Judging by season four of History Channel’s The Universe, the influence of popular culture and affection for the explosive antics of Michael Bay have clearly influenced the bombastic visual approach of the series. The fan consensus and major criticism leveled on this season has been the reliance on speculative science, the fantastical elements firmly rooted in science fiction – phasers, teleporters, terraforming and the like. While it’s pleasing to see how far we’ve come and how we are capable of taking baby steps toward achieving our wilder science fiction dreams, the fourth season of The Universe is neither particularly compelling nor exciting enough to reward long-time viewers.
Composed of four discs packaged in a box set, Season 4 offers a barebones menu and is seemingly devoid of special features, save for two brief segments. I’d like to take a moment now to gripe about the lack of subtitles – this is completely unacceptable, especially for a series that is not best suited for those unfamiliar with the more complex concepts like the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (don’t hesitate to look it up, it’s worth scratching your head over). The experts talk on and on and the show moves at a meteoric (pun intended) rate, throwing out ideas and visualization while you sit dumbfounded, catching up in your head. Maybe it’s not so bad but the lack of subtitles definitely hurts the set.
Also souring is the 1.78.1 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer, which is clean and crisp when showing off new footage but as stocks change and old-school videos pop up, the transfer takes a hit. Also, while the show looks good in HD, it is disappointing to see the DVD does not make much of an effort to improve the visual quality.
The episodes included on Discs 1 are: “Death Stars” (dealing with how dying stars may threaten our green planet), “The Day the Moon Was Gone” (exploring the consequences if the moon was to disappear form orbit), and “It Fell From Space” (the impact on the surface of the Earth by falling objects from space). Disc 2 features: “Biggest Blasts” (a list of the most destructive explosions in the universe), “The Hunt for Ringed Planets” (opening with a look at Saturn and further discoveries of similarly ring-bearing planets), and “10 Ways to Destroy the Earth” (another list, this one self-explanatory.)
Disc 3 opens with: “The Search for Cosmic Clusters” (exploring star clusters), “Space Wars” (a new type of war played out in space) and “Liquid Universe” (a look at the various forms of liquid in space). The final disc features three episodes, titled: “Pulsars & Quasars” (regarding collapsed stars and the signals they are capable of emitting), “Science Fiction/Science Fact” (a lighthearted look at whether sci-fi dreams are achievable), and finally “Extreme Energy,” dealing with the energy in the universe.
The episodes range from fun laid-back affairs like “Science Fiction/Science Fact,” to something a little more serious such as “Liquid Universe”. The series as a whole is informed by a visual assault of interviews, CGI and more talking heads. It’s not difficult to understand what each episode attempts to cover even if it’s over your head from time to time. The primary problem is the amount of speculative data and the somewhat gung ho delivery of information. I have read that prior seasons were significantly more science-centered and less energetic, which I’m not sure is a good thing. Season four of The Universe is not bad but a far cry from a repeat viewing. Jump in, but prepare to get lost now and then. Still, you could do a lot worse than the History Channel when it comes to absorbing knowledge.
Between the DVD and Blu-ray sets, there's a noticeable difference in CGI clarity. As the series progresses it tends to indulge more and more in animated visuals and, when viewed in their HD format, they tend to look quite beautiful. They still have a nice look in standard definition but the bump up on Blu-ray might be enough to make you consider opting for the newer format.
Blu-ray and DVD Bonus Features
Two brief segments, “Meteors: Fire In The Sky” and “Comets: Prophets of Doom,” nine and three minutes long, respectively, are all the special features we get.
"The Universe: The Complete Season Four" is on sale February 23, 2010 and is rated PG. Documentary, Television. Directed by Various. Written by N/A. Starring NA.
