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Andromeda 1.1
ADV Films // Unrated // July 30, 2002
List Price: $39.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The long night has fallen. Crippled by its own complacency, and betrayed by the warlike Nietzcheans, the galaxy-spanning Systems Commonwealth has crumbled. One man, however, has vowed to set things straight: Captain Dylan Hunt (Kevin Sorbo), commander of the High Guard starship Andromeda Ascendant, believes that he can lead the way to a new Commonwealth of peace and freedom for all. Such is the premise of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, which follows the adventures of Hunt, the Andromeda, and its unlikely crew as they grudgingly work together to follow Hunt's dream.
To title a new science fiction show "Gene Roddenberry's" Andromeda is to grip a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it attracts attention to the new show, given that it was created by the man who invented Star Trek. On the other hand, it also explicitly invites comparison with Roddenberry's earlier work, which is a hard load to bear when that earlier work is Star Trek. In the opening episodes, Andromeda has a feeling of being Star Trek's gangly younger sibling, wearing hand-me-downs while defiantly adding a few touches of individual style to assert its own identity. Star Trek does indeed cast a giant shadow over television science fiction, which makes it tough for a show that is working with some of the same basic parameters. Whereas Babylon 5, for instance, escapes comparison by very evidently going in a different direction from Star Trek, Andromeda diverges less evidently, and is thus bound to be received critically.
Fortunately, despite its inherited baggage, Andromeda does manage to hold its own as an entertaining show. The DVD set of Andromeda 1.1 only contains five episodes, which makes it hard to judge the overall trend of the series, but it appears promising. It's entertaining "space opera": a heroic captain, a universe in chaos, an against-all-odds quest, a misfit crew, a sentient starship. Andromeda is distinctly more action-oriented than many of the other science fiction shows I've enjoyed; this, along with the generally youthful cast, suggests that it's intended to draw in a teenaged audience.
Modern science fiction shows like Andromeda have one thing on their side that their predecessors didn't: readily accessible, top-notch computer graphics capability. There are CGI shots galore: the Andromeda and other ships and stations, "slipstream" effects as the ship travels faster than light, snazzy-looking suns and black holes, and so on. The computer-generated visual effects are excellent, and certainly help to create a flavor of movie-level rather than television-level entertainment. The alien characters don't quite match the CGI effects in quality, though. The Magog are reasonably creepy-looking, but I can't quite maintain my suspension of disbelief for Trance's very fake-looking tail.
Plot-wise, I was a bit unsure at first about where Andromeda was intending to go. Based on the first two episodes, it felt like a large chunk of the backstory was missing, and that the story was trying to move onward based on a lot of assumptions. After watching the remaining episodes in the 1.1 set, though, it looks like some of those unanswered questions may just be on hold, to be answered bit by bit as the series develops. The individual episodes, while being self-contained, also advance the overall storyline to at least some degree. For instance, "To Loose the Fateful Lightning" sketches in a few details about what's going on in the galaxy since the fall of the Commonwealth, and has the character of Dylan Hunt taking a first step toward reaching his goal of restoring the Commonwealth; "D Minus Zero" doesn't advance the outward storyline much, but it develops the relationships among the crew members on the Andromeda.
Video
Andromeda is presented in an outstanding anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer. The only visual problems as far as I can see are a touch of noise present in the image, and an occasional slight wavering in some of the straight lines in the picture. Apart from that, it looks great. It's not a particularly colorful show, as much of the action takes place on the metallic-toned starship Andromeda, but the colors that do appear, such as Trance's purple skin or the colored accents on clothing, are bright and good-looking, and skin tones are natural. Contrast is excellent as well. The computer graphics are extremely well done, and blend perfectly with the live-action scenes.
Audio
Andromeda's soundtrack is Dolby 2.0, so it doesn't have the surround capability to really take advantage of some of its laser-blasting, spaceship-hopping action. The general clarity of the track pushes it a notch above average, but it's nothing to write home about.
Extras
The two-disc set contains only five episodes, which seems to me to be a fairly skimpy number to include on a fat double-DVD case. It looks like the season is slated to be released on multiple discs, which is not bad for casual viewers but a nuisance for fans who intend to pick up the entire series.
The animated menus are just on the "usable" side of being overly fancy. Oddly, while the episodes do have chapters, it doesn't seem possible to access on-screen information about the current chapter number and length of time remaining.
Both discs contain some special features, the most notable being a commentary track for the premiere episode, "Under the Night." Apart from that, there are two section of alternate takes, deleted scenes, and bloopers, which are presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with a miscellany of production and story materials: an image gallery, character profiles, behind-the-scenes information, concept drawings, information on the High Guard and the Commonwealth, producer/writer biographies, TV spots, and previews. Fans of the show will find the selection of special features to be enjoyable to browse through.
