ADV Films presents

Farscape #2 (2000)

Aeryn Sun: Ship's beetles don't clog exhaust vents!
John Crichton: They might if they're 2 feet long!- Claudia Black, Ben Browder

Stars: Ben Browder, Claudia Black
Other Stars: Anthony Simcoe, Virginia Hey
Director: Brian Henson, Pino Amenta

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (mild violence)
Run Time: 01h:39m:12s
Release Date: 2001-03-20
Genre: sci-fi

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
A	A-	A	A	A-

 

DVD Review

The adventurous sci-fi series Farscape continues here in volume 2. Astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) continues to search for a way back to Earth, while all the while getting more used to his surroundings on the living spacecraft, Moya. Episodes 3 and 4 are presented on this disc.

In Exodus From Genesis, Moya finds herself surround by some kind of strange space cloud. Though no one pays much attention to it, it turns out that the cloud is a swarm of space bugs who beging to infest the ship and block the ventilation. Aeryn Sun, being a Sebacian alien, is extremely weak against heat and the rising temperature begins to cause her delerium. The crew of Moya must race to solve the problem of the infestation before Aeryn's brain succumbs to the heat.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Moyas




In Throne For A Loss, Rygel decides to set up a trade with a roaming Tavlek ship. Unfortunately, when the Tavleks show up, they're crazed by having taken a bizarre, adrenaline-inducing drug. They decide to kidnap Rygel, assuming that he's worth something being royalty. John, D'Argo, and Aeryn must launch a desperate rescue mission, except there's one problem: D'Argo has decided to wear the drug-injecting gauntlets that the Tavleks wore. This is probably the biggest episode, in terms of scale, yet in the series. It's also the most action-packed so far.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Moyas




As with the rest of Farscape, the stories are well fleshed out by excellent characterizations and acting. Production values are quite high, as well. Amazingly enough, the series has really never weakened in this aspect. It has always pushed the stories and characters to the front of the pack. Both of these episodes make good entries into the series' early, evolving days. Of course, a lot of the point to these episodes is giving the individual characters some screen time. Episode 3 puts a bit of focus on Aeryn Sun, whereas episode 4 puts the crew's relationship with Rygel at the core. Pretty much any series like this has to take some of its early episodes and use them this way in order to isolate each being and let them expose their personality. After the first handful of shows, we then get a closer cast.
Having just watched the Season 3 premiere a few days ago, it's interesting to look back on these early shows and see just how far Farscape has come in terms of complexity and depth without sacrificing integrity. It's interesting that the same company to have produced part of Sesame Street and all of The Muppet Show has managed to capture such an 'adult' audience.

Rating for Style: A
Rating for Substance: A-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	no

Image Transfer Review: Despite a few hazy textures, this is a flawless presentation that makes good use of the medium. At times, darker scenes seemed a bit murky, but it was nothing big. The disc looks stellar, all the way through.

Image Transfer Grade: A
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	yes
Dolby Digital 5.1	English	yes

Audio Transfer Review: Another great 5.1 mix brings this show alive. Filled with directional effects and ambience, the audio totally fits the tone and quality of the show by providing lots of energy and creativity here. As with Volume 1, the only real difference between the 5.1 mix and the 2.0 Dolby Surround is the amount of surround usage, which is thicker in the 5.1 version. I personally think the 5.1, even downmixed on a Pro Logic system, would sound better because of its clarity.

Audio Transfer Grade: A 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 4 cues and remote access
1 Featurette(s)
2 Feature/Episode commentaries by (1)Brian Henson, Virginia Hey/(2) Ben Browder, Claudia Black
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. Photo Gallery
2. DVD-ROM screensaver
3. DVD-ROM weblinks

Extras Review: Both episodes contain commentary from cast and crew. Exodus From Genesis features producer Brian Henson and actress Virginia Hey (who plays Zhaan). It's a good track, filled with humor and production insights. Throne For A Loss features actors Ben Browder and Claudia Black joking around and discussing some other production elements. Both commentaries are excellent and make wonderful extra features here. This is also the first appearance of Virginia Hey on a Farscape commentary.

A short featurette is included that focuses on actress Claudia Black and her character, Aeryn Sun. It's basically an extended interview with her, mixed with footage from the show.

There are some still photos and promotional photos in a gallery, along with conceptual drawings for ships, props, and sets.

Although there is a claim made that the disc is close-captioned, I was unable to find the subtitles either manually or in a menu.

Extras Grade: A-
 

Final Comments

Another good entry in this release series, Farscape Volume 2 keeps up the ADV commitment to quality. Farscape fans will not be let down. Highly recommended.

Dan Lopez 2001-03-12