Lost: The Complete First Season

The opening moments of the first episode of Lost are some of the most intense commercial television has ever seen: images of a catastrophic failure of technology that leaves its victims dazed, bewildered, and at the mercy of elements both natural and manmade. And as these 24 episodes unfold, hints that the plane crash--which landed 40-odd survivors on an uncharted, seemingly paradisiacal island--might not have been accidental begin to reveal the grand (and mostly fulfilled) ambitions of show creator J.J. Abrams (Alias): to fashion an extended contemplation on life in the age of random terrorism, when death, and horrors worse than death, can strike at any moment, changing us into people more calculating and more paranoid but paradoxically more appreciative of the ordinary and the mundane. The influence of long-form episodic cable series'--such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under--is clear in Lost's gritty determination not to acquiesce to clichés of network TV: main characters die; the lines between hero and villain, good and evil, are blurry; and no amount of wild speculation about the twists and turns each episode might take can prepare the viewer for what actually transpires. TV-on-DVD might as well have been invented for shows like this one, which demands multiple viewings, and richly rewards the time spent. Numerous in-depth extras--commentary tracks, deleted scenes, featurettes--only serve to further tantalize fans who anxiously await the next season. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (M. Johanson)[Blu-ray Review—June 23, 2009—Buena Vista, 7 discs, 1,068 min., TV-14, $69.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2004's Lost: The Complete First Season sports an excellent transfer and 5.1 uncompressed sound. Blu-ray extras include five cast and creator audio commentaries, a “Departure” viewing option (106 min. total) that includes the production featurettes “The Genesis of Lost,” “Designing a Disaster,” “Before They Were Lost,” “Welcome to Oahu: The Making of the Pilot,” “The Art of Matthew Fox,” and “Lost@Comiccon.” Also included is a “Tales from the Island” second viewing option (62 min. total) that includes “Lost on Location,” “On Set with Jimmy Kimmel,” and “Backstage with Drive Shaft.” A third viewing option, “Lost Revealed” (46 min. total), includes “The Lost Flashbacks,” “Live from the Museum of Television & Radio,” “Flashbacks & Mythology,” deleted scenes, and bloopers. Bottom line: the debut season of one of TV's most-lauded series is nicely showcased in this excellent Blu-ray set. Lost: The Complete First Season is also newly available on Blu-ray.]