Rating: 
Summary: The most gripping hour on TV
Review: I rented the first disc at my local video store and loved it. I am now officially a fan of ER. Warner Bros. has thrown in some wonderful features, including reformatting the series. From 1994-1999, ER was shot in 1:33.1, a standard full-screen ratio. Taking advantage of HDTV owners, Warner Bros. has cleverly re-formatted the episodes to 1:78.1, standard HDTV ratio.
The first season of ER is surprisingly strong, with deep plot lines throughout many of the episodes. In addition to the 24 episodes, the feature-length pilot is also included, which I loved. I haven't gotten to the two commentaries on the pilot yet, but then again, I haven't even watched the last two episodes on the disc. The only thing preventing a five-star rating is the flip-sided discs. Many people like I would have used dual-layer. That's my only gripe with this wonderful giftset.
Michael Crichton isn't just known for Jurassic Park, ya know.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Watchable!
Review: This is a very rare gem that is only found on television once a decade. However, this is not for everybody. You are bombarded with dozens of storylines every episode, some of which go somewhere, some that don't. It's more a "day in the er" show. The camera work is absolutely brilliant. You feel like you are infact walking through the ER yourself, getting to know these people from the conversations. You find yourself picking up medical worlds that you never knew you could learn. It deos come off as very real. Yes, there are some indescrepencies between an real ER and the show but thank goodness there are!
Rating:
Summary: ER: THE GREATEST TV SHOW, EVER
Review: I take serious issue with those who are annoyed that these are two sided discs. How lazy are you? No mention of quality of transfer, sound quality, etc, just negativities concerning the double sided discs. I'm literally in disbelief that people are that inept, or they blame the disc b/c they own a silly DVD jukebox player incapable of flipping discs. Hmmm...which one was the incorrect purchase I wonder.
Nobody seems to mention that although original shown on TV in 4:3 full screen, this first season has been released in true 16x9 format. Later seasons were/are shown in letterboxed format for all you analog TV watchers, but for those in the know, we watch ER in breathtaking HDTV 16x9 now with no black bars. I greatly appreciate that the first season, originally shown for everyone in full screen format, have been released for us in widescreen format, the same as later seasons.
In this respect, they really got it right. 4.5 stars only b/c more extras could always be added. As for those upset b/c they need to, gasp, use their legs and fingers to flip the disc, shame on you. Next time, for full lazy effect, buy a DVD player that flips your DVDs for you and stop complaining. I mean, it's not like you have to flip the disc in the middle of an episode or anything.
Oh and by the way, no they didnt just put black bars on the top and bottom of the picture like someone suggested cutting off the picture. The widescreen anamorphic is the original way it was shot, they cut off the sides for the original tv presentation. In other words, you are seeing parts of these episodes never before seen. In fact, no black bars at all. Anamorphic means they squeeze the widescreen down so all the content in viewable on a 4:3 tv. On a widescreen tv, the picture doesnt look squeezed, but the content if the same for both 4:3 tvs and 16:9 tvs. Obviously it doesn't really look right on the 4:3 tvs though. But hey whatdya gonna do? When you finally get a widescreen tv, you'll be glad that they did it this way.
Rating:
Summary: NBC Series don't need two sides.
Review: Some of the greatest shows, ER, Law and Order, L&O SVU and Criminal Intent are being released on double sided discs. For people like me this is a real pain as I use a 400 disc Sony changer. It won't play two sides. I'm sure there are others with my plight. Many people are precluded from owning these two sided discs. It may save the manufacturer a buck or so but ends up costing them in sales.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everybody
Review: This show is not intended to satisfy everybody. It is designed more for intellectual people, especially for those interested in Health Sciences. It is defenetely NOT designed for the average human who only wants to see blood, blasphemy, gore, violence and others as such, in order to escape the brutal reality in which we all live in. Before you put a comment in which you criticise the fact that they show so much death, sadness and "disfunctionality" you should stop a little to think about the society we live in; there are wars and traumas and human suffering everywhere and so often we come across a case in which someone was killed or commited suicide that we often become so tuned out and when a TV show like ER presents us the reality it bothers us..
Some reviews say that it is very unrealistic because there is too much work, there is too much suffering and too many problems in the doctors' lives. Well whether one accepts it or not, that is the real truth; first, doctors are all human beings and as every human being on this planet they are not perfect. Second, it is extremely hard to become a doctor in the first place. I spoke to med students: they sleep at most 4 hours per night and you have to learn an enormous amount of material each week. You don't become a doctor just for the sake of it, you become a doctor because you want to, because you want to dedicate your life to the people around you, especially in these times when there is so much chaos going on in every corner of this planet. I was told by doctors the same thing and this tv show puts it more clearly than anybody else: you can become a great doctor only if you want to sacrifice your life to the others, only if helping people is your deepest and strongest desire you have. And the fact that the lives of the doctors are so troubled, shows even more what i've just said: in order to achieve this goal you have to put aside your personal life when you are in the hospital and this creates big problems in one's personal life.
This tv show is dedicated to the doctors and their efforts they put in order to save our lives. The characters are great and every one plays a very realistic role. Note that there are a lot of medical terms involved, since this is what happens in a real hospital; you don't hear "Put this stuff into this guy's vein, and then crack his chest open 'cause you have to apply some drugs directly ito his heart..", that would be very silly and it would very much degrade the high degree of realism this tv series offers us. Welcome to the world of medicine folks!
I highly recommend this tv series (every season actually) to everybody interested in seeing what is going on in a real emergency hospital. If you are interested in working as a doctor or a nurse in such an emergency hospital and wonder what degree of stress you would face each day, ER is the best place to start looking for answers. It might even make you even more interested in becoming a doctor! Again, this is the best TV series of this kind out there.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Totally Addicted To This Show!
Review: Season 1 of ER is a great opening to what is one of the longest running medical dramas on TV. You get to follow the emergency of a bust city hospital in chicago and enjoy the antics of Med Student john Carter as he learns how to become a doctor. A great show with a great ensamble cast. I watch every Thursday night and can't wait until the rest of the seasons are released.
Rating:
Summary: Doctors, Nurses, Students: ER
Review: The first season of ER captivated me because of how realistic the show is, and I was also mezmerised at how the actors had to learn all of the lingo. The best thing about this season is the different personalities that are all running aroung the ER, like Benton's ignorance, Carter's Innexperience, Ross' Attitude toward women, and Lewis' constant battles with superior doctors. All of these personalities mixed into one show makes watching ER: The Complete First Season a very enjoyable experience. My Favorite episode from season one would have to be The Pilot. Even though it isnt taken as an "episode" I really enjoyed it because, again, the characters are introduced and theyre personalities are introduced. If you like drama and if you arent a queezy person around blood then this is the perfect DVD set for you. Enjoy!
|
