DVD Reviews: Dark Angel Season 2 Boxed Sets 1 & 2

Shows like Buffy and Charmed feature strong women who are put in remarkable situations, and no matter what odds they are facing, they always come through. James Cameron's Dark Angel borrows on this premise but instead of being in a world that is based on magic and demons, Dark Angel is set in the not so distant future where America has become a third world country through a sonic blast that disrupted all electrically activity. The story revolves around Max (Jessica Alba), a genetically engineered soldier who is not only drop dead gorgeous but proves that she is a force to reckoned with. Unfortunately season 2 of Dark Angel starts off where season 1 finished which was a cliff hanger episode that makes it difficult for new viewers to get immerged into the show. Max was captured by Manticore, a black government operation that were responsible for the creation of these genetically engineered soldiers. Unfortunately for Manticore, a large group of these children soldiers escaped before their training could be completed. Fast forward ten years and the young girl called Max who escaped from Manticore is now a full grown women and the government want these X5's back.

The second season of Dark Angel is a complete role reversal of the first season and everything you thought you knew has been dramatically changed. The world of Max and her untouchable lover Logan (Michael Weatherly) has now been opened up to a whole world of strange storylines. You soon discover that Manticore just didn't create one series of X5 units but there are now a plethora of other X soldiers, from X1's to X7's. Some of these soldiers look like humans but others look like lizard men and sand creatures. The storyline soon reveals that an ancient cult has been breeding their own super soldiers by selecting humanity's best and over thousands of years, these humans are now as powerful as these genetically engineered soldiers. Without giving too much of the storyline away, this ancient cult wants the creations of Manticore destroyed as there is a new world order coming.

Although all the regulars have returned from season one that include Max, Logan, Cindy and Zack, there are also some new supporting cast members that include the entertaining doglike creature called Joshua, the sexy ecoterrorist Asha, a rogue transgenic X5 called Alec and the deadly new villain Ames White. The downside to Dark Angel was that it was cancelled during season 2 but fortunately the creators of the show managed to end the season with a great episode that features hope and continuation. The first boxed set of season 2 contains 11 episodes, whereas the second box contains 10 episodes with one extended episode.

The video transfer quality of Dark Angel is spectacular, considering that it was made for film and returns to the Australian DVD public on widescreen, 16x9 format. The episodes feature extremely clear and sharp pictures with some amazing colours that have been transferred perfectly to DVD. That said, the DVD conversion is perfect and you will find hardly any artefacting or graininess throughout the season.

The audio quality of Dark Angel is exceptional and listened through the right speaker setup will make you feel like you are at the movies. The original television series featured surround sound Dolby Digital 2 that also transferred perfectly to DVD. With amazing picture quality and sound quality, how could you go wrong?

When it comes to extras, season two of Dark Angel is lacking severely and contains some badly made documentaries and the making of the Dark Angel game for the PlayStation 2 and XBox. Commentary by cast members would of been appreciated, especially by Jessica Alba (Max) and Michael Weatherly (Logan) but unfortunately this idea must of gone the way of the dodo.

I would recommend Dark Angel to any person who enjoyed Buffy as the world of Dark Angel is dark and humorous but can also show a serious side. The entire season of Dark Angel has been professionally made, the acting is first class and the majority of special effects are acceptable. Both the video and audio quality of Dark Angel is phenomenal but unfortunately the lack of extras does make the watchability of this DVD collection a little dry. Check it out though!

- Andrew B

Episode Titles

- Designate This
- Bag Em
- Radar Love
- Boo
- Two
- Some Assembly Required
- Gill Girl
- Medium Is The Message
- Brianiac
- The Berrifsord Agenda
- Borrowed Time
- Harbor Lights
- Love In Vein
- Fuhgeddaboudit
- Exposure
- Hello Goodbye
- Dawg Day Afternoon
- Ahe Ain't Hevy
- Love Among The Runes
- Freak Nation (final)