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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Dark Angel-Season 1: Part 2 (2000)
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Dark Angel-Season 1: Part 2 (2000)
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Released 25-Nov-2002
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Details At A Glance
General |
Extras |
Category |
Post Apocalyptic |
Main Menu Introduction Menu Animation & Audio Interviews-Cast & Crew Trailer-James Cameron's Dark Angel Game Trailer
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Rating |
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Year Of Production
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2000
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Running Time |
461:19
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RSDL
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Flipper
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Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3)
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Cast & Crew |
Start Up
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Menu |
Region Coding |
2,4
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Directed By |
James Whitmore Jr. D. J. Caruso Joe Ann Fogle David Nutter
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Studio
Distributor |
Twentieth Century Fox
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Starring |
Jessica Alba Michael Weatherly Alimi Ballard Richard Gunn J.C. MacKenzie Valarie Rae Miller John Savage
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Case |
? |
RPI |
$79.95
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Music |
Joel McNeely
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NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.
Plot Synopsis
This is the second half of the first season of Dark Angel. For the first half of the season, see my earlier review. Dark Angel went through a small re-tooling for the second half of Season 1. The biggest change was the writing out of Max's roommate Kendra (Jennifer Blanc), but both the tone of the series and the visual style shifted subtly. This is also apparent in the video quality which improved somewhat - see the transfer quality section below for more on that. The second half of the first season was the best that Dark Angel ever got. The focus shifted a little bit more towards the characters, and as such, the drama became more human. The second series destroyed this by introducing more non-human characters - but that is another matter. Here we are presented with some very good stand-alone episodes - such as the one that kicks off the set, Art Attack, and the very touching Meow - and the series-long arc comes to a close with some unexpected twists.
Dark Angel was never a brilliant series, but this second half of the first season showed that it at least had the potential to become something more - unfortunately that opportunity was never taken. Even so, it is good to be able to watch these episodes and reflect on James Cameron's brief attempt at television. The episodes in this half of the series are as follows:
- Art Attack (41:33) - Max and Logan find their feelings for each other growing, and when Logan is asked to be his cousin's best man, Max agrees to be his date. Once the wedding is underway however, she finds that not only does she have to keep Logan away from his college ex Daphne, but spend time away from the party to rescue (her boss) Normal from the clutches of an art-loving gangster. This is a good episode to start the second half of the series on, as it is good fun, and manages to weave the twin story lines very well.
- Rising (41:21) - The South African military is after Max for her genetic codes, and they are using implant technology that creates warriors even more powerful than she is - while they last, that is - and they have discovered Original Cindy's connection to Max. Logan, meanwhile, makes a discovery that could change his life.
- The Kidz Are Aiight (42:02) - Max and Logan are close to their first ever real date, but then one of Max's family calls and asks for her help. Never one to turn down an X-5 in need, Max heads off, only to find more trouble than she was bargaining for. Back in the city, Logan's dream is starting to turn sour, but all that is forgotten when Max returns with the news that the location of a number of her fellow escapees has been compromised. This is one of the weaker episodes in the second half of the season, being a little too self-indulgent in the "secret government conspiracy" fashion.
- Female Trouble (42:02) - Max has noticed that Logan has started to act strangely, and on following him learns that he is seeing a former Manticore doctor. However it seems that the Manticore themselves are more annoyed with the doctor than Max, as they have sent an X-5 that didn't escape to finish her off. There is a twist however, as the X-5 has a certain medical condition of her own that the Manticore doctors would be less-than-happy about. This episode seems to have a glaring continuity fault. In previous episodes, it has been established that Logan lives in the top floor penthouse of his building, but this episode has drips from an overflowing basin upstairs falling from the roof. Unless a temporary floor was added for the duration of this episode, this would appear to be an error on the writers' behalf.
- Haven (42:04) - Max and Logan have plans to get away for the weekend, but as always, Logan just has to try and save the world. While initially Max is annoyed, she soon discovers the plight of a local boy is worthy of her attention. The problem is that Max's seizures return just as she is needed most, which leaves it up to Logan to save her and the boy.
