Lost - The Complete First Season

Genre : DVD ( DVD )
Release : 2005/09/06
Price : $18.49

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Along with Desperate Housewives, Lost was one of the two breakout shows in the fall of 2004. Mixing suspense and action with a sci-fi twist, it began with a thrilling pilot episode in which a jetliner traveling from Australia to Los Angeles crashes, leaving 48 survivors on an unidentified island with no sign of civilization or hope of imminent rescue. That may sound like Gilligan's Island meets Survivor, but Lost kept viewers tuning in every Wednesday night--and spending the rest of the week speculating on Web sites--with some irresistible hooks (not to mention the beautiful women). First, there's a huge ensemble cast of no fewer than 14 regular characters, and each episode fills in some of the back story on one of them. There's a doctor; an Iraqi soldier; a has-been rock star; a fugitive from justice; a self-absorbed young woman and her brother; a lottery winner; a father and son; a Korean couple; a pregnant woman; and others. Second, there's a host of unanswered questions: What is the mysterious beast that lurks in the jungle? Why do polar bears and wild boars live there? Why has a woman been transmitting an SOS message in French from somewhere on the island for the last 16 years? Why do impossible wishes seem to come true? Are they really on a physical island, or somewhere else? What is the significance of the recurring set of numbers? And will Kate ever give up her bad-boy fixation and hook up with Jack?

Lost did have some hiccups during the first season. Some plot threads were left dangling for weeks, and the "oh, it didn't really happen" card was played too often. But the strong writing and topnotch cast kept the show a cut above most network TV. The best-known actor at the time of the show's debut was Dominic Monaghan, fresh off his stint as Merry the Hobbit in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. The rest of the cast is either unknowns or "where I have I seen that face before" supporting players, including Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly, who are the closest thing to leads. Other standouts include Naveen Andrews, Terry O'Quinn (who's made a nice career out of conspiracy-themed TV shows), Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Yunjin Kim, Maggie Grace, and Emilie de Ravin, but there's really not a weak link in the cast. Co-created by J.J. Abrams (Alias), Lost left enough unanswered questions after its first season to keep viewers riveted for a second season. --David Horiuchi

Where Have I Seen These Castaways? (click images to find out)

Locke (Terry O'Quinn)	Sawyer (Josh Holloway)	Charlie (Dominic Monaghan)	Boone (Ian Somerhalder)	Jin (Daniel Dae Kim)
Michael (Harold Perrineau)	Sayid (Naveen Andrews)	Jack (Matthew Fox)	Hurley (Jorge Garcia)	Kate (Evangeline Lilly)
Claire (Emilie de Ravin)	Sun (Yunjin Kim)	Shannon (Maggie Grace)	Walt (Malcolm David Kelley)

Stills from Lost (click for larger image)

Sawyer in action	Claire and Charlie	Jin and Michael
Brawl	Shannon	Claire and Hurley

DVD features
Even if you saw every episode of Lost on TV--or perhaps especially if you saw every episode--the DVD set is a must-own. The episodes are presented in widescreen format, just as they were broadcast on high-definition channels. (Conventional ABC-TV broadcasts were reduced to 1.33 full-screen format.) Four of the episodes have commentary tracks by the producing team and the actors who were featured on certain episodes (Terry O'Quinn, Dominic Monaghan, and Maggie Grace and Ian Sommerhalder). The last disc has over three hours of bonus material sensibly broken into three categories. "Departure" discusses the initial creation of the series, the making of the pilot, and the cast (some characters were created to fit the actors, and Evangeline Lilly's Kate was the hardest to cast). It also includes the cast's audition tapes and photographs by Matthew Fox. "Tales from the Island" provides background material on seven of the episodes plus the boars used in filming, Jimmy Kimmel's appearance on the set, and the genesis of the Driveshaft song ("You all everybody..."). Finally, "Lost Revealed" includes two scenes cut from the season finale, 13 other deleted scenes (not identified by episode, unfortunately), a blooper reel, and the cast and crew's giddy appearance at the Museum of Television & Radio. --David Horiuchi

I was disapointed when I waited for almost a month for my movie. It ended up "Lost" in Hawaii. It was usps fault, not the dealer. I got a full refund.

I bought this just to have the 13th episode, "Hearts and Minds," with Charles Mesure's performance as Bryan, Shannon's boyfriend. Otherwise, "Lost" is engrossing, especially now that things are making sense in the last season. I really like Terry O'Quinn as John Locke and the other "chosen ones," too, but I bought it because of Charles Mesure.

