Posted: 07/31/2011

Stargate Atlantis: Complete Series Gift Set

(2004-2009)

by Ruben R. Rosario

MGM scores a home run with their Blu-ray edition of Stargate Atlantis: Complete Series Gift Set. The set contains all five seasons of Stargate Atlantis, presented in glorious HD and loaded with tons of special features. The show is a spin-off of Stargate SG-1 (which is itself a spin off from the 1994 film, Stargate) that takes place right after the conclusion of Stargate SG-1.

Stargate Atlantis focuses on the titular crew led by Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, along with various other crews that venture through the Stargate and end up in the lost city of Atlantis. They make the city their home base as they travel through the Pegasus galaxy, meet new alien races, and do the best they can to defend themselves against the most evil alien race in the universe, The Wraith.

Stargate Atlantis is presented in a full 1080p/AVC encoded video track that makes the series look amazing on Blu-ray. Rich color schemes, set pieces, and action sequences make the series shine. The only real issue is the familiar problem of original visual effects, having been created with less advanced technology, showing up in a lower quality resolution than the actual HD video resolution of the rest of the series.

The audio track for Stargate Atlantis is presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that does a solid job for a television show. The mix is presented very well with crisp clear dialog, awesome surround elements, and great low-end presentation. The surround and sub woofer channels really shine during battles sequences and great SFX shots. The score does a really great job at conveying emotion and tension when necessary throughout all five seasons of Stargate Atlantis.

The extra features for the Stargate Atlantis: Complete Series Gift Set are just hands down amazing. There are 88 episode commentaries, tons of interviews, and behind-the-scenes for all five seasons. There’s enough material here to keep you up for days and enough to satisfy any Stargate Atlantis fan for a very long time. All of the videos for the extras are presented in standard definition, which also includes all of the deleted scenes, even though they were shot in HD as well.

Overall, theStargate Atlantis Complete Series Gift Set is a must-have for Stargate fans. The presentation, packaging, and supplements are the best that money can buy. While casual fans might be intimidated by the sheer volume of things on this set, it’s by far the best presentation of Stargate Atlantis.

For a show that was canceled in its prime, it’s great to see such a great representative of sci-fi TV done right receiving the recognition and the treatment that it deserves.

Ruben R. Rosario is a graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Audio for Visual Media. He works as a freelance location sound mixer, boom operator, sound designer, and writer in his native Chicago. He’s an avid collector of films, comics, and anime.

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