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By
WAYNE KLEIN
Chris Carter's first follow
up series to his hit "The X-Files" used a concept
that would have seemed right at home on his other
series: as the Millennium arrives, it seems that
strange things are beginning to happen and that,
maybe, these strange things represent some sort of
conspiracy that will, ultimately, lead to the end
of the world. Frank Black, former profiler, is
called back into service to help the Millennium
Group that is to Black what the F.B.I. is to "The
X-Files." These bizarre occurrences include
kidnappings, serial murders with unusual
circumstances, ritualistic sacrifices and many of
the other things that Mulder and Scully might
experience themselves. Except that Black begins to
notice strange things happening within the
Millennium Group itself suggesting that it may be
playing a part in the larger scheme of things.
Much darker in tone and set on the west coast (as
opposed to "The X-Files" with its primary setting
in Washington DC), "Millennium" had a strong first
season with Carter working with many of the folks
that contributed to the strangest and darkest
episodes of "The X-Files." My only complaint is
that "Millennium" tends to take less risks than
"The X-Files" by turning genre conventions on
their heads and playing with the very genre it
belongs to. That said, "Millennium" didn't have as
much time to grow up and it did so in a very
public forum whereas "The X-Files" rose from
obscurity to become a powerhouse series.
Expectations were high for this fine series and
comparisons to its sister production put
"Millennium" at a disadvantage for most critics.
Borrowing the look, feel and texture of David
Fincher's "Sev7n" and combining it with the tone
of its sister series meant that comparisons were
going to happen.
Priced just right (unlike "The X-Files") and
despite some digital artifacts, "Millennium" looks
pretty good on DVD. Packing four episodes per disc
for a total of 22 episodes doesn't leave much room
for error. The moody and dark look of many
episodes throughout the series also makes
transferring this series a challenge. The 2.0
Surround sound comes across pretty well although
there's some slight compression. It's not a big
issue and, considering the amount of information
on the disc, it's acceptable. The original
documentary gives an account of the creation of
the series but the most compelling featurette (and
the most scary) is the one on real profilers. It
appears that Frank Black isn't too far off base as
a character. |
