and religion issue for a moment. Spontaneous accidental generation of life cannot and did not happen. No scientist has ever gotten close to proving such a preposterous idea, and yet most still hide this fact. Why is this the case? Because if life and creation were in FACT created, then EVERYTHING changes. We are NOT alone living a purposeless, meaningless existence. This DVD and the PBS series is about human intellectual arrogance more than it is about truth. Is evolution as a scietific force somehow intrinsically designed into living things? Clearly! Did evolution accidentally start or design life on Earth? Ridiculous! That is a leap of faith only an idiot can make.

Interesting but long
I watched 7 out of 8 episodes in two days. It may be educational for people who didn't know much about it, but if you are somewhat familiar with the topics, this documentary film didn't offer much more. ... Read more

Description

VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES!! - Featuring exclusive Zeta Gundam artwork by famed artist, Tsukasa Kotobuki (Saber Marionette J) - Limited Collector's DVD Art Box featuring 'Thinpak' packaging - Exclusive collection of Zeta Gundam collectable figures/pencil sharpeners - Exclusive Zeta Gundam Poster - 48 page Zeta Gundam 'encyclopedia' booklet

Universal Century 0087, Seven years have past since the defeat of the Zeon army during what has now become known as the 'One Year War'.An elite Federation military force known as the Titans are tasked with the prevention of further uprising by space colonies orbiting the Earth.Tragically, the destruction of an entire space colony at the hands of the facist-like Titans threaten to undermine peace between the Earth and those living in space. A civilian, two decorated war heroes, and a powerful new Gundam mobile suit - The world is once again on the brink of war and the future of humanity is at stake. ... Read more

Reviews (117)

Surprising! Amazing! Better then what I thought it would be.
I normally don't write reviews. Mainly because I don't watch enough movies and such to consider myself someone who has enough knowledge to be able to write them. This time it's different though. This time I had to put my one penny worth of information in.

I was walking around a video store, not to long ago, trying to decide what to get myself with my not so hard earned Christmas money. I saw this nice little box seat of DVD's entitled "Felicity." I looked over it and, to be honest, I wasn't very impressed. I started to sit it back on the shelf when the manager of the store came by and smiled. "Ah, Felicity..." he said to me. "My family and I have spent many hours watching that show. It's one of the best family show's I've ever seen. Highly recommended. Just be warned, the first season, the one your holding in your hand, is the best season. It all goes downhill from there on." Thanking the man I bought the DVD set just to satisfy my curiosity. I had known Keri from my younger Mickey Mouse Club Days and figured at the least I could see how she has matured as an actress over time. Besides, if I happened to not like it I could always sell it.

When I got home and popped that first DVD into my DVD player. That folks was all it took. I ended up watching dang near 4 hours worth of episodes (that's right around 4 of the 22) and my viewing habits of it didn't decrease either. Within a week I had finished viewing the series and I was uetterly amazed at how engrossed I had become in it.

To start with, the characters are VERY realistic and the situations that happen are EXTREMELY realistic. It's about college life, and perhaps one of the best shows that I've ever seen that has ever truly represented what college life can be like. Though it does contain a love story (quite a love triangle actually), the story unfolds step by step nicely and in a very even flow and you never feel like things are being rushed or are happening just to act as a filler. Every episode brings out more character and advances the major plot lines.

The viewing quality for the most part is excellent as is the sound. There was one episode, I believe, that was a little dark, but that didn't bother me in the least little bit

Overall, I give this two thumbs up and an easy five. Many great hours of family viewing with this one and many life lessons to learn from it as well.

All I can say is, I'm looking forward to season two should it ever arrive.

Is it worth it? We'll soon find out...
Where to begin... I started really watching Felicity during the 2nd season, and to be quite honest, the two things that had me crying of frustration and despair during the show were the Buffy-Ben-Noel triangle that never got sorted out, Felicity's phrase "hey", and Ben's favorite insult "di**". But other than this, you've got a fun cast, fun storylines, and diverse characters. For some, it'll be a chance to relive the first year, for others, like me, a chance to find out how it all began. Now, if onlt i could know when it's coming out...
Despite being cancelled by the WB, the show was good, and only suffered because of the way it was split unevenly over the year for its'last 2 seasons. Luckily for the fans, many good souvenirs remain (Javier, Meghan, Richard!).
So, as soon as Felicity starts coming out on DVD, those tapes I've got stashed a bit everywhere are gonna vanish to be replaced with a nice slim box set containing 6 discs, 22 eps and hopefully some nice extras!
A must for fans, and also if you want to get invested in the complex lives of these characters for 60 hours worth of airtime.

How I miss the series!
I love the series and relly do miss it... this dvd collection is a great look back and I have watched it several times!

The Amazing Felicity
Okay, so I never went away to college. I went locally and bunked with the parents. When this show came out in '98 my sister, who did go away to college, told me about it. I was skeptical, thinking that I could and would never enjoy a show that I couldn't possibly relate to or understand. I was wrong. I started watching around episode 7. I was totally hooked. The characters were amazing and the scripts so well written. The acting was flawless. Every Sunday my sister and I would have a date with the TV. I don't think I missed a single episode. But, I was thoroughly bummed when the show ended. (Although, I thought that if they had continued it would be hard to pull off.)
I LOVE that I now can own all the shows and have them forever. I can watch them over and over again. I have a daughter who is three, and I can't wait to watch them all with her someday.
For some reason this show has touched me to the core. I am not sure why, but it has and does. It's worth every penny and hour spent watching.

Wonderful College Years Relived on DVD
I just finished watching my dvd set of season one and it just made me remember how compelled I was to watch this show every week when it debuted in the fall of 98. It was my third year in university and I identified so much with felicity and her longing for someone she wanted so bad. Not having seen the show since the first season years ago, I forgot how much I loved Keri Russell and all the drama surrounding her neuroticism and the ongoing Ben - Noel fiasco. The first season really almost could stand on it's own without continuing the story into the following seasons. Though the season ending cliffhanger means I have to buy season 2 so I can find out how felicity's college years continued to play out. Even though the show ran for only four years, it was a rather appropriate run for a show set in college. Anything more and it would have been a bit contrived. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pay cable's "other"show about life and death, Dead Like Me takes a darkly comic look at mortality through the eyes of someone stuck between this life and the afterlife. "Bail bondsmen for the disembodied" is how Rube (Mandy Patinkin), the often exasperated Reaper foreman, explains it to disaffected 18-year-old George (Ellen Muth) after she’s vaporized by a falling toilet seat from the Mir space station and drafted into the ranks of the Reapers. It's now her job to take the souls of the doomed, preferably before their mortal coil is damaged beyond recognition by the devilish machinations of the gremlin-like gravelings.

You wouldn’t mistake George's fellow Reapers for the do-gooders of Touched by an Angel, but they are anything but grim. Charming British shyster Mason (Callum Blue) always has some scam brewing, high-living, fun-loving former flapper Betty (Rebecca Gayheart) treats death as a cabaret ("Reaping Havoc"), and one-time starlet and wannabe actress Daisy (Laura Harris) still nurses her dreams of stardom. Even hard-bitten meter maid Roxy (Jasmine Guy) manages to find a way to let loose.

Dead Like Me puts a light touch on black comedy, but it has a sneaky way of using humor to explore loss, loneliness, and regret, as well as kindness, and courage, and responsibility. George gets a hard lesson when she tries to wriggle out of her assignments like some overgrown kid, only to see the damage of her (in)actionin "Reapercussions." And as George's angry, tightly-wound mother (Cynthia Stevenson) and withdrawn little sister Reggie cope with death, she breaks the rules to watch over them: their own pouty, glum guardian angel. There's nothing like your own death to put your life into perspective.

The four-disc set features all 14 episodes of the debut season of Showtime's witty black comedy. The feature-length pilot includes optional commentary by cast members Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, Jasmine Guy, Cynthia Stevenson, and Callum Blue. Other supplements include the nominal documentary featurettes Dead Like Me: Behind-the-scenes and The Music of Dead Like Me (with theme song composer Stewart Copeland), 32 deleted scenes, and a still gallery. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Another one who thinks this is the best show ever!
In the best traditions of Cult television, DLM uses a fantasy storyline to explore relationships and the way people live their lives. In the case of the reapers, the way that they live their undead lives.