Final thoughts
Andromeda doesn't rise to the level of my favorite science fiction shows, but it's entertaining space opera. I'd say that most fans of the science fiction genre will find Andromeda enjoyable; especially given the excellent anamorphic widescreen presentation on DVD, I know that I'll be on the lookout for future releases.
To title a new science fiction show "Gene Roddenberry's" Andromeda is to grip a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it attracts attention to the new show, given that it was created by the man who invented Star Trek. On the other hand, it also explicitly invites comparison with Roddenberry's earlier work, which is a hard load to bear when that earlier work is Star Trek. In the opening episodes, Andromeda has a feeling of being Star Trek's gangly younger sibling, wearing hand-me-downs while defiantly adding a few touches of individual style to assert its own identity. Star Trek does indeed cast a giant shadow over television science fiction, which makes it tough for a show that is working with some of the same basic parameters. Whereas Babylon 5, for instance, escapes comparison by very evidently going in a different direction from Star Trek, Andromeda diverges less evidently, and is thus bound to be received critically.
Fortunately, despite its inherited baggage, Andromeda does manage to hold its own as an entertaining show. The DVD set of Andromeda 1.1 only contains five episodes, which makes it hard to judge the overall trend of the series, but it appears promising. It's entertaining "space opera": a heroic captain, a universe in chaos, an against-all-odds quest, a misfit crew, a sentient starship. Andromeda is distinctly more action-oriented than many of the other science fiction shows I've enjoyed; this, along with the generally youthful cast, suggests that it's intended to draw in a teenaged audience.
Modern science fiction shows like Andromeda have one thing on their side that their predecessors didn't: readily accessible, top-notch computer graphics capability. There are CGI shots galore: the Andromeda and other ships and stations, "slipstream" effects as the ship travels faster than light, snazzy-looking suns and black holes, and so on. The computer-generated visual effects are excellent, and certainly help to create a flavor of movie-level rather than television-level entertainment. The alien characters don't quite match the CGI effects in quality, though. The Magog are reasonably creepy-looking, but I can't quite maintain my suspension of disbelief for Trance's very fake-looking tail.
Plot-wise, I was a bit unsure at first about where Andromeda was intending to go. Based on the first two episodes, it felt like a large chunk of the backstory was missing, and that the story was trying to move onward based on a lot of assumptions. After watching the remaining episodes in the 1.1 set, though, it looks like some of those unanswered questions may just be on hold, to be answered bit by bit as the series develops. The individual episodes, while being self-contained, also advance the overall storyline to at least some degree. For instance, "To Loose the Fateful Lightning" sketches in a few details about what's going on in the galaxy since the fall of the Commonwealth, and has the character of Dylan Hunt taking a first step toward reaching his goal of restoring the Commonwealth; "D Minus Zero" doesn't advance the outward storyline much, but it develops the relationships among the crew members on the Andromeda.
Video
Andromeda is presented in an outstanding anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer. The only visual problems as far as I can see are a touch of noise present in the image, and an occasional slight wavering in some of the straight lines in the picture. Apart from that, it looks great. It's not a particularly colorful show, as much of the action takes place on the metallic-toned starship Andromeda, but the colors that do appear, such as Trance's purple skin or the colored accents on clothing, are bright and good-looking, and skin tones are natural. Contrast is excellent as well. The computer graphics are extremely well done, and blend perfectly with the live-action scenes.
Audio
Andromeda's soundtrack is Dolby 2.0, so it doesn't have the surround capability to really take advantage of some of its laser-blasting, spaceship-hopping action. The general clarity of the track pushes it a notch above average, but it's nothing to write home about.
Extras
The two-disc set contains only five episodes, which seems to me to be a fairly skimpy number to include on a fat double-DVD case. It looks like the season is slated to be released on multiple discs, which is not bad for casual viewers but a nuisance for fans who intend to pick up the entire series.
The animated menus are just on the "usable" side of being overly fancy. Oddly, while the episodes do have chapters, it doesn't seem possible to access on-screen information about the current chapter number and length of time remaining.
Both discs contain some special features, the most notable being a commentary track for the premiere episode, "Under the Night." Apart from that, there are two section of alternate takes, deleted scenes, and bloopers, which are presented in anamorphic widescreen, along with a miscellany of production and story materials: an image gallery, character profiles, behind-the-scenes information, concept drawings, information on the High Guard and the Commonwealth, producer/writer biographies, TV spots, and previews. Fans of the show will find the selection of special features to be enjoyable to browse through.
Final thoughts
Andromeda doesn't rise to the level of my favorite science fiction shows, but it's entertaining space opera. I'd say that most fans of the science fiction genre will find Andromeda enjoyable; especially given the excellent anamorphic widescreen presentation on DVD, I know that I'll be on the lookout for future releases.
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