DVD Corner

Lost Season 6 Blu-ray Review

“Lost” goes out with a whimper in its sixth and final season.

In the final 16 episodes, Losties are faced with two timelines. In one apparently alternate timeline (which we first presume is 2004) we see what most of the characters are doing in a timeline in which the Oceanic plane never crashed. Did the explosion of the bomb create this timeline? Why do the characters keep having visions of the island? Why do the characters keep running into one another? That’s part of the mystery.

In the current 2007 timeline, Locke (who we now know is the Smoke Monster) wants to go home and destroy the island. Of course, Jack and company are trying to stop him from achieving his goals. Who will side wih Jack and who will side with Smokey? Who will become the Island protector? Who will live? Who will die? Who will go home? That’s the other part of the mystery.

I’m not going to get into spoilers here. Instead, I am just going to reveal my opinion of the season. As you may know by now, the ending of “Lost” has had decidedly split reactions. Some fans love it, some fans despise it. Unfortunately, I have to side with the latter camp. Personally, I feel that “Lost” took the easy way out with a cop out ending. Instead of addressing storylines and answering questions that fans have been dying to know about for the past five seasons, the writers instead introduce what is now known as a “flash-sideways” universe. I’m not going to get into what occurs in this universe, but suffice to say, it was a poor, cheap, corny last season add on that distracted from the real storylines.

Another huge issue I had with this season were some of the answers that were revealed. Case in point- the reveals in the laughably bad Jacob and Man In Black past centric episode titled “Across The Sea.” The information we got about the island was just unbelievably cheesy. Any other explanation would have been more satisfactory than what we actually got.

Arguably the biggest letdown in this final season is that so many storylines went nowhere or were rather meaningless in the grand scheme of things. The temple, Widmore, Ilana, and certain character deaths feel like a pointless waste of time which is a shame because there was clearly poetnial there.

Severe flaws aside, not everything is a waste here. There are several good character centric episodes such as the Richard heavy “Ab Aeterno” and the Ben centric “Dr. Linus.” The best moments, however, are clearly character moments involving Jack’s redemption, Hurley finally having a purpose other than comedic relief, and Terry O’Quinn acting his heart out in multiple roles.

Summary: For the most part, I enjoyed the first 5 seasons of “Lost” but this final season was a bust.

Video/Audio:

As with the past 5 seasons, the colors are as sharp as can be here in 1.78:1 1080p. The jungle, the water, the skin tones all look crystal clear.

From Michael Giacchino’s great score to the sound f/x, this is a great 5.1 DTS-HD audio track through and through.

Extras:
* “The New Man In Charge”- This is far and away the best extra on this set. It’s a 12 minute epilogue of sorts that focuses primarily on Ben and Hurley and a former castaway whom I won’t reveal for spoilers sake. Opinions have been split on this little mini-episode, but personally, I found it more satisfying than most of the sixth season. For one, there were several major answers here. Yes, some of the reveals were underwhelming, but “Lost” proved in the last season that explanations were not the show’s strong suit. As a whole though, I think many fans will be pleased by this.
* The final edition of the BD-Live extra “Lost University” titled “Master’s Program.”
* $10 off Disney TV DVD coupon.
* “Lost In 8:15”- The show is summarized in 8 minutes and 15 seconds.
* Commentary on “LAX” by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Strictly for Losties wanting to hear what the showrunners have to say.
* Commentary on “Dr. Linus” by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Michael Emerson. Kitsis and Horowitz drone on, but Emerson is fun to listen to.  
* Commentary on “Ab Aeterno” by Nestor Carbonell, Melinda Hsu Taylor and Greggory Nations. Some decent chatter about the script and characters here.
* Commentary on “Across The Sea” by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. No amount of commentary can make this episode “good.” 

* 4 minutes of Lost bloopers.

* 9 deleted scenes.
* 6 “Lost On Location” segments that show off behind-the-scenes footage of shooting at certain locations.
* “See You In Another Life, Brotha”- A featurette on the flash-sideways universe.
* “A Hero’s Journey”- A featurette about the heroic characters journeys on “Lost.”

* “Crafting A Final Season”- A featurette about ending the show, the final episode, etc. Interviews with the cast and crew are included.

September 20, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Ben Linus, John Locke, Lost Season 6 Blu-ray Review, Terry O'Quinn