{2jtab: Movie Review}

Serialized science fiction rarely gets as good as Canada’s Continuum.  Created by Simon Barry, Continuum centers on the dramatic conflict between a group of socially aware rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC in the year 2012 and the police officer who gets swept away with them.  It presents two sides – the rebels’ and the officer’s - to a situation that only halfway gets presented (as there feels like there is a bit more to the situation) in the 10 episodes that make up Season One.  Never confusing, Continuum – already in its Second Season up North – is a Canadian import that perfectly nails a cool vibe complete with drama, comedy, and very human science fiction.

Wisely grounded in a future that the rebels are trying to fight against, Continuum offers viewers the chance to see a different present then the reality the show launched with in each episode.  It all just depends on whether or not Liber8’s plans come to fruition or fail.  What are they fighting against?  Barry suggests that, in the future, all governments have failed and it is big businesses that have bailed them out and, as a consequence, big business owns the future and rules it as a dictatorship.  Of course, their arrival to the past – our present day – has already altered the future.  The concept of Time Travel always has its repercussions.

Continuum is not a police procedural.  It’s 100% science fiction disguised in familiar clothes while it gradually gains a strong foothold in its fight for or against the future.  While focused on trying to get Officer Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols), a Vancouver law enforcement officer (called a Protector in 2077), back to her husband and child, Continuum also opens its doors to the members of Liber8 and presents them as (maybe) not as awful as Cameron thinks they are while – through flashbacks – unveils a conspiracy that seems to involve her husband (John Reardon).

In each episode of Season One, Cameron – after securing a job with the local PD - works with Vancouver Police partner Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) as liber8’s plan for the future unfolds.  She works to stop them.  They – led by Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola) – work to fight the future with a sweeping plan to instigate their revolution in 2012 and not 2077.  Stop it way before the corporate takeover starts is their motto.  Cameron is aided in the present by computer whiz Alec Sadlera (Erik Knudsen),  a very important figure from her future, and her stylized suit (regulation in her future) and fights hard to make her way back to her present day without it being changed by Liber8.

Science Fiction, on a weekly basis, is sometimes hard to sell.  Fans of the genre who possibly missed its run on Syfy or who gave up early on the program should give this release a chance.  Slow starts be damned.  Continuum is worth the long, strange trip.  Its Looper meets Minority Report vibe won’t disappoint the patient.  Universal Studios presents the first season on Blu-ray (and DVD) this month – only two weeks after it finished its run on Syfy.  American fans of the show – confused by the weird commercial breaks Syfy broke into the program with - can watch straight through, without a problem.  The continuity and the structure of the future is key to this one, after all.

With Continuum: Season One, Canada introduces America to its own future.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: This title has not been rated by the MPAA.
Creator: Simon Barry
Cast: Rachel Nichols, Erik Knudsen, Victor Webster
Genre: TV | Sc-Fi | Thriller
Tagline: The future is in their hands.
Memorable Movie Quote: ""
Distributor: SyFy
Offical Website: continuumtheseries.com
Release Date: May, 2012
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: March 26, 2013

Synopsis: A detective from the year 2077 finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver and searching for ruthless criminals from the future.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - March 26, 2013
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region Encoding: A, B

Universal presents this digitally shot television show on a crystal clear 1080p transfer.  With a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, the show looks quite sleek and smooth on Blu-ray.  This is a detailed affair.  The blacks are never inky and the colors are crackling.  The special effects are quite eye-popping, letting you see the great detail of the series, especially in the future sequences. No obvious glitches or grain, it’s very crisp and allows you to enjoy the depth of the series and pull you into the amazing story and action the show does quite well.  The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is quite excellent, putting up with the various effects of gunshots and explosions and the fine ambient backgrounds.   Overall, this is a strong release for fans of the show.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

While the transfers on the Blu-ray are crystal clear, Universal’s release of Season One earns a lesser grade than the series content deserves on account of its startling lack of extras. The one featurette - Meet the Makers, Protectors and Terrorists - is not slick or stylish like the show it accompanies.  This sequence of interviews is hastily thrown together. With complete access to the cast, this could've been a cool peak behind the curtain of the show.  It is not.  It is merely fluff.  Boo.

• Meet the Makers, Protectors and Terrorists (19 min)

{2jtab: Trailer}

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