Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: The original The Prisoner
Likes: Ian McKellen
Dislikes: Mystery for mystery's sake, most remakes
Hates: The ending

The Show
I first saw the original The Prisoner as a young boy, watching on a TV in my grandparents' house while on vacation in Florida, and I was immediately hooked. Patrick McGoohan was just about the coolest secret agent ever, as he was smart and bad-ass, and the conspiracy-laden series, with all its psychological intrigue, trippy freak-outs and unique visuals, captured my youthful imagination like little else. 16 episodes of brilliance (one just didn't do it for me) made for an all-time classic that easily stands the test of time.

Despite The Prisoner's timeless nature, there was talk of a feature-film adaptation for some time, and I welcomed it, if only because the more dated elements could be enhanced and updated special effects would be nice to see. But it never happened, and I was content with Mr. McGoohan and his battle for the individual. But then came word that AMC, home to some highly-regarded series (that I don't personally watch,) would be re-imagining The Prisoner. Now, the term re-imagining was a bit worrisome (even if it did mean there was less of a chance you could directly compare the two) but seeing it would star Ian McKellan, my interest level was quite high.

But, I seem to have gotten ahead of myself here, especially for anyone unfamiliar with The Prisoner. In the original British series, a spy resigns from active duty, only to be drugged, kidnapped and taken to The Village, where he is now known as No. 6. The Village is populated by fellow retired spies, who have also become numbers, with No. 2 running the show. No. 6 doesn't want to be in The Village, despite its idyllic nature, and No. 2 has been tasked with finding out why No. 6 resigned. The 17 episodes of the show documented the struggle between the two forces, weaving the themes of conspiracy, paranoia, identity and freedom through the classic tale, which ends without a concrete finish, allowing the viewer to speculate about what happened and what happens next. To this day, it is considered one of the finest examples of dramatic television ever.

So, of course, this re-imagining (or "riff" as the package labels it) was up against the odds in terms of stacking up to its inspiration, and sadly, it fell far short. In this story, No. 6 (James Caviezel) finds himself in The Village, with vague memories of another life, and tries to get answers from the leader, No. 2 (Ian McKellen.) He runs into a stonewall from everyone around, which only makes him more determined to escape The Village. No. 2, though, is equally determined to...do...something. What it is is not revealed until much further into the six-episode run.

And that's part of the problem. Whereas the original series was built on psychological interplay and complex themes, flavored by moments of action, this series gives in to the popular trend of overly-obtuse webs of mysteries, like those seen on Lost or Fringe, without any of the universal ideas about the value of the self seen in McGoohan's version. But with just six episodes, the revelation of all the twists and turns, including the relationship between No. 2 and his son, parallel flashbacks to No. 6's pre-Village life and the true story behind The Village, are compressed tightly, too tightly to make work naturally for the plot, especially with the amount of dialogue the show throws at the viewer. The overly-verbose characters are then butted-up against story told almost entirely via editing and visuals, which kills the pacing.

Even if it was moving at the right pace, the plot holes are ridiculous, a cardinal sin when attempting to create a deep mystery, as everything has to make sense to work at all. Here, you're asked to suspend a large deal of disbelief even to just accept the core concept. To say much about it would be to offer spoilers, but there are some severe issues with how people arrive in the village, and then, why they are there at all? When you finally get to the end, and find out what the whole story is all about, you'll first wonder if perhaps you've traveled back to 1988, and then wonder why you just spent 288 minutes in 1988 watching this show, instead of catching The Last Emperor. In fact, there might be some fun to be had keeping track of how many issues there are with plot continuity. Sci-fi is one thing. Sci-this-just-doesn't-make-sense is just unacceptable.

The thing about this version of The Prisoner that works, other than McKellen's acting, which is as good as ever, is the fact that it is a modernization of the concept (with several nods to the original,) and not just because the plot's been dumbed down. No. 6 is a spy, like McGoohan's character, but only in the way that the word means to watch. Despite his job as an analyst for a large firm, like many in today's society, this No. 6 has no skills or abilities (outside of using a computer) to utilize against his foes, and thus, there's no real competition. In the original, there was a genuine chess match playing out, with both sides scheming to get an upper hand in every episode. Here, it's basically the Village trying to break No. 2, and No. 2 running away or trying to solve the mystery going on around him. He's far too passive a hero to get behind, and with just one bit of bland plot, bolstered by a mess of manufactured confusion, it's difficult to care much at all.

