- Release Date: December 9, 2008
- Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
- Price: $36.99 on Amazon.com (Buy It
)
- Rating: TV-14
- Run Time: 604 minutes
- Special Features: Listed Below
- Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Michael Emerson, Rebecca Mader, Jeremy Davies, Jeff Fahey, Ken Leung, Elizabeth Mitchell, Henry Ian Cusick, Emilie de Ravin, Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia
- Genre: Drama, Sci Fi
Not only has “Lost” been my favorite show since it first premiered in 2004 but I also credit it as the show that made me fall in love with television. I was hooked from the beginning and other than season two, the show keeps getting better and better. Season four doesn’t quite compare to the amazing third year but it is still a five-star season.
Since “Lost” should be watched unspoiled I will warn you that if you haven’t seen the other three seasons yet, do not read this review. Instead, get to your nearest retail store and buy the DVD sets. The show is that good. For those who have seen the first three shows, this review will only touch on the general storyline of the season and will not spoil anything important.
Season three left off with the survivors finally reaching contact with the outside world. We also found out that at least two people got off the island in the future but one wants to go back. The fourth season deals with the crew of a mysterious freighter who may or may not save the day. The season also introduces flash forwards that allow us a peek at the lives of some of the survivors that were lucky enough to get off the island.
The storytelling is once again spectacular and the flash forwards add a new layer to the show. The flashbacks were getting a tad boring so I was very happy when flash forwards were introduced. However, as good as the flashbacks and flash forwards have been, the mysterious island has always been the real story in my book. Season four doesn’t disappoint in that area and some questions are actually answered for a change.
“Lost” has always had a great cast and despite some deaths in the past three seasons, the season four cast is still very good. I won’t go into detail with the returning cast members as everybody already knows they are a talented group. Instead I will focus on the four newbies from the freighter. I thought Rebecca Mader and Ken Leung were a bit bland but liked both Jeremy Davies and Jeff Fahey. Davies plays a physicist who seems to know a lot about the island. He adds a scientific element to the show and even provides a few answers to some of the show’s burning questions. Fahey is just a role player as the freighter’s pilot but he does add some more humor to the show.
Since “Lost” films in Hawaii it is pretty obvious that it is one of the best looking shows on television. The DVD transfer is great and I can only imagine how good the show looks in Blu-ray. The show also has one of the best scores on TV with some very emotional stuff that makes the show even better.
Like all of the “Lost” DVD sets, season four has a ton of bonus features, all of which are high quality. Usually when I buy a TV show on DVD I do it just for the episodes and I don’t even bother watching the bonus features. That isn’t the case with “Lost.” I watch every single extra because almost every one of them is either entertaining or informative. Season four contains the following extras:
- “Lost: On Location” (41:56)-A very informative look at some of the places “Lost” has used to shoot scenes. It is a bit long but definitely worth watching if you are a fan of the show.
- Lost Bloopers (3:23)-Your standard blooper reel with actors screwing up lines, props falling down, and cows walking into shots.
- “The Island Backlot: Lost in Hawaii” (17:52)-Did you know that other than four scenes, every sequence of “Lost” has been shot on location in Hawaii? This even includes the scenes in Iraq, Korea, Germany, etc. This featurette was very informative and probably my second favorite feature overall.
- “The Right To Bear Arms” (11:14)-A somewhat humorous look at how often the guns on the island have switched hands.
- “Soundtrack of Survival: Composing for Character, Conflict, & the Crash” (26:20)-A look into the production of the show’s score.
- Deleted Scenes (9:31)-None of these are scenes you absolutely must watch (they were deleted for a reason) but fans will still want to see them.
- “Course of the Future: The Definitive Flash-Forwards” (56:03)-All the flash forwards from the show in chronological order.
- “The Oceanic Six: A Conspiracy Of Lies”-A fake documentary that pokes holes in the the story of the Oceanic Six. This is a very funny feature and easily my favorite included in the set.
- “The Freighter Folk” (12:40)-A look at the new blood the freighter provided.
- “Offshore Shoot” (7:50)-Another “making of…” type feature, this time about shooting on the freighter.
- “Lost: Missing Pieces” (31:22)-These were webisodes that were featured on ABC’s homepage before the season began. They were supposed to fill in some stories but I’d say the only one worth watching is the last one.
- Commentaries
“Lost: The Complete Fourth Season” is one of the easiest DVD’s I’ve ever reviewed. The show is phenomenal and the DVD set is put together very well. There is no doubt in my mind that it deserves five stars and to be highly recommended.