Bought the first two seasons and glad I didn't buy any more.

The first season border on the ridiculous, this in no ways represents some stranded individuals on a isolated island.

First issue is the setting, the fauna is nothing more than corn, if one looks at the supposed jungle setting you'll see corn in the early stages of growth.

Second issue, a phantom father, this is just dumb, WHY!!!, there is so much more which can be done with the plot, why include this.

Third issue, after so many days they are still sun bathing, ok, I'm crashed and sunbathing supersedes food and water.

Fourth issue, second disc after a number of days they expect you to believe some are actually still alive and swimming in the ocean, ok, just bad.

This series does not even come close to something I would consider realistic.

Other than the obvious there is no plot, cohesiveness does not exist, not what one would expect given the situation.

This could have been so much more, all the good stuff just got lost in the nonsense.

I really don't understand all the hype for something so misaligned, if your interested in this program, buy one season and judge for yourself.

Arrived in perfect condition and a little early. No problems so it was great to use Amazon as a seller!

On the day of the 6th season premiere, I finally decided to watch Lost to cement the fact that I will forever be six years behind or ahead of pop culture. I would have watched sooner, but by the time I wanted to jump on the bandwagon, a lot of my friends jumped off, "It was great for a while, then it just got weird" they'd say. But now, with the final season upon us, and with my hearing that answers will be/have been given, I jumped on the fated Lost plane. Thus, this review will be in the context of a first-time viewer starting from the beginning, so forgive me if these facts are later changed, resolved, or otherwise not true in later seasons.

Highlight Episodes:
Pilot
Walkabout
All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
Hearts & Minds
Deus Ex Machina

From the opening moments of death-dog, Vincent waking up our fateful hero, then finding out that a plane has crashed on an island, and the ensuing chaos that follows, Lost comes up with one of the best pilots in TV history. It's absolutely mesmerizing for anybody that watches it. How could you not become a fan after watching this? The beach scene not only has some great special effects, but the tension and feeling of terror on the beach is just so well-done. In fact, this scene is so iconic, every show like it that has come afterwards has tried to come up with their own version of this scene. Guess what, they all fail. What may seem like a simple scene, is actually an encapsulation of all that makes Lost a great show, at least in the first season.

Another aspect of Lost that the show does so well, is that while it's most known for its story, it's characters hold the show together, and it's mostly what makes the characters so good. It's so hard to get to know so many people since it's an ensemble cast, but by the end of the season, you get a good sense of most/all of the characters, their motivations, and what brought them to the island.

Jack is the reluctant leader who was told all of his life that he didn't have what it takes to be a hero (He's also the first of many characters we learn that has MAJOR daddy issues). Sawyer is the local conman, unlikable maybe, but he gives clever nicknames, so he can't be all bad. Locke is the local philosopher, always the wiser, he struggles with issues of faith. Sayid is the local Iraqi torturer. Hurley is the comical fat guy with a heart of gold and a harsh unlucky streak. Jin & Sun are the local Koreans that are surrounded by emotional and linguistic barriers. Charlie is the local drug-addicted former rockstar that finds a new addiction in the pregnant/sweet/cute Claire. Boone & Shannon are the high-class step-brother & sister that slept together. Michael & Walt are a father & son that struggle to build their relationship. And even though Kate is often criticized for being the worst character/actress, she's a tragic type who's built by circumstances, and only suffers because she's the least likable out of the whole cast.

To build out and flesh out that big of a cast in only 25 episodes is an amazing accomplishment to me, especially since a lot of it comes in the form of well-placed flashbacks. And again, in this season at least, Lost puts its characters above its story. Sure, it may string you along with a few mysteries, Lost Season 1 was all about the characters. This is where Lost succeeds, and for me at least, makes it such a compelling watch.

Overall, it's a must that you at least try the show out at least thought the pilot, and probably through episode 4 or 5. If you're not satisfied by this point, then you'll probably never be satisfied, and if you continue and make it through the whole season and you still don't like it, then just drop it. This is the best that Lost has offered so far, and to me, it's a TV gem.

Also, if you've already seen this season, after you've seen the whole show, I hear it's equally comelling and facinating the 2nd time around. Which is always great when a show stands up to, and even benefits from repeat viewings.