George, the disaffected teenager begins to understand and appreciate things in ways that she never did in her life before becoming a reaper. Although she is the anchor-woman to the storyline, the strength of the programme is in the character development of ALL the cast. In just 14 episodes you feel an emotional attachment to the characters that you'd never get by watching a year of your favourite soap.

Buffy fans should love this series. It has darker humour than Buffy with some wonderfully adult language and one-liners but has that same mix of humour and deep intensity within the space of a couple of seconds.

Slapstick reaping scenes add to the entertainment but it's real strength is in the deeply moving interraction between the characters as they get through their lives- some living, some undead. Superbly written you are hanging on every word.

Very rarely do I buy a DVD and even rarer to buy a DVD from across the Atlantic that probably won't play too well in my machine. But this is one that I'm not going to miss.

Best show ever.
Really. It's one of the only shows I can watch over and over again; it never gets boring and never gets annoying. Each episode carries you from laughter to tears to contemplation, and I have never seen such fantastic acting. Even the minor characters give flawless performances, and the regular characters are nothing short of brilliant -- every single line is delivered just so, and you can't imagine anyone saying it better. All of the characters are given real personalities; their pasts, their lives and their dialogues are carefully-crafted. The characters (especially those who are dead) seem more real and more life-like than real people, and each show makes you think about life and death just a little bit differently than you did before. The direction and production are spotless -- colors are vibrant and intense, timing is perfect, and the picture quality and effects are always perfect for each scene. And, since each show is approximately 40 minutes, it's just enough to fit into your day, but you keep wanting more! Okay, so I'm raving, but this is genuinely my favorite show ever and I come away from every episode with the same "life, but intensified" feeling I get after watching My So-Called Life, or Almost Famous -- there are sad patches, and funny parts, but most of all you really think about life (the good parts and the bad), and it makes you want to live yours better.

Quirky and entertaining
Originally I tuned into DLM because it was summer and there was nothing else on, and in the beginning it was just that: a pretty decent show for the summer. However, as the season progressed I thought that the characters were fleshed out better (you learn more about the supporting cast's past) and there was even a storyline (rather than each episode being independent).

Anyways, why four stars? Because it's entertaining, full of dry humor and the characters are human and imperfect...which makes it better then 95% of the shows out there.

Best Original script!
Dead Like Me is definetly one of the best tv shows, specially because of it's originality. I have never seen such a good script with such a good cast. They are all great, specially Ellen Muth. She is rather young but with so much to give. Her attitude will get you keep wanting more and then she'll surprise you!
I must say I was a bit dissapointed with the way people die in the show. But then you have to realized the show is not about how they die, but what happens right after!

Fantastic new series!
I don't have Showtime (or cable for that matter), but after having great luck with The Sopranos I decided to give this series a spin. I don't know why, but it is very addicting! I watched all 14 episodes in about 3 or 4 days. Very original ideas, a very good cast that you grow attached too, and some touching moments as well all add up to good fun.
The series is not perfect but I found myself forgiving any faults because the good far outweighs the bad. The only disappointments I had were: the special features are lacking, and one of the episodes (i think it is 12) is practically nothing but flashbacks, so if you watch this series in a matter of days like I did (and you will want to) then you will spend most of the time watching this episode either bored or fast forwarding - I don't think this was necessary at all for a show in its first season - but even allowing for these slight negatives I give Dead Like Me 5 stars! ... Read more

Description

Collect all eight volumes of the Tenchi Universe TV series in a special boxed set.All DVDs are uncut and bilingual. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Cool series
INTRODUCTION:
Although the Tenchi Muyo anime series became a massive hit in its native Japan and other neighboring nations, it was never fortunate enough to gain that kind of success in the United States. That's a real shame, because this is one of the best anime series out there. It DID air briefly in America on the Cartoon Network, but it never really won the audiences over the way series like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z did. But this series is every bit as good as the animes that DID achieve fame in America. Read on for my review of this set.

BASIC PLOT:
It's hard to describe this series because there are so many twists and turns in the plot, but I'll try my best. The story follows a young man named Tenchi Masaki, who has just returned to school from a long break. Soon enough, he meets up with a rather strange cast of characters, and discovers that he may be the last hope for saving the universe! To make things even more difficult for him, many of these strange characters he has met fall in love with him, and this creates some competition amongst them that results in some rather comical scenes.

