I've got to admit that I've never seen an episode of Lost until
now. When the series first premiered in the fall of 2004, I originally shrugged
it off as being a fictionalized version of the reality show Survivor (admittedly
without even having seen an episode). However, by the time I realized that Lost was a
completely different (and far better) beast than Survivor, it was more than
halfway through its first season. I felt I had missed too many episodes to get
properly caught up, and since it was co-created by J.J. Abrams, the mastermind
behind Alias with its Byzantine plotlines, I figured it would be better to wait
until Lost came out on DVD sooner or later. That DVD release came a lot
sooner, about two weeks before the show's second season premiere, and now I'm
glad I waited. Because not only does Lost truly live up to the hype generated
about it in the media and awards shows (it won an Emmy for Best Dramatic Series),
but it's a splendid story to watch unfold on DVD.
On an uncharted island in the Pacific, a group of plane crash survivors stumble
out of the wreckage of their airliner. One man, Jack Shepard (earnestly
played by Matthew Fox), very quickly
becomes the leader of the group when he efficiently puts his skills as a doctor to use on
the more severely injured of the passengers. Out of the turmoil of the crash
emerge a group of just 48 survivors. And before they can even get their bearings,
they hear an eerie howling sound from within the darkness of the jungle: a strange,
monstrous creature is stalking the interior of the island, knocking down trees
in its path and mauling the pilot of the airplane to death. Another sign that
things are really off-kilter here is the presence of polar bears on the island,
along with the voice of a mysterious Frenchwoman on an automated distress call
that has been running for 16 years. The survivors soon learn that
there is another presence on the island with them, a sinister force that means
them harm. And it's this touch of the blended genres of horror and science
fiction that separates Lost from being a fictionalized Survivor clone.
That,
and the fact that the storytelling is absorbing from the very first frame of the
pilot. You're easily drawn into the survivors' exploits on this inexplicable
island, which grows even stranger day after day. Lost is a genuinely riveting,
enthralling adventure with realistic characters that you care about. Watching
each episode, one after another on the DVD set, the viewer gets the
sense of a larger, epic story that is slowly being built. John Locke
(well-played by Terry O'Quinn), the great white hunter of the group who
describes himself as a man of faith, firmly believes that the survivors were all
placed here for a reason. And that reason is to take part in a battle between
good and evil. Watching this extremely sympathetic group of people deal with this
epic battle against mysterious and unknown forces--right along with the day to
day struggle for survival in the primal jungles--is what makes Lost so much fun
to watch.
In addtion to the superb writing, the cast of Lost is another reason why the
show is so good. Matthew Fox is excellent as the sturdy, dependable Jack, who
assumes command of the survivors without a trait of arrogance; Evangeline Lilly
is equally good as the complex Kate Austen, a woman who was a
fugitive from justice before she came to the island; Dominic Monaghan, known to
many as the Hobbit Merry in the Lord Of The Rings films, is great as the
likeable Charlie, and Terry O'Quinn is marvelous as Locke, who is one of the more
fascinating characters on the show. Jorge Garcia has rightly become an audience
favorite as the good-natured Hurley. And Naveen Andrews is terrific as Sayid,
the former Iraqi soldier with a conscience. Also superb in their roles are Josh
Holloway as Sawyer, the con man whom everybody loves to hate; Harold Perrineau
as Michael, who is going through the awkward stages of learning to be a father
to his ten year old son Walt (Malcom David Kelly); Maggie Grace as the spoiled
Shannon, and Daniel Dae Kim & Yunjin Kim as the Korean couple Jin and his wife Sun.
Of all the episodes, standouts include the pilot, which detail the first frantic
days on the island after the crash; "Walkabout", a show that focuses
on John Locke; "Solitary", where the mysterious Frenchwoman heard in the distress
signal is finally revealed; "Whatever The Case May Be" shows Kate taking an
interest in Sawyer, as well as in a suitcase from the plane they found. And "Exodus
Parts One & Two" both serve as a satisfying season finale.
The DVD is loaded with extras, including audio commentaries on the pilot
episode, as well as the episodes "Walkabout", "Hearts and Minds" and "Moth". There's a
seventh disc that is devoted to special features concerning the making of the
series. This is split up into three sections: "Departure", which deals with the
creation of the show before the filming began, and the making of the pilot;
"Tales From The Island", which deals with the day to day production of the series
on Hawaii, and "Lost Revealed" which contains deleted scenes, bloopers, and an
excerpt from a salute to Lost Q & A session held at the Museum Of Television &
Radio. The entire "Lost" experience, from the gleam in its creators' eyes to the
TV phenomenon that it has become, is chronicled in detail in the special features.
The special features are the icing on the cake in this magnificent DVD set, which, with its
many treasures to explore, will have the viewer "Lost" for hours.
--SF
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