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The Outer Limits (The New Series) - Time Travel & Infinity

The Outer Limits (The New Series) - Time Travel & Infinity

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intellingent and thought-provoking television!
Review: It seems that the fewer reviews and critics I read about something, the more I enjoy it. But because you can't always agree with everyone's opinion, I decided to give my humble opinion.

I first watched The New Outer Limits series entirely by accident some years ago when it was broadcast arbitrarily at a channel late at night here in Greece. And boy was I hooked!

For me, the Outer Limits stands as a fine example of a serious and decent work from people who want not only to educate but make you think for so many different things. Are there a lot of TV shows out there that can claim that today?

And, ok, maybe some episodes aren't as good as others, but tell me of a TV show that's 100% perfect. The very fact that the Outer Limits were ever producted in the 90's with such a quality, speaks for itself. Compared with the average mindless garbage we see on TV today, it's halfway to perfect already.

Now on the DVD. The first three stories (A stitch in time, Tribunal, Gettysburg) left me speechless. Tight plots, smart twists, solid acting, you name it! How I really like the sobber and dark mood that the series creates in its stories! And the intro and conclusion voice overs that set the tone to the story!
All the stories are elevated even more by the fine performances of the cast. I really liked Meatlof. For me, he seemed perfect for the role, especially when he was going paranoid.In the end, Gettysburg left me really shocked. I don't know much about US history and I surely didn't know about the events of the battle of Gettysburg and that helped me enjoy the story as a big mystery.

And what can you say about Tribunal! Heartfelt, involving, clever. I really enjoyed how the story led the ex-Nazi to be executed by his younger self. And the touching finale gave such a humane and heartfelt morale. I really loved Prentis's character.He was slightly better than in Gettysburg but overall top notch.

As for the other three episodes (Time to Time, Deja Vu, Patient Zero) I was left with a feeling that something was missing. It's like having the perfect cooked meal but you lack the salt.I don't know, maybe those three stories didn't seem 'dark' enough for me. That didn't stop me from enjoying them, but when you watch the Outer Limits, you expect just that bit more! Averall solid stories, with first class performances (Michael Rooker gave just the perfect acting for the story), nice twists, but as I said, from the Outer Limits you have come to expect something more.

Maybe not all of the stories deserve 5 stars, but I give it anyway, simply because this series exists at all. A big thank you to the creative team involved, for bringing us something honest,sincere and mind-boggling. If I was an actor, the Outer Limits is a series I would want to be in.

P.S. I get really pissed-off with the lame politics of the companies that have the rights and don't invest some money on releasing some fine DVD boxsets. I know I can't change it but I want to say it anyway! Oh well, I guess the good things in life are hard to find also.


Rating: 1 stars
Summary: An insult to the name "Outer Limits"!
Review: Somebody out there may think this is good sci-fi entertainment, but it sure ain't "The Outer Limits". The original series was as weird, wonderful, scary and dark as TV has ever been, and while suffering from low-budget special effects that by today's standards look admittedly pretty bad, it was still television's finest sci-fi moment. This dull, faceless, imagination-free series should never have been allowed to use the name, as it has absolutely NOTHING in common with the original series, and is simply a marketing ploy to glom onto the great name of the Limits. Folks, do yourself a favor, and think beyond the CGI special-effects that mesmerize you to the point that you overlook plot, story and character, and sit down with the newly-released original series DVD. Let the stories and the imagination of the writers, not the dated look of the effects, overwhelm and entertain you, as it has me for the last 35+ years. You might learn something about what real filmed entertainment should be.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Highly entertaining
Review: The episodes featuring the time traveler Prentice would make a great TV series on their own!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I Want More!
Review: The new outer limits episodes are excellent! I am very disappointed however that all the episodes have not yet been released as a box set: Season 1, 2, ...(as of Jan 1, 2003). I, for one, am waiting for that rather than purchasing the 2 DVD's that have been released thus far and recommend that anyone reading this do the same. We can only hope they don't keep us all waiting too long!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: For all time
Review: The SHOWTIMES cable channel has brought back the 1950s science fiction series THE OUTER LIMITS. In it the series has updated technology & special effects as well as theme-lines to match the late 20th century.

SHOWTIME has begun to release some of the "best-of" on DVD via general motif. Each DVD has 4 episodes. The previous installment was called SEX AND SCIENCE fiction & the stories were a nice blend of eroticism & Sci-fi.

The current DVD contains 4 episodes centered around the concept of time travel. Of the 4, the 2nd story [THE TRIAL] is by far & away the most poignant. It details a story about a Jewish concentration camp and is vividly moving. The 2nd story alone is worth the price of the DVD.

3 of the 4 stories are about a time-traveller from the future (including THE TRIAL). Of all 4 episodes, the fourth is the weakest. They layer on some elements from the 2nd and 3rd stories and it all comes across as being very ad-hoc.

If time travel is an interest of yours, here is a DVD with some fresh approaches to the topic. If you prefer erotic science fiction, I would recommend the 1st OUTER LIMITS compilation of stories. If (like me!) you are an avid sci-fi fan across-the-board, I would think both DVDs should be in your collection.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: For all time
Review: The SHOWTIMES cable channel has brought back the 1950s science fiction series THE OUTER LIMITS. In it the series has updated technology & special effects as well as theme-lines to match the late 20th century.

