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Technical Information
Studio:
Fox Home Entertainment
Year of Theatrical Release: n/a
Disc Format: 6
single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format: Full
Frame
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Region Encoding: 1
Sound Format: Dolby
Digital 2.0
Running Time: Each
episode runs approximately 45 minutes
Director: Various
Stars: Jessica
Alba, Michael Weatherly, John Savage
MPAA Rating: n/a
Disc Supplements:
- Commentary tracks featuring executive producer
Charles Eglee, co-executive producer Rene Echevarria, and directors
David Nutter and Jeff Woolnough
- Commentary track featuring Jessica Alba and Michael
Weatherly
- Dark Angel: Genesis featurette
- Seattle Ain't What It Used To Be featurette
- Creating an X-5 featurette
- Audition reel
- Blooper reel
- Video game preview
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There is no denying that James Cameron is
a powerhouse of creativity in Hollywood. An obsession with the
Titanic notwithstanding, Cameron has forever burned images of
cyborgs and aliens into our minds.
Part of what makes his films so fun to watch
is the manner in which he quickly establishes well-developed
characters, allowing the audience to instantly personalize the
action. So, I have to admit that I was fairly excited with the
notion that Cameron would be creating a television series.
Dark Angel certainly contains some trademark
Cameron elements. We are introduced to a post-apocalyptic world
that mixes third-world economics with high-tech gadgetry; there
is explosive action in the form of a genetically supercharged
heroine named Max (Jessica Alba); we meet an array of quirky
characters; and everything is wrapped in conspiracies and danger
and Cameron's special brand of sarcastic humor.
By all rights, Dark Angel should have been
a stellar action show and I have to say that it does have its
moments. The problem is that the show never really found its
footing and stumbled throughout and beyond the first season.
Dark Angel does get high marks for effort, but the complex story
lines probably did more to scare away rather than hook viewers.
This is where DVD makes for such a great format
when it comes to television shows. Storylines can be followed
without fear of missing episodes or important details. Nevermind
the fact that it's just plain cool to be able to watch shows
without the commercial interruptions.
I have to admit that I do like the character
of Max. Certainly, Jessica Alba is nice to look at, but more
than that, she conveys an interesting personality into her character.
Max is a tough girl, but Alba also manages to convincingly display
vulnerability as well. Dark Angel's supporting cast of characters
are very Cameron-esq and therefore at least watchable, if not
entertaining.
The premise of the show is that America has
been reduced to a third world country. Terrorists detonated
a massive EMP bomb that effectively destroyed much of the nation's
technology. As might be expected after such an event, there
is a randomness to the breakdown of society. For instance, people
live in abandoned flop houses, yet carry around pagers.
Jessica Alba's character of Max is a genetic
experiment. A secret government group called Manticore was developing
a line of super soldiers when the pulse hit. Max and several
of the other kids managed to escape and have been able to use
the chaos of the pulse to hide from their government pursuers.
Max, now an adult, hooks up with Logan (Michael
Weatherly), a wealthy recluse who also happens to run an underground
news organization. Max and Logan strike up an alliance, with
Max agreeing to help Logan's cause while Logan attempts to help
Max find the other kids from her group. Predictably, there is
a romantic connection implied between Max and Logan, but wisely,
the first season never gets too serious with it.
The problem is that the show is very uneven,
constantly switching tone and often either forgetting or simply
ignoring previously established plot points. Some episodes are
just plain silly (such as Heat, which revolves
around Max going into sexual overdrive) and possibly hold responsibility
for the show not finding the proper audience. On the other hand,
there are some stand-out episodes, such as Cold Comfort,
that really showcase the potential of the series.
It's always dificult to judge a television
series by its first season, as it generally take some time for
a show to develop. Unfortunately, Dark Angel never made it past
season two. All of the elements were there for Dark Angel to
evolve into something great, but it just never got the chance.
Still, there are some bright points to be found in this first
season set. What it boils down to is that Dark Angel is entertaining,
but just not very memorable.
:::back to
top |
OK, so this isn't presented in
16:9 anamorphic widescreen. That is a little disappointing, but
the excellent picture quality of these full frame presentations
more than makes up for it. The colors are amazingly bright and vibrant,
but never cross the line of over-saturation. Black levels are, frankly,
the best I've seen from a television show, with detail-filled shadows
and perfect contrasts. From a technical standpoint, there are no
compression artifacts to be found and edge enhancement is either
a not present or well hidden.
:::back to top |
The sound mix for the show was
Dolby Digital 2.0 and that's what we're given in this set. The dynamic
range is decent, with some low bass and acceptible highs. Since
this is only a 2.0 mix, the surround field isn't is very well utilized.
However, since we're dealing with a television production, I wasn't
expecting a lot from it.
:::back to top |
This set isn't loaded with extras,
but there are some. To begin with are several audio commentary
tracks. I'll start off with the weakest of the bunch, the
track on episode "...and Jesus Brought a Casserole,"
featuring actors Michael Weatherly and Jessica Alba. Now, it's no
secret that Alba and Weatherly began a real-life romance during
the filming of Dark Angel. This is significant because I think the
studios should adopt a "no sweethearts" policy when it
comes to audio commentaries. The two spend almost more time bantering
back and forth than they do talking about the show. And when they
are discussing the episode, much of the talk is about Weatherly's
hair. All in all, this is a lame duck track.
There are three other commentaries,
on episodes "Pilot," "Rising,"
and "And I Am a Camera" that feature
executive producer Charles Eglee, co-executive producer Rene Echevarria,
and directors David Nutter and Jeff Woolnough. These tracks are
generally technical in nature and discuss topics ranging from developing
the futuristic look of the show to the battles with the studio.
None of these are necessarily bad tracks, but they are a bit dry
at times.
This set offers up three featurettes
that run for a total of about 42 minutes. The first of the batch,
Dark Angel: Genesis, is the longest at a half hour
and is a bit of a fluff piece. It does nicely introduce the characters
and the world they live in, but there isn't a lot of behind-the-scenes
meat. Seattle Ain't What It Used To Be and Creating
an X-5 each run about 6 minutes, and again, there isn't
a lot of enlightenment to be found here. In fact, there is a lot
of repeated material from the first featurette.
Next up is an audition reel
that showcases some of the cast trying out for their parts. It's
actually somewhat interesting to see this because it's an example
of someone coming in to read for a part without much input from
the creators. It's sort of each actor's personal interpretation
of the character based on their reading of the script. In many cases,
lines of dialog are delivered very differently from the final product.
The set also includes a blooper
reel that really should have been more impressive. We get
a lot of shots of actors doing little more than stopping in the
middle of performances and asking to start over. Running at barely
5 minutes, this feature very much over stays its welcome.
Finishing it all off is a
promo/commercial for James Cameron's new Dark Angel video
game.
:::back to top |
Maybe Dark Angel will have an opportunity to
find its audience now that it's on DVD. Having watched through season
one without the distractions of broadcast television, I have to
admit that the show does have its bright spots. It certainly got
rolling toward the end of the season, with some of the best episodes
coming midway and at the end. Still, Dark Angel suffers from the
typical first-season awkwardness. Fans of the show will certainly
want to pick this one up.
:::back to top |
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| Despite being a television
show, Dark Angel does contain many elements, including violence and
sexual content, that make it inappropriate for many younger viewers.
It's OK for the older teens, however. |
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| -- By Robert Wurth. Copyright
© 2003. |
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