The DVD
The packaging is simple, but very nice here, with the three DVDs packed in a clear, single-width keepcase, with a two-hub tray, a double-sided cover and a four-page insert featuring episode info, a breakdown of the extras and a cast list. For some reason, though, this arrives inside a slipcase that repeats the same front and back cover art. It's not even your usual pointless slipcover, but a relatively sturdy cardboard sleeve. I don't think I'll ever understand most DVD packaging decisions.

The discs themselves offer a choice to play all the episodes, select individual shows or adjust languages (with any extras listed on the episode menu screen.) There are no audio options, while subtitles are available in English SDH and French. There is no closed captioning.

The Quality
After watching the series in high definition, these DVDs come quite close to matching the quality of the visuals, with the anamorphic widescreen transfers boasting impressive color (even if the show's palette is mostly limited due to the design of The Village) and a very high level of fine detail. The special effects used throughout the six episodes look particular nice as well, There are no issues with dirt, damage or digital artifacts.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are solid, but subtle in their use of the surround speakers, as the majority of the dialogue comes from dead center, while the side and rear speakers enhance the score and handle the occasional sound effect. There's nothing noticeably dynamic about the mix, though the placement of the sound effects works well.

The Extras
The first extras, and the biggest as well, are the pair of commentary tracks included, for the first and last episodes of the series. Producer Trevor Hopkins and editor Yan Miles step behind the mics to talk about the show, focusing mainly on the production and summarizing the series, but they don't get too deep into the meat of the series' mysteries. Addressing some of the criticism and answering the questions expressed by viewers would have been the way to go with a show so dense, but without the writer or director, the tracks aren't likely to satisfy viewers who looking for answers or insight. In fact, Gallagher is, for the most part, M.I.A. in these extras, which is a frustrating situation at best.

Also found along with the episodes on the first two discs are deleted and extended scenes, presented in one reel per episode. In total, there are 17 scenes, running approximately 42 minutes in length. Though nothing in the collection truly changes the game, getting more McKellen's always welcome. Also, some context on the scenes, whether by text or voice introduction, would have been nice, as the scenes don't stand on their own.

The third disc holds the remainder of the extras, four featurettes about the series. Up first is the 15:35 "A 6-Hour Film Shot in 92 Days: The Diary of The Prisoner," which covers the production of the show, including the shooting in Africa and the design of the set and costumes, via plenty of on-set footage and interviews with the cast and crew. What isn't covered is the story, which gets the spotlight in the 16:32 "Beautiful Prison: The World of The Prisoner." This is the only place we hear from Gallagher, and there's not much learned from what he says.

Though to you can find it in many places online, here you'll also get an 11:35 clip from the show's Comic-Con panel in 2009, featuring Caviezel, James, Campbell-Bowen, Gallagher and AMC VP of Production Vlad Wolynetz. Free Enterprise director Rob Burnett acts as moderator as they crew talks about what to expect from the then-in-production series, and comparisons to the original show. It feels like some of the funny moments were cut out (probably to fit the show's serious tone) and a lot of the vagaries (due to the need to not provide spoilers) are something of a waste of time, since we now know what happens in the show.

If they weren't looking for any laughs, the final extra makes no sense, as the 4:54 "The Main Behind "2"" is an amusing interview between McKellen and Campbell-Bower. The pair get along well as they chat, keeping things light and friendly.

The Bottom Line
I had high hopes for this new take on The Prisoner, if only because of McKellan's presence, and those hopes certainly didn't result in anything close to the original series, even if that's an impossibly high standard to hold the series to. The DVDs though, look and sound quite impressive, and include a good deal of bonus material, even if it doesn't much help answer questions left behind. If you're a fan of the original, it might be worth a look for contrast and compare purposes (or simply to enjoy McKellen's skill), but if you've never seen The Prisoner, do not watch this before discovering McGoohan's classic.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.