Atlantis - The Complete First Season - DVD

Film: Ever since his father disappeared on a diving expedition, Jason (Jack Donnelly) has been on a desperate search for answers. As he dives for his father's submarine, he is drawn to a mysterious source of light - and suddenly he awakens on a strange beach. The people he encounters are all dressed strangely, and the town near the sea seems as if time stood still here centuries ago. When he also encounters a two-headed lizard, Jason finally thinks he's lost his mind. But he doesn't have much time to wonder, because he is already being chased by armed soldiers. He gets help from the clever Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and the strong Hercules (Mark Addy), who take the confused Jason to the Oracle (Juliet Stevenson). Here he learns that he has come to Atlantis through a portal - just like his father before him. Jason's arrival, he says, was his destiny, for only he can save the people of Atlantis. Jason no longer understands the world, but tries to come to terms with the situation with the help of his new cronies. But it's not long before he has to fight the legendary Minotaur, free the beautiful Medusa (Jemima Rooper) from the clutches of the followers of Dionysus, or stand his ground against wild bulls in the arena. And the longer he's in Atlantis, the more dangerous things become for him. For while Jason is the savior to some, he poses a real threat to others. And especially from King Minos (Alexander Siddig) he should be on his guard...

Atlantis is after Robin Hood, Merlin or even The Musketeers another BBC production in which well-known myths are reinterpreted. The result is an entertaining, if not particularly deep, adventure series that derives much of its entertainment value from the coherent dynamic between the three main characters. The outwardly tough Hercules in particular provides some particularly delicious moments time and time again - especially when he's trying to impress Medusa. Whenever the three are together, there is guaranteed to be something for the viewer to laugh about before the next exciting task must be solved or the next battle won.

Visual effects are often used, but they are not always really successful. If the mythical worlds and creatures are still really well implemented in some moments, especially the green screen effects can hardly convince in other scenes. The series tries to compensate for this shortcoming with a fast-paced production and exciting adventures. However, this only succeeds if you can accept the very free interpretation of the sagas and historical backgrounds. But then it's actually a lot of fun when Jason fights the Minotaur, saves little Oedipus, meets the witch Zirze, has to defeat the followers of Dionysus or falls madly in love with Ariadne (Aiysha Hart), the king's daughter. The fact that some of the plot lines are very conventionally structured and the dialogues are sometimes very flat is only marginally disturbing.

Atlantis may not be the big hit. But as entertaining fantasy entertainment the series works really well. If you already liked Merlin & Co. and appreciate a balanced mix of adventure, romance, humor, action, fantasy and mysticism, you should definitely give this first season a chance. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The audiovisual quality of the series is at a good to very TV level on DVD. The picture is very absolute and both the warm coloration and and overall sharpness leave little to complain about. Only in darker moments are slight weaknesses in detail and minimal picture noise noticeable. The audio, available in Dolby Digital 5.1, transports dialogue, music and sound effects powerfully, but overall somewhat centrally mixed out of the speakers. No real revelation, but for a TV series this is perfectly adequate. Good!

Extras: On the fourth disc there is an entertaining and interesting making of (approx. 29 min.), which offers a good insight into the production of the series. Good!

Conclusion:Atlantis is an entertaining fantasy series that reinterprets familiar myths and legends. The hero Jason travels to a magical world where he meets minotaurs, satyrs, Medusa or Oedipus. This is especially through his unequal cronies Hercules and Pythagoras very entertaining, sometimes also very exciting and even if not all effects can really convince, the show values of the series are also quite decent. Historical accuracy is just as little to expect here, as dramaturgical depth. But if you're just looking for nice adventure entertainment, you'll get your money's worth in the 13 episodes of the first season. The DVD is technically well done. As a bonus there is only a making of, which is however altogether quite worth seeing. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp