Starring: Naveen Andrews, Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Elizabeth Mitchell, Dominic Monaghan, many others
Executive Producer: Carlton Cuse
Studio: Buena Vista
Video: 1.78:1 enhanced for 16:9 widescreen
Audio: PCM 5.1 surround, English DD 5.1 surround, Spanish Dolby 2.0
Extras: Audio commentaries, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers
Extras in HD: Interactive Q&A, Season 3 Featurette
Length: 991 minutes
Rating: *****
Anyone familiar with the convoluted world of ABC Television’s “Lost” fully realizes how nearly addictive this series is. The complex, ever-changing plot lines, flashbacks and equally complex back stories and character development require a gargantuan effort on just about anyone’s part to filter through the massive layers of information presented in each one hour episode; as of late, they’ve started introducing even more characters to replace the one’s they’ve slowly killed off, and even the dead ones have a real knack for popping up unexpectedly in somebody else’s most recent flashback. It’s really easy to get sucked into the vortex that encompasses everything on the island, and makes for an incredibly compelling watch – in my book, probably the best series currently on television, bar none. There are entire websites dedicated to sifting through the layers of minutia in search of additional clues to the many mysteries – I haven’t scratched my head so many times since the last time I tried to make sense of David Lynch’s puzzling enigma Mulholland Drive! In a world where good television is usually based on whatever reality show happens to be on at the moment, “Lost” is head and shoulders above the current crop, and watching it in high definition for the first three years has been the icing on an already remarkably good cake.
For those who might be unfamiliar with the premise of the show (maybe you’re lost too!), the storyline revolves around the members of Oceanic Flight 815, en route from Australia to the US, which crashes (or is caused to be crashed) on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific. As the survivors begin to shake themselves from the trauma of their recent experience, they also begin (as Seasons 1, 2 and 3 progress) to realize that a number of very strange occurrences are taking place on the island, and foremost, they discover that they’re not alone. We get more information concerning the ominous “Others,” who may have infiltrated the group of survivors, and possibly even knowingly, or unknowingly, caused the chain of events responsible for their crash and arrival. The plot changes interweave with lots of back stories, and more often than not, just as many questions are raised as answers are given for any specific scenario. By the end of Season 3, I couldn’t decide just what was reality, and if the members of Oceanic Flight 815 were perhaps even dead, and their existence on the island just some form of purgatory for each individual. The writing, acting, and direction are absolutely superb for today’s dismal network television market – we’ll see what affect the ongoing writers’ strike has on the near future of the show.
Compared to the DVD version and ABC’s really good 720p HD broadcasts, the Blu-ray discs are a revelation to behold. While’s there’s still the occasional hint of grain, the image quality is extraordinarily sharp, with better contrast and color saturation than I would ever have imagined possible from anything sourced from television. Edge enhancement is virtually non-existent. Sound quality is also superb; you don’t get some of the more extravagant options included with most major motion picture releases, but the uncompressed 5.1 PCM soundtrack is exceptionally good, with intense use of the surround channels to create an incredibly realistic soundstage. Strictly in terms of material sourced from television, this disc is reference quality in every aspect of the audio and visual presentation.
In addition to the plethora of bonus materials also included on the standard release, there’s a number of Blu-ray exclusives; among the most intriguing of these is a Q and A with the show’s creators, who promise definitive answers to many of the questions that viewers might have concerning characters, plot lines, etc. As expected, their discussions and answers are often less than completely satisfying – with a show like “Lost,” whose story lines are constantly morphing, I can easily see the need for a certain amount of intentional misdirection – you know they’re not just going to give away all the answers! The amount of available bonus material is staggering; as with the “Lord of the Rings” extended edition DVDs, the layers and choices of episodes and bonus material spread over six discs clocking in at 991 minutes makes for a whole lotta television. According to various sources on the Internet, there are also at least a dozen “Easter Eggs” scattered across all six discs, so happy hunting! Very highly recommended!
— Tom Gibbs
