Synopsis
Hurricane Eve descends upon the Florida coast, wreaking particular havoc on the rural town of Homestead. The central characters are a park ranger, his two children, a reporter who is the ranger’s second wife, his conspiracy-nut brother (channelling Jack Black), his ex-wife and her second husband (the always suspicious-looking William Fichtner). As if the devastation weren’t enough, there are all those weird lights, and… hey… some people are acting kinda strange, like they’re might not be…human at all.
Yes, we’re back in Invasion of the Body Snatchers territory, but Invasion complicates things by having factions within the aliens themselves, and the writing is pretty sharp (a teenager’s utterly devastating comments about how the media neuters the very events it is covering is a case in point). The finale is spectacular, intense, and… a cliffhanger. The series was not picked up for a second season, so potential viewers might keep this in mind.
Audio
Pretty nice stuff. Generally speaking, the overall effect is closer to a theatrical release than to a TV show. There’s some good front-to-rear movement of the sound, and plenty of good environmental effects (the hurricane’s winds are a particularly good example, and help make up for some pretty obvious CGI). The dialogue is clear and undistorted. Very nice for 2.0.
Video
The colours are sombre, but strong, very much in keeping with the mood of the piece. The blacks are excellent, as are the contrasts. There is no visible edge enhancement. There is a very little bit of grain visible, but this actually has the effect of further cementing the impression of watching a theatrical production.
Special Features
Pretty slim pickings. The featurette is standard promotional blah-blah-blah. A gag reel and some missing scenes don’t make up for a lack of commentary track.
Closing Thoughts
Fans of the show will appreciate having the whole thing in one box, and it is a decent effort. Too bad the extras are so slight.
Special Features List
- Making-of Featurette
- Missing Scenes
- Gag Reel