SERIES OPINIONS:
Why is this series so underrated in America? This is one of the best animes out there. It combines the samurai-style action of Dragon Ball Z with the romance/slapstick humor stylings of Sailor Moon, and this creates a series that is universally appealing. And believe me, over time this series will grow on you.

THE DUB:
Surprisingly, the dub version of this series isn't that bad. A few scenes have been mistranslated or toned down for American audiences, but it's nothing major like with other animes. Here's a little tip, if you're curious about what has been changed - while you're watching the Japanese subtitled version of the DVD, hit the Audio button on your DVD remote and switch to the dub track. This way you can watch the English dub with the English subtitles for the Japanese version - there's no better way to see how different some of the translations are!

DVD:
Once again, DVDs featuring an uncut dub and an uncut sub have been released. This is great because you get both versions of the series. There are also some bonus features as well. There aren't a whole lot of bonuses, but at least there are some - a number of anime DVDs don't have any at all!

OVERALL:
Overall this is an excellent DVD set, and it's good to have all the episodes of this classic series on DVD at long last. Still, the DVDs could have been done a little better. If you're an anime fan, this is a strongly recommended release.

Hooray!
Easily the best of any of the Tenchi Series, Universe is a joy because they don't have twenty years to complete the series, nor the expectation of following a huge first hit. Every episode is a joy because they aren't in search of some cosmic plot. The characters develop without flooding the viewer with useless details about their past. And Ayeka and Ryoko actually cry over Tenchi. It's so sweet.
Episode 25 has to be one of the few perfect episodes in all of anime (like Pierrot LeFou in cowboy Bebop), because the characters all take their 15 minutes and leave. The whole of this series is presented in good taste, rich in drama, and quits while it's still ahead. A true staple of any collection. (We are also treated to a delicious satire of Sailor Moon. The writers are clever enough even to mock Jupiter's and Mercury's romantic relationship. Just one more reason to purchase this series.)

Volume 7 of the Tenchi Universe.
The first episode is a swimsuit episode, which is pretty normal for anime, so no surprises there. The plot is that, once again, the gang needs money. The ship needs some repair work done and the fastest way to make money, besides the jobs they've taken, is a swimsuit contest in which the winner gets one million Jurai dollars. Everybody decides to join. After all, with so many pretty women ONE of them has to win. Even Nagi joins the contest! The ending of this episode is no surprise, but it is kind of funny. I won't give it away.
The next episode is just as funny, even if it does bring us back on track to the main story arch. Tenchi and the gang need to get past the outer defenses of Jurai space. So they pretend to be a school group to get through the checkpoint, one of the many space stations that encircle that area of space. Tenchi even cross-dresses to be a girl! I don't want to give too much away, but the episode is not just funny, it shows us that not everybody is against our Heros.
The last episode is somewhat serious. While being chased they enter a sector of space that is forbidden, a sacred place to Jurai. The shock is that Katsuhito is the one that directed them to fly into it! He knew it was there and he has brought them to it for a reason. He has come to uncover two Knights of old, Knights who would awaken to help the Jurai Family in time of great need. So they land on a planet within the region to find the Knights. But things don't go as planned.

This last episode can be very confusing but it reveals alot about almost everybody! Who Katsuhito really is, how willing Sasami is to make friends, so on. This DVD is a must to understand and enjoy the last DVD in the series.

Good series
INTRODUCTION:
Although the Tenchi Muyo anime series became a massive hit in its native Japan and other neighboring nations, it was never fortunate enough to gain that kind of success in the United States. That's a real shame, because this is one of the best anime series out there. It DID air briefly in America on the Cartoon Network, but it never really won the audiences over the way series like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z did. But this series is every bit as good as the animes that DID achieve fame in America. Read on for my review of this set.

BASIC PLOT:
It's hard to describe this series because there are so many twists and turns in the plot, but I'll try my best. The story follows a young man named Tenchi Masaki, who has just returned to school from a long break. Soon enough, he meets up with a rather strange cast of characters, and discovers that he may be the last hope for saving the universe! To make things even more difficult for him, many of these strange characters he has met fall in love with him, and this creates some competition amongst them that results in some rather comical scenes.

