Disney/Buena Vista | 2010 | 714 mins. | NR
Finales of popular series are often a mixed bag, but ABC’s Lost might have been one of the most scrutinized final seasons in television history. Endlessly scrutinized by fans and critics alike, many wondered whether the sixth season would deliver both answers and a satisfying conclusion. That said, show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had a big task on their hands. After a tremendous season five cliffhanger, fans were more excited to learn what would happen to the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.
During the fourth season,”The Constant,” introduced the element of time travel into the series. From conclusion of the fifth season, the series continued to expand on the concept by sending the survivors through time until they ended up landing in 1974 (or 1977, for those on Ajira 316). More specifically, at the end of the fifth season, the survivors came up with a plan to explode the hydrogen bomb located on the island. The idea being that it might be a way to kick-start a reboot back to Oceanic 815 so they could resume their lives without the island being a part of the equation.
So, with the sixth season, we are introduced to an alternate reality where it appears the flight never crashed. This is not a reboot of the entire premise, but it does give us the opportunity to reexamine the lives of these characters from a completely different perspective. With each ‘flash-sideways story, parallels are drawn from each characters life to their plight on the island. Even in its sixth season, the writers of Lost managed to continue an evolution among the characters that was as interesting as in the
Suffice to say, the main story becomes a fight to the finish between the island’s protectors and the island’s malevolent force of nature. I for one was left with a series of conflicting emotions when the final images hit the screen. While happy to see things wrapped up so neatly, I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that t here was even more we could have learned. I’ve never been to say how people should feel about finales; I’ll leave that up to the individual. However, I will give credit to the Lost crew for clearly trying to create a satisfying experience for all the fans. That counts for something in my book.
Lost looks gorgeous in 1080p, which is the perfect showcase for the Hawaii location, detailed and highly textured sets. The AVC/MPEG-4 transfer is flawless, with superior detail even in dark scenes and a nice sense of 3-dimensionality throughout. It´s not scrubbed-over, either, so DNR is non-existent. You can even see a mild amount of filmic grain in spots. However, the level of detail and edge delineation is breathtaking.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix offers impressive fidelity for a television series. Though not as active as the soundtracks of some action shows, there are plenty of discrete sounds placed around the soundfield through the run of the series, and when the smoke monster makes its way around a scene, the surrounds really show their stuff with impressive, immersive audio quality and a thundering LFE channel that gets a real workout. Michael Giacchino’s entrancing music is wonderfully placed through the soundstage and effectively complements any scene where it appears.
The Blu-ray edition of Lost: The Complete Sixth and Final Season offers a series of special features.
• Audio Commentaries (Discs 1-4): Four commentaries are available on key episodes. Co-creators/executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse carefully dissect both “LA X” and “Across the Sea,” candidly discussing their master-plan for the series, changes and adjustments they made along the way, commenting on the reaction to the finale and other sixth season developments, and making a few jokes at their own expenses. Through it all, they provide a glimpse into the production and don’t pull any punches. Writers/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and actor Michael Emerson deliver an equally interesting commentary on “Dr. Linus,” digging into the character, the performances, and the work that goes into producing an episode of Lost. Writers Melinda Hsu Taylor and Gregory Nations and actor Nestor Carbonell follow suit on “Ab Aeterno,” and try to identify the characteristics and qualities that link the series’ best episodes.
• Lost in 8:15 – A Crash Course (Disc 1, HD, 8 minutes): A, matter-of-fact, rapidfire recap of the series.
• Lost University – Master’s Program (Disc 5): BD-Live features usually don’t usually impress too much, but The Complete Fifth Season’s “Lost University” was great; one that offered access to hours and hours of featurettes, and other goodies. Disney’s “Master’s Program” is set to deliver a similar experience.
• The New Man in Charge (Disc 5, HD, 12 minutes): The one you’ve all been waiting for. The 12-minute Lost epilogue Lindelof, Cuse and the cast have been promoting since the series’ finale divided audiences and left some of us in tears. It features Michael Emerson in character continuing the story of the Hugo/Ben regieme on the island including answering a couple of questions, showing the entire orientation tape for the Hydra Station, and bringing back on the show one character suspiciously missing from the season as a whole.
• Crafting a Final Season (Disc 5, HD, 39 minutes): This excellent, thoroughly engrossing production documentary begins as the finale script is being printed for the cast and crew, and pairs the sometimes emotional shoot that follows with numerous interviews (including some with the creators of other popular series that struggled to deliver a fitting ending to their shows), behind-the-scenes footage and more.
• Lost on Location (Disc 5, HD, 29 minutes): Another round of episode-specific “Making Of” featurettes for “LAX,” “The Substitute,” “Recon,” “Ab Aeterno,” “Happily Ever After,” and “The Candidate.”
• A Hero’s Journey (Disc 5, HD, 9 minutes): A look at the story, characters and evolution of Lost over the course of its six seasons.
• See You in Another Life, Brotha (Disc 5, HD, 9 minutes): Explore the Sideways universe with members of the cast and crew.
• Deleted Scenes and Lost Bloopers (Disc 5, SD/HD, 14 minutes): Nine deleted scenes and four minutes of bloopers round out the package.
• Season Play (All Discs): An exclusive that helps viewers keep track of their progress as they work through the season. Users can even create and save separate profiles.
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