Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fifth Season

With the Wraith at each others throats, Michael and his hybrids looking to exact revenge on Atlantis, and a secret plot to bust the Atlantis team for war crimes its safe to say that season five, the last, is a busy one. Fans are on the fence about the decision to cancel the show and talks of a Stargate Atlantis movie seem only to be thwarted by the naysayer’s who wish one of their favorite shows could have gone on instead of being cancelled, despite good ratings, for the new installment of the franchise, Stargate Universe. So what do I think about the final season package?

My skepticism reigned at the start of Stargate Atlantis seeing as how I was still suffering night terrors from the abundance of CSI and Law &Order spin-off’s and chalked this show up to a sci-fi version of that ideology. I caught the show here and there but never really committed. I didn’t feel lost here in season five though, especially after seeing the episode titled Inquisition which was a rehash of the Atlantis show past and present, for the most part. It took awhile to get used to the characters, especially since in the first few episodes they came off as clichéd  hero types. Eventually they grow on you but you’ve got to ride it out. Having familiar faces show up like Jewel Staite (Firefly) and Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1) does help.

Continuity was a factor that will prove hit or miss with first time viewers and even some regulars. The show has a theme that it sticks to but every now and then you’ll get deviate episodes that seemingly have plot lines that come out of nowhere and do not mesh well with the flow of the season. Not a total deal breaker as most of the episodes in this season tend to be well pieced together with decent writing and a constant state of suspense. As far as the extended episodes in this package, as I stated before, I caught the show here and there and by season five hardly at all, but on-line consensus seems to point to a lack of enthusiasm at how long the episodes have been extended, between 2-5 minutes from what I’ve read. So does everything get tied up by the end here? For the most part yes. Slowly but inevitably characters move on and are replaced smoothly and the season ends satisfyingly enough that you can choose to see the much talked about Atlantis film or simply write it off. Depending on how passionate you are about the show by the end will tell you where you stand. Personally I could take it or leave it but am not at all dissapointed by the time invested.

Bonus features abound here. Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentary By  Directors, Producers, and Stars/Exclusive Mission Directive Featurettes/Photo & Design Gallery plus more. 
 

TV On DVD Images

Cover: 

sa.jpg [15]

Pictures: 

sab.jpg [16]