SERIES OPINIONS:
Why is this series so underrated in America? This is one of the best animes out there. It combines the samurai-style action of Dragon Ball Z with the romance/slapstick humor stylings of Sailor Moon, and this creates a series that is universally appealing. And believe me, over time this series will grow on you.

THE DUB:
Surprisingly, the dub version of this series isn't that bad. A few scenes have been mistranslated or toned down for American audiences, but it's nothing major like with other animes. Here's a little tip, if you're curious about what has been changed - while you're watching the Japanese subtitled version of the DVD, hit the Audio button on your DVD remote and switch to the dub track. This way you can watch the English dub with the English subtitles for the Japanese version - there's no better way to see how different some of the translations are!

DVD:
Once again, DVDs featuring an uncut dub and an uncut sub have been released. This is great because you get both versions of the series. There are also some bonus features as well. There aren't a whole lot of bonuses, but at least there are some - a number of anime DVDs don't have any at all!

OVERALL:
Overall this is an excellent DVD set, and it's good to have all the episodes of this classic series on DVD at long last. Still, the DVDs could have been done a little better. If you're an anime fan, this is a strongly recommended release.

What Can We Say, It's Tenchi!!!
Tenchi Muyo is one of the MOST popular series ever to be braught from Japan to America. (Pioneer dubbed and subbed it.) While I haven't been fortunate enought to see the OVA, I have seen all of these episodes, (and all of the movies and Tenchi in Tokyo), AND, as the BIGGEST anime fan EVER, must say that it is one of the best series ever created. The character design is brilliant, the animation techniques beautiful, and the storyline kicks serious blankety-blank. (Threw that in for all the Martian Successor Nadesico fans out there reading this! heh heh ;) ). Anyway, trust me on this one; Tenchi Muyo should not be missed. Ever. By anyone. If you are a true otaku, then you should seriously go for this one. Subbed or dubbed, whichever you happen to pick up, either will rock. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The first animated work from Leiji Matsumoto, who would create the popular Captain Harlock saga, Star Blazers (Uchu Senkan Yamato or Space Cruiser Yamato, 1974) was a landmark program in Japan and America. When it aired in syndication in the U.S. in 1979, the character names were anglicized (Susumu Kodai became Derek Wildstar; Admiral Okita, Captain Avatar, etc.), the violence and drinking were heavily censored, and the World War II connections of the Yamato were tactfully downplayed. The Quest for Iscandar comprises the first 26-episode continuity; two additional TV series and several features would follow.In the year 2199, the war with the planet Gamilon has turned the Earth's surface into a radioactive desert. The radiation will penetrate the bedrock protecting humanity's underground cities in another year, destroying all remaining life. A message arrives from Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar, offering a way to eliminate the deadly radiation and providing plans for an engine that can power a ship across the 148,000 light-year gap. Scientists convert the ruined shell of the battleship Yamato into a starship in a desperate attempt to save the planet, and the perilous voyage begins. The animation and character designs look very dated, but Gen-Xers who grew up watching it remember Star Blazers vividly. The bonus materials include a virtual tour of the Argo, an interactive map of the journey to Iscandar, and some footage deleted from the American broadcast version. Unrated; suitable for ages 8 and up: Violence largely restricted to spaceship and robot attacks. --Charles Solomon ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Make Mine Manga!
If you were being packed off to school on innumerable mornings in the late 70s/early 80s, chances are you woke up extra early some mornings to the rousing tones of the "Star Blazers" theme:

"We're off to outer space,
Leaving Mother Earth,
To save the human race
Our Star Blazers!"

The half-hour cartoons which ensued were nothing short of miraculous to kids weaned on Looney Tunes: furiously intense little snippets of a small band of heroes in a tricked-out World War Two battleship in a desperate struggle against evil aliens.

This was no "G.I. Joe," folks---the stakes were high, and people got hurt. The captain of the Argo spent much of the trip battling radiation poisoning, the heroes were invariably placed in precarious situations and occasionally were lost. While the Star Force won most of the battles, these victories were dearly bought; many episodes ended with the ship limping along leaving enormous smoke trails in its wake.

Now "Star Blazers" has finally arrived on DVD.

