If
you like “The Walking Dead” but want more sci-fi and less horror, “Falling
Skies” may be the show for you. If you repeatedly watch “Battlestar Galactica”
but don’t find the melodrama cheesy, “Falling Skies” may be a perfect fit. For
all of the rest, this show may have too much melodrama and sci-fi geekiness to
overcome. It may sound as though I’m being harsh on the show, but it is on-par
with TNT programming, and it is better than some of the other alien projects
Steven Spielberg has attached himself to in the past decade.
Though the storyline has some
similarities to “The Walking Dead,” this show is heavy on sci-fi and gets even
more entangled in other-worldly characters by the close of the second season.
Soon there will be as many alien characters as human ones. Noah Wyle heads up
the cast as a former history teacher who has learned to become a leader with
the alien invasion. He and his sons fight the aliens with their group, but
season two complicates the battle.
There are several types of aliens, including
the typical tall and lanky ones who are the main invaders. They first attacked
and stole many of the human children, so that they could be harnessed and made
to integrate into the invader’s army. The second season makes it clear that the
other type of alien doing destruction on earth are actually harnessed from
another planet. The close of season two brings the arrival of yet another
species or race of aliens to earth.
Though the direction of this
storyline is rather obvious, season two takes its time getting anywhere with
the new revelations. Human advisors and leaders refuse to believe that any of
the aliens can be there to help, postponing an inevitable alliance against the
invaders. There are many frustrating aspects to the narrative, including some
annoying melodrama, but the good mostly outweighs the bad.
The Blu-ray release of season two
includes all ten episodes on two discs, along with special features. There are
several featurettes, including behind-the-scenes and set tours. There is also a
preview of season three and audio commentaries on select episodes. One of the
more creative features is an animated trailer for the second season which was
created by Dark Horse Comics.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
Disc Features: 8.5/10
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