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Alias - The Complete First Season Customer Reviews (28 - 30 of 49 Reviews)
Great show, great DVD
I had never watched Alias before due to it being on against other shows I liked and watched every week. I had heard good things about it on the internet and was curious about the show. I wasn't sure if I'd buy the DVDs since I had never seen it before but I do like espionage and spy stories so I was inclined to try it out. I also became a fan of Alias star Jennifer Garner due to her role in the movie Daredevil so that factored in. I went ahead and bought it after a few weeks of deliberation. I'm glad I did! I became hooked on the show after watching the first couple of episodes. I watched the entire set in a few days. I then went ahead and bought season 2 before I even finished season one. The stories are interesting and the cliffhangers are well executed and leave you wanting more and more and more.
The picture and sound quality are excellent and the extras as interesting. All in all it is a total quality package. I highly recommend it.
WARNING: one dose of "Alias" will addict you
I had heard that this show was good, and received this boxed set as a holiday gift. It took me a couple of months to get around to spinning it up on the DVD player, but once I did ... *WOW*, what a show!! Jennifer Garner as agent Sydney Bristow (who becomes DOUBLE-agent Sydney Bristow in the premiere episode) and Victor Garger as her father (and also agent) Jack Bristow both provide stellar performances.
Jennifer Garner (Sydney) must show a huge emotional range -- from very reserved as an on-mission CIA agent to distraught due to personal tragedies. Victor Garber (Jack) gets to play a much more subtle range ... initially as cold, hard, and calculating, but very gradually showing greater emotional range as the series progresses. Each time he shows slightly more emotion, you notice because it's surprising.
The show is visually stunning ... the sets are elaborate, the special effects are extremely well done. You know that effects MUST be in use at times, but they're subtle enough that you can't tell where the "live" shots end and the effects begin.
The Rimbaldi puzzle weaves another fascinating mystery throughout the series.
This show was not just thrown together -- the story through the whole first season (and into the second season) was VERY carefully woven, to maintain several story-line threads throughout.
This is pure "TV heroin" -- one dose and you will be completely hooked. I planned to watch one episode per night, and usually watched two (sometimes three), then had to go in to work bleary-eyed the next morning.
The good news is, watching it on DVD is the way to go -- no commercials and you don't have to wait a week for the next episode (which would be pure torture). We've bought the Second Season and "have to" pre-order the Third Season.
An excellent show, with one crippling flaw...
I'm sure a lot of people are surprised that I'm not giving this DVD and show five stars. Don't get me wrong, I love "Alias". The acting is great, the show is really well-shot, the action is heart pounding and there is a twist in every episode. I was extremely excited to buy this DVD. But then I figured something out. Let me clarify.
For starters, let me just say that the packaging of this box set is really great. The carboard box holds three snap cases (like what a normal DVD comes in) each with two discs in it. I prefer this format to the fold out format used in other box sets (like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Friends"). The menu is easy to use. The picture quality is outstanding. The only thing I disliked about the DVD itself is the fact that each episode begins with the background information about Sydney and the "Previously on Alias" section. I got really sick of both of these.
Now, for the reason I took away a star. It has to do with "Alias" as a show. I've already told you that I really love this show. We all like how the plot is continuous and important twists are revealed in every episode. But that's sort of a problem. The episodes are so laced into the overall series arc (backstory, missions, Sydney as a double agent) that no single episode is better than any other. They're all good, but none are excellent. No individual episode is a classic. My three favorite shows- "Buffy", "Angel", and "Friends"- all have individual episodes that you can go back and watch as a stand alone. "Alias" doesn't have this. After you watch the whole season, you won't be going back and saying "I'm in the mood to watch ENTER A SPECIFIC EPISODE HERE". You sort of have to watch the whole season to keep up the effect of the action in each episode. They are completely reliant on each other.
Still, this is a great show and you should buy it, by all means. I just wanted to voice my opinion.
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