The Twilight Zone - Season 1 (1985 - 1986)
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Movie Reviews of The Twilight Zone - Season 1 (1985 - 1986)
Movie Review: Menu Audio Recorded Too Loud
Summary: 3 Stars
Although this is a great collection of all the episodes from season one, my major complaint would have to be that the menu screen audio is recorded EXTREMELY LOUD. Viewers be warned that you'll probably want to keep your system's sound on mute or turned way, way down because the menu screen audio is recorded louder than the rest of the audio on each disc. Right as the menu screen appears the thundercrack and the music come roaring on so loud it'll have you jumping out of your skin. While it only happens for a short interval when the menu screen first appears, this is the only DVD that I have to give myself special instructions on as far as the sound level is concerned.
I'm surprised this error slipped by the quality control department.
Movie Review: Terrific writing and acting make this a stand-out series!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am just so pleased to see these episodes released to home video after all this time. At last, at last, I can retire my ancient Betamax tapings from the TV broadcasts! (Which is a piece of luck, since my Sony Betamax is fading, can't be repaired anymore, and the tapes themselves are showing their age.) I didn't remember that this revival of the Twilight Zone franchise spanned more than one season, but I will certainly buy any followup to this release, which seems to include many of the favorites I was able to capture on tape all those years ago. (I have since been informed that "The Toys of Caliban", a gripping, moving classic, features on Season 2, due for release in June 2005)
Unlike later attempts to cash in on the TZ name (beware of the Canadian-produced episodes), this original sequel series holds up to the classic series, and Rod Serling would have been proud of it. There is a tremendous mix of solid scripting and careful performances from a wide range of fine writers and actors; the stories themselves range from the utterly creepy and macabre to the whimsical and fantastical -- pretty much like the original series. There's something for all tastes. And after watching the shows on the first disc alone, I am struck by how poignant many of these are; there's a sad lyricism in the best of these that is incredible for TV programming, of this or any other time.
If you are a fan of speculative short fiction, you will appreciate this set. Many thanks to the great Alan Brennert for his review clarifying the matter of picture quality for these DVDs. Brennert has long been a favorite author of mine -- his Batman stories for DC Comics in the early 1980s are among the best ever published, and I have since collected all his novels and short stories I could find. When I saw his name on this series back in its original run, I knew it would be good. Always thoughtful, powerful, quality material from him -- thanks again, Mr. Brennert, for all you've given us through the years!
Movie Review: Good Show
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't know what people are talking about in terms of the quality of the images; I think that it looks fine. I bought this mainly for the stories and acting and they are mainly great (sure, there are a few clunkers, which will happen in any anthology program). And the commentaries and interviews are well done. Movie Review: The Video Should Have Been Better
Summary: 1 Stars
I am writing again because I have seen a few people trying to downplay the video quality of this release (including Alan Brennert who has to be given credit for giving us these excellent additions to the Twilight Zone canon). Unfortunately, blaming the quality of the video on the original one-inch masters is disingenuous. While it is true that the show was shot on film and that the effects and editing were done on video (just like Star Trek the Next Generation in Seasons One and Two), it is not true that this is the best video quality we could have had. Image released 4 episodes per disc, with interactive menues, and multiple commentary tracks. The sheer number of episodes and special features gobbled up so much disc real estate, that there wasn't enough bit rate going towards presenting a clean image. There should have been no more than 2 (perhaps 3) episodes per disc and an extra disc for supplements.
The industry standard seems to be to put four hours of television on a disc. I have no problem with that, if you are using a high definition master for your source material. But, as Mr. Brennert admits, the source material for this show just wasn't that good, so Image should have compensated with fewer episodes per disc and optimzied the amount of disc space going to the video.
I love these episodes but still maintain that, Image could have and should have done better. I am not being picky, I just know what I am willing to pay for.
Movie Review: The narrator, picture quality, and other things...
Summary: 5 Stars
First, to answer the question of another review poster: the narrator of THE TWILIGHT ZONE during the 1985-1987 seasons was the great Charles Aidman, a marvelous actor whom fans of the original ZONE may recall from such episodes as "Little Girl Lost." (In the syndicated third season, the budget did not allow for Mr. Aidman's salary, and so the narrations were unfortunately provided by Canadian actor Robin Ward, whose performance can most charitably be described as "ordinary.") Mr. Aidman is not mentioned in the packaging for this set, but he was, indeed, duly credited in the end titles of every episode.
Second, I'm mystified by the howls over the picture quality of this set. It's far from perfectly pristine, but some have made it sound bad to the point of unwatchability. That's asinine. The DVDs in this set are at least as clear as the series itself was on its original broadcast, and those who avoid buying the set based on the whinings of an over-demanding few are really cheating themselves. My thanks to Alan Brennert for his post clarifying the situation regarding the transfer of these wonderful shows.
Finally, kudos to Mr. Brennert, his colleagues, and Image Entertainment for bringing this series to DVD at last. At its best, the 1980s TWILIGHT ZONE can hold its own with the finest that Rod Serling had to offer, and it is, by any standard, the finest anthology series produced in the last forty years. Period.