Rating: 
Summary: Roddenberry would have been proudest of this
Review: I was skeptical when I saw yet another "Gene Roddenberry" apostropheed title and noticed mighty Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) as the lead character. "Oh, no, B-movie all the way," I thought. But just for fun I rented this DVD set and was astonished at the very high standard it has set. Andromeda is faster-paced and flashier than the most recent crop of Star Treks, and yet it is also superior in depth and breadth. Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Majel Barrett Roddenberry and the other creative honchos have created an instant universe that is more interesting than the canonized but increasingly stale one that Star Trek perpetuates. By starting at the end of an era (the fall of an empire) and setting out to pick up the pieces we are led through mysterious history like the fall of the Roman Empire or the disappearance of Atlantis. The dialog is quick-witted and the characters have a lot more to say than the usual stock "Shields at Maximum! We're losing power!" cliches. Andromeda mixes the "sexually charged negotiations" of this old empire's barbarians (the Nietzchian fanatics) with high minded nostalgic idealism and bug-eyed monsters without making us cringe. It is the best of scifi action-adventure and it isn't afraid to get cerebral -- the word all network executives hate. I'm going to buy all the DVDs as they come out.
Rating:
Summary: No need to give story details here
Review: I won't give details of characters and story in this review, since those are more than adequately done in other reviews. I will say, though, that the picture and sound quality of this DVD set is so good, that it is a shame I had to see the episodes on TV channnels first. I both saw and heard things for the first time on the DVD that I had never heard and seen in repeated watching before. What a great DVD set!
Rating:
Summary: Season 3?
Review: Season 3 hasn't even begun airing yet. How do you know the show became ridiculous?
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly good
Review: Since the main character is from "Hercules", I had my doubts. I picked it up anyway, because Gene Roddenberry's name is on it. I am glad I did.The show does have some weakness- 1. Special effects are always interesting, but look fake sometimes 2. The premise seems to be a little bit shaky: why would those crew decided to join the idealist Captain? They are obviously not the noble type. Despite those two flaws, it's still worth watching. The concept is original (in the sense that the variation of classical theme done well), the story is good (I think "double helix", the last episode of Vol 1. is the best so far), acting is adequate. In sum, the series has a promising start. It's certainly not Farscape or Star Trek, but you'll enjoy Andromeda if you like this type of sci-fi shows. As for DVD itself:
Good-
Many special features (alternative takes were interesting).
Good picture quality
Bad-
No subtitles...
Rating:
Summary: GR Andromeda stands on it's own
Review: Take what "A viewer from Bay Area" has to say with a grain of salt; the third season hasn't even aired yet. Regardless, this DVD is worth it, and I would ignore the comparisons to Star Trek. The only thing really common between the two is that they both involve great storytelling! GR Andromeda employs dynamic characters, imaginitive technology, and very good writing for the most part. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent set of DVDs
Review: The Andromeda DVD set is truly astonishing. The picture is crystal clear. The soundtrack is properly set so that the dialogue remains understandable rather than being overpowered by sound effects or music. There are a lot of special features, including history of the Systems Commonwealth, character biographies, interviews, bloopers, commentaries, set and prop design diagrams, a making-of documentary and more. This first DVD offering is a pleasant surprise. I hope that the rest of the series will be released with the same high amount of forethought that went into this set. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: oh, come on
Review: The dialogue in the first ten minutes "There are too many of them!" and "It's our only chance (hope?)" peg the script writer as a student at the George Lucas School of Scriptwriting (correspondence only). The starship (who is a machine, let us not forget)wants to look like a sexy babe with a lot of cleavage showing prominently. Would that 'look' really appeal to a machine - wouldn't it want to be metallic and oily? Besides, the 'living ship' idea is done so much better in Farscape. So I wonder if I have wasted my money.
However, Kevin Sorbo is a surprise - a better actor than our lad in Farscape (who only looks sober and/or confused most of the time). Sorbo's athleticism adds a reality to the fight scenes and he seems totally dedicated to his dream of reuniting millions of worlds (unrealistic as that seems in the face of our inability to unite even a portion of our planet).
Tyr is tremendously sexy, especially when given a chance. And the other characters are off-beat enough to be interesting. Except for the furball - they really should have gone to see Brian Henson on that one - the mask looks like a mask - it never moves. And the spraying is inconsistent with his Zen-like character (who seems more Catholic with his confession and absolution stuff - poor fellow). He won't kill anyone, but he will torture them? Come on.
Are we still going to be riding motorcycles with windscreens 12,000 years from now? Will people from another planet be quoting the Bible about "Reaping the whirlwind" - wouldn't they be quoting Neitzsce instead (sp?)? The anachronisms boggle.
So I bought the next set. So I'm hooked anyway. So sue me.
Rating:
Summary: A great beginning
Review: The two hour premiere is one of the best episodes of the Andromeda series. It takes off quick, and even allows for some characterization, which many series seem to miss. Though, as soon as the premiere ends, the series seems as if it is going to be a failure. The third episode, "To Looses the Faithful Lightning," is a ridiculous episode to be put at the beginning of the series. But do know, that episode three isn't at all like the rest of the episodes. Four and five are descent episodes, and they both help illuminate the character of Tyr, the Nietzschean of the crew. If your unsure of the series, be sure to start here, at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: A great beginning
Review: The two hour premiere is one of the best episodes of the Andromeda series. It takes off quick, and even allows for some characterization, which many series seem to miss. Though, as soon as the premiere ends, the series seems as if it is going to be a failure. The third episode, "To Looses the Faithful Lightning," is a ridiculous episode to be put at the beginning of the series. But do know, that episode three isn't at all like the rest of the episodes. Four and five are descent episodes, and they both help illuminate the character of Tyr, the Nietzschean of the crew. If your unsure of the series, be sure to start here, at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome series
Review: This is a good presentation of the 1st 5 episodes. Unlike some series the 5 eps fit nicely onto the DVDs without severe interlacing or compression to affect quality. The "force-lance" bloopers are funny and unexpected.
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