SHOWTIME has begun to release some of the "best-of" on DVD via general motif. Each DVD has 4 episodes. The previous installment was called SEX AND SCIENCE fiction & the stories were a nice blend of eroticism & Sci-fi.

The current DVD contains 4 episodes centered around the concept of time travel. Of the 4, the 2nd story [THE TRIAL] is by far & away the most poignant. It details a story about a Jewish concentration camp and is vividly moving. The 2nd story alone is worth the price of the DVD.

3 of the 4 stories are about a time-traveller from the future (including THE TRIAL). Of all 4 episodes, the fourth is the weakest. They layer on some elements from the 2nd and 3rd stories and it all comes across as being very ad-hoc.

If time travel is an interest of yours, here is a DVD with some fresh approaches to the topic. If you prefer erotic science fiction, I would recommend the 1st OUTER LIMITS compilation of stories. If (like me!) you are an avid sci-fi fan across-the-board, I would think both DVDs should be in your collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great (sub)series
Review: The time travel group of episodes of the new Outer Limits series is some of the best sci-fi I've seen. Its like the Twilight Zone but with often very deep, thoughtful and positive morality messages. The only flaw is that this DVD doesn't include all the time travel related episodes, in particular, its missing the first of the two Nazi concentration camp episodes. I agree with the others, I'd like to see full season DVDs come out. The two themed DVDs released so far are better than nothing, but far from optimal.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Top of the Crop to Bottom of the Barrel
Review: These episodes range from some of the very best of the Outer Limits (Stitch in Time, Tribunal, Deja Vu) to the mediocre (Gettysburg, Time to Time) and the out-and-out bad (Patient Zero). Still, based on the superb quality of the three good ones (Tribunal in particular is a very intelligent treatment of time travel -- look carefully at the Nazis that take the old man's daughter away from him in the flashback sequence, for example)this is worth the money.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Outer Limits Time Travel Stories
Review: This DVD has 6 "Outer Limits time travel stories" of the series. Maybe with a little luck, we will see the series put out on DVD by season.

1) A Stitch in Time - season 2 - Jamie Perrin of the FBI investigates the murder of 17 men that have been killed with the same gun over the last 50 years. The gun is traced to Dr. Theresa Givens who was 5 years old at the time of the 1st murder and to add to the mystery the gun had not yet been invented.

2) Tribunal - season 5 - At the Birkenau concentration camp Leon Zgierski watches Karl Rademacher shoot his wife and send his daughter to the gas chamber. A time traveler who grabs Radermacher's jacket sees the event.

3) Gettysburg - season 6 - Andy and Vince spend their weekends reacting battles from the Civil War. When their picture is taken with an old camera they find themselves on the eve of an 1863 battle.

4) Time to Time - season 7 - A daughter travels back in time to change her father's destiny.

5) Déjà vu - season 5 - Mark Crest builds a teleportation machine to transport some animals across the desert.

6) Patient Zero - season 7 - A man from the future arrives in the present to kill the carrier of a plague that could destroy humanity.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A must have.
Review: Time travel is a very difficult topic to have a story about, mostly because of the holes one can place in time and space. However, these in general were very good stories.

Easily, A Stitch in Time is the best episode.... and one of the best time travel stories I have experienced in a long time. They do a very good job of exploring these holes that are created. This is also the best Outer Limits episodes that I have seen so far.

Okay, I've got a soft spot when it comes to storied dealing with families. I really enjoyed Tribunal. Other than the fact that the main character would need to speak Yidish, English, and German fluently for this story to make sense... it really pulled at the ol' heart strings.

Gettysburg really turned me off. Maybe I was surprised to see Prentice again. Maybe it was because of what Prentice was trying to accomplish. It seemed like there were a million different ways to change what he was trying to prevent from happening, and he chose the most complicated way to do it.

I said, "What, Prentice again!!!" when Time to Time came on. The statement by Prenice's co-worker on what it takes to time travel would have been cute and funny if it didn't completely put a huge hole in the former two stories. It reminded me a bit of the movie, "Millennium."

Deja Vu reminded me of a Star Trek episode where Data went through the same thing that Kevin Nealon did and also Groundhog Day (one of the best movies EVER!!!). It was entertaining once, but I think it lacked the shock and awe that the writers were going for (none of their big surprises were big surprises).

And Patient Zero. Okay, a big hole is building a time machine to go into the past and stop something from happening because at this time you lose the incentive to build the time machine in the first place and sending that person back. So, the person shouldn't exist in the first place and the universe shoud blow up. This episode was predictable all the way and left me very disappointed.

Overall, I really liked the first two episodes and Deja Vu. The others I never really got in to. I know that time travel is a difficult subject (I still haven't found the perfect one yet, but A Stitch in Time came VERY close), but the three episodes I didn't like forced me to dock the movie two stars. Also, I would love it if the Outer Limits didn't do themes, but released it season by season. I might have liked these all more if I hadn't watched one story after another. I also have a feeling that they WILL release them season by season in the future and I'll regret these purchases. Of course, I'll need a time machine or just have to wait to find out if I'm correct.


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