I started watching the first episode, and wound up sitting in front of the TV oblivious to everything around me until I watched all 6 DVDs (about 12 hrs in all). Despite a transfer showing no improvement over the muddy images which danced across my 13" color screen all those years ago, this series STILL has the power to hook the unwary.

In addition to the 26 first series episodes, the DVD edition also includes a ton of nifty special features providing a wealth of background information. My particular favorite is the interactive mission map detailing the Argo's entire journey to Iscandar and back with episode-specific summaries of key events.

I've seen a lot of Japanese manga since "Star Blazers" first bombarded my eyeballs, but slick production and hard-boiled storylines pale in comparison to the ominous warning at the end of each episode: "Hurry, Star Force! Earth has only 256 days left!"

Buy this set. Consider it Cosmo-DNA for the soul.

We're Off to Outer Space!
I was tempted to give this a five star review, but that was probably just nostalgia. I grew up watching Star Blazers. It was my first exposure to anime (not that I knew what anime was back then).
Watching it again for the first time in nearly twenty years, I found myself still enjoying the story. It's human drama and an epic war story that spans the stars.
So why not a higher rating. Simplicity. These days, I do know what anime is, and I've had opportunity to see the original Space Battleship Yamato that this was translated from.
The deleted scenes are restored as extras on the discs. But the original japanese dialogue is not, and in some places the translation was kiddie-fied to make it more saturday morning friendly here in the U.S.
Still a great series, and a must if you're a fan of Leiji Matsumoto's epic form of storytelling.

Great Anime - Super Storyline - Great Color !
.
This is it, people, the Starblazers Series One set. It's the "Quest for Iscandar" storyline and its just as fun to watch now as it was when you were a kid.

Starblazers was a very popular series when shown in the United States in the 1970's. It's very colorfully drawn and importantly, it has a good story to tell.

Basically, the story is this - Earth is attacked and only has one year until it will be destroyed unless the Star Force can fly to a distant planet (Iscandar) and retrieve the machine necessary to removing deadly radiation.

Its just the kind of stuff you want to worry about when you're a kid watching cartoons, right? That's the wonderful thing about anime. It doesn't write "down" to its audience. It's as much adult entertainment as it is for the kids.

And this is a special series, because it also has the coolest opening title song ever - its impossible to get out of your head - and I know you're looking for the lyrics so here you go - sing along with the DVDs.

We're off to outer space, we're leaving Mother Earth
To save the human race. Our Star Blazers.
Searching for a distant star, heading off to Iscandar
Leaving all we love behind, who knows what dangers we'll find?
We must be strong and brave, our home we've got to save.
If we don't, in just one year, Mother Earth will disappear
Fighting with the Gamalons, we won't stop until we've won
Then we'll return, and when we arrive
The Earth will survive with our Star Blazers.

I highly recommend this set. Its a must have for any Anime fan.

Regards,
turtlex

Finally a clear Yamato/Argo
10 years ago, I bought the VHS versions of StarBlazers and was very disappointed by the lousy quality of the picture and sound.
With the DVD version, you have a crystal sharp picture. The sound, well you can only do so much with the sound, but for a 70's Anime series it's not bad.
If you spent the afternoons when you were a kid cheering for Wildstar, Nova, Venture, and Captain Avatar, this is a MUST HAVE. If your kids have never seen this, it's high time they were introduced to some real adventure from the land of the rising sun.
The special extras are great. I especially suggest check out disc 2's original trailer and scenes that never showed on US tv.
While the price may seem a bit steep, you will NOT be upset with the product.
And to my old friend Kenny, who gave me a copy of Be Forever Yamato almost 20 years ago, thank you. It is now joined be this wonderful series.