- Shorties In Love (42:04) - Original Cindy's first, and only, true love is out of jail, and looking to hook back up with her boo. Although she swears her days of trouble with the law are behind her, she takes an overly attentive interest in Max's after-hours activities. While this episode is notable for featuring the first (and last for Series 1) on-screen kiss between Original Cindy and another woman (bucking the trend of most gay characters that are usually all talk and no action), it is unfortunately quite weak, with one plot point in particular feeling extremely tacked on.
- Pollo Loco (42:03) - Another of the group that Max escaped with - Ben (Jensen Ackles) - has turned up, except it seems that a wire or two may be crossed in his head, as he has decided that it is time to fulfil his role as a genetically engineered killing machine. This is a very good episode, as it explores the notions of faith and destiny, and tries to look to a different possible reaction to the upbringing that the X-5 children had. Based on his performance here, Jensen Ackles was brought back for a regular role in Season 2 (whether or not that was a good decision, at least in terms of acting, is debatable, but nonetheless he's another clean-cut good-looking face for the girls).
- I and I Am A Camera (42:02) - Someone is going around whacking newly-paroled prisoners. At first it looks like the culprit is a strange camera-wearing man who just happens to be able to leap high fences in a single bound and who also just happens to have happy-snaps of Max in action against a group of thugs. But is all as it appears? Logan's theory involves hover-drones, the automated police-controlled patrol machines, and the devices which form the basis of his fortune.
- Hit a Sista Back (42:03) - Max is startled to find the picture of one of the group she escaped with (in fact one recently rescued) painted on her morning milk carton, but is even more startled by the caption "Have You Seen My Mommy". It is all hands on deck as Max attempts to rescue the child from the clutches of Manticore.
- Meow (42:02) - Max is in heat again - and this time she's got it bad. Problem is that in two nights time it's the one year anniversary of the night she broke into Logan's house - their first meeting - and she has to get through an anniversary dinner without doing anything she would regret. But if she doesn't go to the dinner, will she be able to get though the night without doing anything she really regrets? This is probably the best episode in this season, as it allows for very good dramatic development of the Logan and Max storyline, and essentially gets it out of the way for the action-packed season finale.
- ...And Jesus Brought A Casserole (42:03) - This season finale wraps up the series in a very satisfactory fashion. As Manticore has been taken over by the tyrannical Dr. Renfro, and an arrest warrant has been put out for Lydecker, Max and a group of X-5s have the unique opportunity to finish Manticore once and for all - and they mean to grab it with both hands. This episode guest stars - in addition to Nicki Aycox (a talented, charismatic, and frankly drop-dead gorgeous serial TV series guest star) - Joshua Alba, who is (you guessed it) brother to Jessica. The resemblance is striking, and although there is actually around 14 months between the two, they could be twins.
Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.
Transfer Quality
Video
This second half of the series features a marked improvement in video quality. Presumably the reason was a change in film stock, because the results are - with only a few exceptions - like night and day. As with the first half of the season, these episodes are presented at 1.78:1 and are 16x9 enhanced - take note Channel 7, this is how it should be!
The first big improvement in this second half of the season is a marked increase in sharpness. This is noticeable from the very first episode of this half onwards - in fact it takes just the first 1:50 of Art Attack to establish the differences. The other big improvement is that the majority of the heavy grain is gone. There are still a number of instances where it gets quite bad, such as between 38:08 and 38:34 of Hit A Sista Back, but they are far more infrequent in this half of the season. All this is not to say that the gritty nature of the production has been lost - there is still quite a bit of creative use of grain - it is just that it gets out of hand far less frequently. The shadow detail is the same as the first half of the season, being generally very good. There are a few occasions when the darkness of the screen will be virtually impenetrable, but for the most part it is easy to make out action in less well lit scenarios. There is no low level noise.
The colour palette is still rather restricted, displaying mostly shades of grey. When flashes of actual colour are present, they are handled well, without becoming overwhelming.
With the reduction in heavy grain, there has also been a reduction in background pixelization - this time around there is very little to be seen. Fortunately, the increase in clarity has not lead to an increase in aliasing, as there are still only a few instances, with the worst being on the grille work of the research chamber from 41:11 to 41:15 in Hit A Sista Back. Film artefacts are still infrequent and small, although there are some, such as at 6:59 of Rising that are a little more noticeable. Overall, however, they are not a real problem.
