Farscape 1.3 [1999]

Amazon.co.uk Review

An international co-production of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Australia's Channel 9 and Hallmark Entertainment, Farscape is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of Babylon 5 and the continuing success of the Star Trek franchise. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics and state-of-the-art puppetry, Farscape takes a visual leap beyond previous shows. Admittedly, the basic premise may be borrowed from Buck Rogers (American astronaut catapulted to far-flung galaxy populated by strange aliens), while the crew have something of Blake's 7 about them (a motley bunch of escaped convicts pursued by a relentless foe), and ideas such as the living ship are borrowed from Babylon 5, but the Farscape concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. The production design is all bio-mechanical curves and the script never takes itself too seriously (fart jokes and double-entendres pop up when you least expect them). It must have been expensive to make, but it certainly looks (and sounds-in Dolby Digital 5.1) as if every penny made it to the screen. In true Buck Rogers style, Ben Browder plays leading man John Crichton as an all-American astronaut, although with a more believable sense of bewilderment; the supporting cast is a mixture of Australian and British actors, mostly disguised under heavy make-up.

There are five more episodes from Season One on this third DVD box set. "They've Got a Secret" has D'Argo being accidentally ejected into space, as a result of which, secrets of his imprisonment are revealed. "Till the Blood Runs Clear" finds Crichton and Aeryn confronting bounty-hunters. In "The Flax", the crew get all tangled up with some Zenetan pirates. Blue-skinned Delvian priestess Zhaan meets more of her kind in "Rhapsody in Blue", but madness is the result. Finally, "Jeremiah Crichton" finds our human hero stranded on an earthly paradise where no machines will function; falling in love is just the beginning of his troubles.

On the DVD: Special features here are a gallery of conceptual art and another star profile, this time of Anthony Simcoe's Luxan warrior character, D'Argo. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

Makes Americans willing to pay large shipping fees.......2000-10-12

Farscape is such an unbelievably good show that it makes me (a stingy American) willing to go to a UK site and pay the overseas shipping to catch the eps I missed in season 1. If you like sci fi, this will instantly captivate you.

Great show - but these episodes do it no justice.......2000-07-20

Since airing on BBC2 this australian/british production really grabs the attention with its effects and serialisation. You learn a little more about the characters as each episode unfolds. These are more orientated towards characterisation than action - especially 'Jeremiah', but you really do grow to relate to these characters!

Average customer rating:

Farscape - need you say anymore, no but you want to.

Farscape 3.1 [1999]
Director: Tony Tilse , Ian Watson (II) , and Geoff Bennett (II)
Manufacturer: Contender Entertainment Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005Y436
Release Date: 2002-03-18

Amazon.co.uk Review

It's clear from the opening episodes of its third season that Farscape has developed into a grown-up show. There's a new self-confidence and maturity here that's entirely welcome after the often wildly erratic tone of the second season. The production design and high-quality effects remain true to the show's original quirky style, although both the look and the more adult-themed scripts have become progressively darker. It's also clear that anyone who has not followed Farscape extremely closely from the very first episode of Season One will be utterly baffled by the convoluted plotting and complex character interactions. This is not the best place to begin your interstellar journey.

All the principal actors know their characters inside and out by now, and delight in showing off their many weaknesses and flaws. Refreshingly, the crew of Moya are a squabbling, bickering, selfish bunch most of the time, who somehow and against expectations manage to pull together (just) at the crucial moment. The writing has matured, too, remaining as witty as ever but equally unafraid to push both genre and censorship boundaries as villains bloodily torture their victims (usually Crichton) and the main characters become more and more obsessed with their sex lives (or lack thereof). Farscape is a whole galaxy away from the clean, cosy world of Star Trek.

On the DVD: with a number of key personnel changes on the horizon, these first five episodes are evidence that Farscape knows where it's going even as it delights in keeping the audience guessing. Will Aeryn survive? If so, at what cost to her crewmates? What will D'Argo do when he discovers that Chiana and his son are having an affair? Can Zhaan really be dying? Just who is Neeyala? And can Crichton keep one step ahead of S&M fetishist Scorpius, various Skarrans and sundry other bloodthirsty aliens all intent upon getting into his mind, sometimes literally?