"Searching for a distant star..."
Now, for the actual DVDs. Let's be honest, some of the dated animation is quite frankly, laughable by today's standards...and I love it! What sets this show apart from all the shows of my youth is the simple fact that it doesn't sound like a kid's show. There are phrases like "tachyon particles" and words like "antiquated" in a kid's show? Not likely. Also, what propells this show are the absolutely great ideas for any science-fiction adventure story. George Lucas even took ideas from this series and slightly changed them for the first "Star Wars Trilogy." I noticed just the other episode that the "Star Force" salute is identical to the "Thermian" salute used in the film "Galaxy Quest." Coincidence? There are also many goofy, yet charming phrases strewn throughout, like: "dynamic do-all" and the always intimidating "ultra-menace missle." Some of the characters are also comically evil, like Lord Desslok, who sounds more like a demented Roddy Mcdowall on laughing gas than the leader of the Gamilons. Again, I love it! Then there are always the gross miscalculations of the crewmembers: "We went thousands of light-years in less than a minute!" Of course, Venture was referring to the distance between the Earth's moon and Mars. Even as a child I knew better than that! Anyway, this is a priceless piece of nostalgia for me, and for anyone who grew up loving the this series as a child. They certainly don't make them like this anymore...and that's too bad. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The fifth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation saw some of the very best of all 178 shows. "Darmok" had the feel of a "classic Trek" episode, dealing with language as metaphor. "The First Duty" challenged Wesley Crusher's loyalties. The season closer "Time's Arrow" (which concluded in year 6) ranks as one of the best TNG cliffhangers, and treats fans to canon-changing story lines and tons of in-jokes. Best of all was the painfully melancholy "The Inner Light," in which Picard experiences an alternate lifetime. There were great guest stars--Paul Winfield ("Darmok"), Ashley Judd ("The Game"), Kelsey Grammar ("Cause and Effect"), Famke Janssen ("The Perfect Mate"), and Jerry Hardin ("Time's Arrow")--and as always there were contributions from Q, Lwaxana, and Barclay, too.

After the confidence of the previous two years, however, year 5 often disappointed by not seeing a good idea through to the end. Denise Crosby was swept back under the carpet in the Klingon soap opener ("Redemption, Part II"). No one could make the prospect of Deep Space 9 attractive enough to Michelle Forbes, so her fantastic performance as Ensign Ro seems wasted in retrospect. And no one could reschedule Robin Williams to guest star, so we had Matt Frewer instead ("A Matter of Time"). Of all stories to use Leonard Nimoy in, "Unification" wallowed in Romulan politics instead of anything emotionally engaging. Gene Roddenberry wanted to introduce a gay character, but mere months after his death all we got was the trite "The Outcast." This was inarguably where the series weakened, without the Great Bird overseeing what was going on. Worst of all, his hard-as-nails bad guys the Borg were given a touchy-feely side in "I, Borg." Fans and critics now appreciate that the behind-the-scenes focus had shifted from The Next Generation to the next spinoff, and it would never fully return. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Another great season of TNG
After the third and fourth season, STAR TREK: TNG showed no intention of slowing down. And it never did.

The fifth season stars out with REDEMPTION: PART II. The fourth and last part of the rough quadrilogy involving Worf is by far the best of them all. It starts with a spaceship fight and never lets up. 10 times better than the first part.

What made this season so great was that it had many guest stars and character-based episodes:

1) In THE GAME and DARMOK, Ashley Judd guest stars.

2) Leonard Nimoy returns as Spock in UNIFICATION, PART II. There is a priceless conversation between Data and Spock in that episode.
3) Kelsey Grammer makes a brief apperance in CAUSE AND EFFECT.
4) Famke Janssen appears in THE PERFECT MATE. (She would later star with Patrick Stewart in X-MEN)
5) Ray Walston makes a memorable appearance in THE FIRST DUTY. Will Wheaton is in that episode as well and delivers a great performance.
6) In THE NEXT PHASE, La Forge and Ro get some time to deliver some good performances
7) ETHICS is a great Worf episode.

Also in this season were many funny and intersting episodes:

1) In DISASTER, Data's head is removed, Worf helps to deliver a baby, and Troi must run the bridge. Good stuff.
2) In POWER PLAY, Data, Troi, and O'Brien go renegade and take over Ten-Forward. Very cool.
3) I, BORG was a great episode. Very intersting. And watch for Hugh to come back late in the 6rth season...

Unfortunately, there were some bad episodes as well. IMAGINARY FRIEND and COST OF LIVING were horrible. Watch for yourself. (LWAXANA taking a MUD BATH?!?!?!?! Please, no!!!!!!!)

