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I am often underwhelmed
by the glut of new TV shows that come out
every year. So few are standouts that I
choose to try them out on DVD as opposed
to when they originally air in order to
at least miss the commercials and little
scrolling ads, which make even the worst
show seem a little brighter. But when a
show is a standout from the crowd, believe
me I will get hooked in. ABC’s new
“FlashForward” is definitely
one of those that got me hooked right from
the start.
Sci Fi is a tough subject to get right,
but the premise of “FlashForward”
is not only intriguing, it is well thought
out and executed. Imagine the entire world
blacking out all at the same time. I’m
talking about a massive power outage mind
you, but everyone… everywhere actually
‘blacking out.’ According to
the series, this is exactly what happened
on October 6th, 2009 (though I have no memory
of this occurring).
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This causes accidents and deaths… as blacking
out while driving or flying are generally not
recommended. In the aftermath, we turn to FBI
Agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and his partner,
Demitri Noh (John Cho), who are front and center
in trying to find out just what happened. We soon
learn that the mass blackout was actually something
much bigger. It would appear that everyone who
survived actually saw into their own futures,
and learned what would be happening to them on
April 29th, 2010.
As we are introduced to more and more characters,
we also discover their ‘premonitions.’
Some are ordinary, others quite extra-ordinary
and some… don’t have any at all, leading
them to believe they will be dead prior to the
date in question. This series is similar to “Lost”
in that its ultimate truths are shrouded in mystery,
then wrapped in an enigma. Only instead of a handful
of people on an island being affected… we’re
talking everyone, everywhere. Reviewing the series
is rather frustrating in that anything I tell
you would be considered a spoiler; this is the
same issue I had with “Lost” as well
as the more recent “Fringe.” What
I can say is that the ensemble cast filling out
this series, including Courtney B. Vance, Dominic
Monaghan, Sonya Walger and Christine Woods is
excellent with nary a weak performance from the
bunch. And while the show is Sci Fi and the cinematography
is top notch, it is not special effects heavy,
much to its benefit.
The recent DVD release offers the first ten episodes,
all of which are nail-biters. There are only two
special features, which is the first of my complaints
about this set. These two are featurettes on the
visual effects while the other fills us in on
what is in store in the coming episodes. My other
complaint, to be honest, is that they released
this ‘part 1’ set at all. I understand
that the idea is to promote the series and draw
in viewers, but the next release is going to be
a ‘full season’ set. Why have this
one, if you are going to want the next. To make
matters worse, there is an ad right inside the
package as you open it for this next set. Granted,
they do offer a coupon that takes 15.00 off the
next set, but you’ve still plunked down
the cash for this incomplete one. Just kinda frustrating.
My suggestion, as the show is definitely well
worth seeing, is to rent this set and save your
money for the full season set when it is released
down the road.
Starring: Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Sonya Walger,
Brían F. O'Byrne, Courtney B. Vance, Christine
Woods, Jack Davenport, Zachary Knighton, Peyton
List, Dominic Monaghan
Extras: Creating Catastophe – The Effects
of a Global Blackout; FlashForward – A Look
Ahead
Specification: Widescreen (1.78:1); Dolby Digital
5.1
Studio: ABC Studios
Release Date: 2/23/2010
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.flashforward-dvd.com/
We'll give Flash Forward: Season 1 Part 1 a
C+.
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