'Lost: The Complete Sixth Season' Blu-ray Review

LOST: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON

(not rated)
MOVIE: ***** (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ***** (out of 5)

STARRING
Naveen Andrews as SAYID
Emilie de Raven as CLAIRE
Matthew Fox as JACK
Jorge Garcia as HURLEY
Josh Holloway as SAWYER
Daniel Dae Kim as JIN
Yunjin Kim as SUN
Evangeline Lilly as KATE
Terry O’Quinn as LOCKE
Michael Emerson as BEN
Henry Ian Cusick as DESMOND

BY KEVIN CARR

WHAT IT’S ABOUT
One of the greatest television shows of the 21st century comes to an epic end in the sixth season of “Lost.” After the castaways traveled back in time to become part of the Dharma Initiative and detonated a nuclear bomb on the island, the universe seems to have split. In one storyline, we discover more about the mysterious Jacob, as well as his nemesis on the island. We also follow the castaways as they discover their destiny with Jacob, the Locke-Thing and the Others. Finally, we find ourselves simultaneously in a parallel reality in which Oceanic 815 never crashed, yet the characters we know continue to run into each other.

WHAT I LIKED
I cannot talk about “Lost” without gushing. What started as a somewhat routine real-life adventure of people stranded on an island has turned into one of the most complex and compelling dramas on television. At the end of the broadcast season, I found myself as a guest on several podcasts, extolling the brilliance of this television series, and I stand by those words.

This sixth season box set represents more than a collection of 16 episodes. It represents the culmination of one of the most exciting novels-for-television I have seen. Finding yourself at the end of this journey makes me cherish the previous seasons – even seasons three and four, which get criticized too much in my opinion.

To a certain degree, the showrunners had painted themselves in a bit of a corner and couldn’t end the series and keep everyone happy. But as a loyal fan over the years, I found the finale of “Lost” to be satisfying and true to the spirit of the show. Don’t worry… I’m not going to lay down any spoilers. I’ll just say that I’m happy the story didn’t wuss out with a cliche (which can be seen in other respected stories, like this summer’s blockbuster “Inception”), nor did it cheat on itself.

If you have not watched the previous seasons, do not start here. If you do, you’ll be wildly confused. The journey of “Lost” is well worth the investment of the dozens of hours it will take to watch all six seasons. But with this final season available on Blu-ray, increasing the show’s cinematic value far beyond the reaches of HD television, it’s a gem of a collection.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The only drawback to this final season is the changes we see in the character of John Locke and the subsequent Locke-Thing. But this comes more from the fact that he is my favorite character, and I didn’t want him to change. But at least Terry O’Quinn got to showcase his awesome acting abilities.

BLU-RAY FEATURES
One of the most wonderful things about the “Lost” collection on DVD and Blu-ray is that the box sets have continued to be packed with bonus content, which is usually tapped out by the second or third season. However, this Blu-ray set comes with plenty of bonus material hidden in the hatch.

Featurettes on the discs include “The New Man in Charge,” which looks at what can happen after the finale, “The End: Crafting a Final Season” about the focusing of the showrunner’s efforts for a finale, “A Hero’s Journey” which examines the heroic nature of the survivors, “See You in Another Life, Brotha” which delves into the flash-sidewaysverse, “LOST on Location” looking back at the Hawaiian locations and “LOST in 8:15” which covers the series in a very efficient manner.

There are also bloopers, deleted scenes, commentaries and access to the BD-Live “Lost University” which allows for and interactive way to learn more about the show.

WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of the show… which should be everyone.