FlashForward - the Complete Series DVD Review

Before it even premiered, FlashForward was hyped as the successor to Lost for ABC. While it never quite lived up to expectations, the show did present an intriguing premise and a strong cast. Despite critical acclaim, it never gained the audience it should have, leading to its cancellation after one season. The finale, a mind-twisting cliffhanger, will forever leave fans frustrated and wondering what could have been.

To its credit, FlashForward never underestimated the audience's intelligence, and presented a complicated mystery that never got too confusing. The story follows FBI agent Mark Benford, played in a strong performance by Joseph Fiennes, who investigates a phenomenon during which the entire world's population blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. During the blackout, people experience a "flash-forward," in which they see a glimpse of themselves six months into the future.

As Agent Benford and his fellow agents investigate a possible conspiracy behind the blackout, each most also deal with the personal ramifications of what they, and their families, saw in their future. Featuring a strong supporting cast including John Cho (Star Trek, Harold & Kumar movies), Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings, Lost), Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), and Sonya Walger (Lost, CSI: New York, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), FlashForward was an addicting roller coaster of a story that entertained while facing issues like fate, death, and personal choice.

If ever a series was made for DVD, FlashForward fits the bill. Nearly every episode ended with a cliffhanger or new revelation, leaving viewers eager to see the next one. New viewers wary about watching a show with an unresolved storyline need not worry. Even though the 23 episodes that make up the series did leave some questions unanswered, there were enough revelations to satisfy viewers and spark speculation of what might have happened next.

The bonus features for this release include an Architects of Destiny in-depth feature, Meet Yuko featurette, FlashForward On Set featurette, Kangaroo? featurette, Interviews From The Mosaic featurettes, Creating Catastrophe: The Effects Of A Global Blackout behind-the-scenes feature, FlashForward: A Look Ahead featurette, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, and Audio Commentary for the "Revolution Zero" episode.

The technical specifications for the release include Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound; French and Spanish Subtitles; Widescreen (1.78:1); and it's enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The total episode running time is approximately 989 minutes.

There has been no set plans to release this on Blu-ray as of yet.