Aware that no one is going to be able to start Season Three without knowing a lot of background, sensibly the main extra is a 45-minute "Farscape Undressed" documentary, hosted by Ben Browder and Claudia Black, which introduces all the key characters and themes of the show and sets up the backstory for the new season. There are "Info Pods" on Aeryn (with interview) and Zhaan, an interview with new series composer Guy Gross, some text trivia pieces, plus a gallery. There's also a bonus sampler disc of the pilot episode, though if you really want to keep up you'd better start but not stop there. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

Farscape - need you say anymore, no but you want to........2002-01-29

I watched Farscape since Series 1, the first thing I thought was that it would be another sci-fi series to watch, as time went by it got better and better, hard to believe, the stories were mostly fresh and the effects left no concern about a sudden drop in quality, infact Farscape has always managed to convey it's aliens in a way you would think it was acceptable.

Series 3 was truly impressive, many plots and sub plots would leave many confused but Farscape always made it clear and wanting more, I remember the long time of waiting between series 2 and 3, I just hope they can keep on going.
Series 3 has many silly scenes that take place in Crichtons mind, the most memorable is the animated one that felt a bit off it usual high standards, but very enjoyable.
The Series is a Cult success and it's easy to see why, the start of Series 3 is everything you can hope for and more.

One last point to make out is the cost, I remember being put off by it, especially when it was TV first, but the extras you get are worth it, the deleted scenes make an episode fresh, but most of all there uncut, allowing for full enjoyment.

Amazon.co.uk Review

It's clear from the opening episodes of its third season that Farscape has developed into a grown-up show. There's a new self-confidence and a new maturity here that's entirely welcome after the often wildly erratic tone of the second season. The production design and high-quality effects remain true to the show's original quirky style, although both the look and the more adult-themed scripts have become progressively darker. It's also clear that anyone who has not followed Farscape extremely closely from the very first episode of Season One will be utterly baffled by the convoluted plotting and complex character interactions. Farscape is a whole galaxy away from the clean, cosy world of Star Trek.

On the DVD: Farscape's third season is being released as both standard two-disc sets and strictly limited deluxe editions: the latter are handsomely packaged with a variety of collectable extras, in this case a Farscape watch, limited edition prints and a photo album. The discs are the same as the standard Volume 3.1. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews:

The best thing since Aeryn's leather pants!.......2002-03-24

Fabulous from start to finish. 5 episodes of televisual brilliance, which like any product of ingenius minds does have its weaker moments, yet these rare blips are overshadowed totally by the fabulous plot, excellent acting and clever direction. Questions posed by the season 2 finale 'Die Me Dichotomy' are answered but in a completely original, uniquely Farscape way.

Contender Entertainment have done a good job with this DVD, improving on the previous format of the season 1 & 2 Farscape DVDs. The introduction and menu footage comprises entirely season 3 footage; the menus are easier to navigate & have a new look and most importantly the extras are much improved and more numerous.
I really enjoyed the Claudia Black and Guy Gross 'talking head' interviews and the 'Farscape Undressed' feature was good fun, making this much better than the mediocre extras of previous Farscape DVDs.

One of the best aspect of these DVDs is they are uncut, meaning you get to see all the risque bits the BBC rather savagely cut for the 6.45 pm time slot. Nothing scandalous or gratuitous - lots of swearing from Rygel, the uncovering of slightly more flesh and a bit more innuendo is as strong as it gets.

The deluxe set is a novel idea, coming in a very stylish, although slightly bulky, black box, along with a folder to hold the excellent lithograph prints of the original concept art.

You must buy this now, though whether you choose the standard or deluxe set is dependent on your level of fanaticism for this show. Whichever you choose, it will be money very well spent.

Season 3 just gets better and better..........2002-01-19

With the end of season two giving such a powerful cliff-hanger, you feel the need to see how Season 3 starts just to know what happens to the crew of Moya.

Season three starts with a bang and just gets better and better. I'm not going to spoil the surprise - buy the videos or DVD's and see for yourself...

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