And last, the season's last episode, TIME'S ARROW. Unfortunately, it's not that great. Data accidentally goes back in time and meets Jack London, Mark Twain, and others while trying to stop aliens (again). Some of it is funny, but you're gonna have to wait until the end of the 6th season for a REALLY GREAT SEASON FINALE.

All in all, a great and crucial season.

1991-1992; all episodes are rated PG for mild sci-fi violence and breif language.

I'm Looking For Ambassador Spock
The 5th season of STAR TREK TNG had it share of highs and lows, in front of, and behind the camera. The season brought original series star, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, out of t.v. retirement for a two parter called "Unification". The strange thing is, while it was great to see the Vulcan interact with Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Data (Brent Spiner), the 2nd part seemed rather flat. The first half though, was a great build-up to the historic meeting, featuring the last appearance of Sarek (Mark Lenard). Returning for 2 guest shots were former series regulars Wil Wheaton and Denise Crosby (in a clever twist, since her charater died in the first season) Other notable guest stars include, Michelle Forbes makes her debut as a renegade starfleet officer Ensign Ro Majel Barret as Lwaxanna Troi, the late great Ray Walston, as Boothby in the standout episode, The First Duty, Kelsey Grammer as a Captain stuck in time, and Jerry Hardin as Mark Twain Whoppi Goldberg continued her recurring as Guinan and made Time's Arrow something special. I think by far though my favorite episode of the year had to be The Inner Light.--truly a one of kind for TNG

One can't mention the 5th year, without talking about the death of TREK Creator, Gene Roddenberry. One of the extra features in the set sort of breaks the format of the other sets. There is a 26 minute tribute to Roddenberry that is well produced and welcomed. The rest of the featurettes are laid out in much the same way, as the previous sets of the series (season recaps and such) As a bonus, some will find a bonus disc. featuing promotional material for the film, STAR TREK:NEMESIS, released late in 2002

As with any TREK season, there were a few clunkers, along the way. Fortunately though the only really bad ideas of the year were to include Worf's (Michael Dorn) son Alexander (Brian Bonsall) into too many stories (I thought he was overused), and not to have Q (John De Lancie) return for an annual visit. Fans of the seris will want to add the set to their TNG collection

Yet another winner!
By Season five, Star Trek: The Next Generation had matured enough that references to the Original series could be made without hurting the show's image. It is another great season of writing and ideas. The fifth season saw the end of the ongoing conflict with the Klingons that was building up over the past two seasons. I have just one phrase to sum up the season: HORRAY FOR SPOCK! Many great and interesting episodes with a few duds thrown in, but overall a great season. The cliffhanger at the end of the season is not the best of them, but I still like it very much.

Personal Favorite Episodes:

Redemption: Part II, Darmok, Ensign Ro, Disaster, The Game, Unification: Parts I and II, A Matter of Time, Conundrum, Power Play, Ethics, Cause and Effect, The First Duty, The Perfect Mate, I, Borg, The Next Phase, The Inner Light, Time's Arrow: Part I

Probably My Favorite Season
One of the things I really like about this box set is how sturdy they are. They've survived two moves, one of several hundred miles, and with reasonable care and packing they come out just fine. It is nice to see that they not only look nice, but are sturdy as well.

Like season four, this season also has the split scene for the clips, with two playing in each window. It cuts down on waiting to see the clip of all four episodes, but it is a little difficult to follow if you're not sure you've seen all four of the episodes. The clips are played against part of the grid layout of the holodeck, which is a nice touch, but still a little tough to follow.

TNG at its best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 5th season of TNG is superb! The season contains great guest actors indcluding Kelsey Grammer (Frasier),Leonard Nimoy's(Star Trek:The Original Series) great return as Ambassdor Spock,and several episodes with Whoppi Goldberg as Guian,the 10 forward bartender. There are several episodes with Wil Weaton as Wesley Crusher. The best episodes are Unification parts I and II,The Game, Violations,and The First Duty. The worst are The Outcaste, The Perfect Mate , The Inner Light, and The Masterpiece Society. I can't wait to get season 6. ... Read more

Description

STAR TREK VOYAGER: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON details the adventures of the Starfleet's most adventurous starship, the U.S.S. Voyager, as it is led by Capitan Kathryn Janeway (Mulgrew) on missions into deep space. ... Read more