The subtitles have all the same pluses and minuses as the first half of the season - they are generally accurate, but do tend to abbreviate on a frequent basis, sometimes to the detriment of the dialogue's intent, and they are not particularly easy to follow due to the style of language spoken by the characters.
Once again, these are all Dual Layered discs, with two episodes on each layer, apart from disc three that has two episodes on one layer, and one episode with the extras on the other.
Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall | |
Audio
The audio quality for the second half of season one is equivalent to the first, being of a high quality, especially for a television series. The episodes contain two audio tracks, being the original English dialogue and a French dub, both in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround (at 192 Kbps).
Dialogue is generally clear, although once again, the language used and the way it is spoken (especially by the character Herbal Thought) is often not easy to understand - although the intent of the dialogue is usually easy enough to pick up. There are a few problems, such as at 9:56 and 11:28 of Hit A Sista Back, where the dialogue sounds distant, as if the microphones were having pick up problems, but these are infrequent, and not too much of a distraction.
Audio sync is never a problem, and the dubbing mixer must have learned from experience, as even looped dialogue is not a problem in this half of the season.
Unfortunately, that hideous theme music by Chuck D. and Gary G-Wiz (honestly, it would have been better to use a Muzak version of the Macarena than the horrible mess of noise that is the Dark Angel theme) is still here, although the scoring abilities of composer Joel McNeely seem to have picked up. This half of the series sees the score music more commonly match the on-screen action for tone and effect. A much more satisfying effort.
The surround channels are used quite well, carrying both ambient sound, and on occasion, true surround sound effects. It is not unimpressive when the sounds of a gun-battle are coming from all around while watching a TV series.
The subwoofer keeps going at its usual pace, keeping the score pumping along and making various effects noises all the more impressive - it can be a little surprising when the subwoofer track of a TV series rattles a window.
Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall | |
Extras
Lo and behold! This half of the season features some extras! Are they interesting? A little. Are they in depth and engaging? Absolutely not. Oh well, maybe next time. Menu
The menu is once again static with animated intro and transitions, themed around the show, 16x9 enhanced, and replete with Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio (that just loops the wonderful theme music over, and over, and over...). Q&A On The Set With:
There are four "on the set" interviews as follows: - James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee (6:05)
- Jessica Alba (3:54)
- Michael Weatherly (3:11)
- John Savage (0:40)
All interviews are presented at 1.33:1, are not 16x9 enhanced, and feature Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio. While they are of mild interest, the loose editing, and short length removes any real value they may have had. Probably the most interesting aspect of the interviews is that for once Jessica Alba - when not affecting the Max attitude - actually sounds her age. James Cameron's Dark Angel Game Trailer (1:26)
This is the trailer for the computer game based on the TV series - given that the series is set in the type of world that computer games have been using for years, it should fit in quite well. Presented at 1.33:1, not 16x9 enhanced, and featuring Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio.
R4 vs R1
NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible.
As is typically the case with recent TV series, syndication issues have prevented Dark Angel's release in the US. There is a continental European version available that appears to be the same as ours, as well as a version of the pilot available in Japan. It would seem, however, that we are the first English-speaking country to get Dark Angel on disc.
Summary
This second half of the first season of Dark Angel is better than the first, presenting some strong individual episodes, as well as bringing together a large and complicated season-long story arc. This is as good as Dark Angel ever got. The video quality is much improved over the first half of the season, and is now a pleasure to watch.
The audio quality is also very good, and as a bonus the score work has improved. Unfortunately, the original theme music is still being used.
The extras are limited in both quantity and quality. One must wonder why they even bothered.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall | |
© Nick Jardine (My bio, it's short - read it anyway)
Monday, December 09, 2002
Review Equipment |
DVD | Pioneer DV-535, using Component output |
Display | Loewe Xelos 5381ZW.
Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
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Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver.
Calibrated with Video Essentials.
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Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS787, THX Select |
Speakers | All matching Vifa Drivers: centre 2x6.5" + 1" tweeter (d'appolito); fronts and rears 6.5" + 1" tweeter; centre rear 5" + 1" tweeter; sub 10" (150WRMS) |
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