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DVD
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Box set, NTSC
Actors: Luke Perry, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Joanne Kelly (II), Byron Lawson, Kandyse McClure
A stunning sci-fi epic that re-envisions the future of mankind, this top-rated, action-packed original series is "intriguing" (Associated Press), "fascinating" (Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel) and "deep and intense" (Science Fiction Weekly)! Luke Perry ("Beverly Hills 90210," "Oz") stars as Jeremiah, one of the many young survivors of the "Big Death" that claimed the lives of every adult in the world 15 years ago. Now forging his way through a bleak wilderness fraught with danger and conspiracy, Jeremiah and his most trusted friend, Kurdy (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), are plunged into thrilling adventures that test every facet of their humanity…and ultimately the fate of the human race itself!
Jeremiah fans have been clamoring for the release of the show on DVD (it originally aired on Showtime), and with 19 episodes and a passel of special features spread out over six discs and totaling nearly 15 hours, they are unlikely to be disappointed. Based on a series of graphic novels by Hermann Huppen, the show takes place on an Earth where, some 15 years earlier, a hormonal virus killed everyone who was past puberty. It's an intriguing premise, but one that creator J. Michael Straczynski (best known for his work on "Babylon 5") and his team haven't exploited to its fullest. The slow-moving, 90-minute pilot episode explains little of the internal logic of this post-apocalyptic world; how, for instance, did these young folks, the oldest of whom were only 12 or 13 when "the Big Death" wiped out six billion people, manage to survive, educate themselves, and learn skills and trades without any adult influence in a society that's in shambles? It would be fun to know more. Still, the show's ideas are provocative, and the work of co-stars and TV stalwarts Luke Perry as the title character, a hero with a conscience, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner as his more cynical sidekick, is good. Jeremiah, to its credit, doesn't rely on special effects, production design, costumes, or sets to carry it. That means the burden is on the ongoing themes (Jeremiah's guilt over his younger brother's death and his search for the maybe-mythic "Valhalla Sector"; the threat of the plague returning in an even more virulent form; the attempts to rebuild civilization) and individual stories, which are frequently compelling and smart (especially "Things Left Unsaid," the two-part season finale, a cliffhanger that offers many possibilities for future seasons), even while favoring talk over action. The special features occupy disc 1, along with the pilot, and include deleted scenes, production sketches, and commentary on the pilot by Perry (who also executive produced) and Warner. If you're looking for superior sci-fi escapism, however, try Farscape or Stargate SG-1, to name just two. --Sam Graham
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| Peter Pan's Lost Boys with Guns |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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"Jeremiah" is set in an alternate universe where everyone is blessed with a crystal clear memory of their early childhood years and a complete blank of what transpired between the ages of 12 and 27.
The premise is that 15 years prior to the show a virus wiped out every living human being over the age of thirteen. Left without parental guidance, electricity, television, movies or anything else, the orphaned children of the world spend the next 15 years eating canned food and killing one another - and somehow finding time to study history, read classic books and become wise and worldly and startlingly eloquent.
Still, if you can manage to get past the notion that children left to their own devices would spend a decade and a half bettering themselves as human beings in between moping about how much they miss their parents and how unfair life is, if you can look beyond the unnatural dialogue and typical Straczynski preachiness, it's pretty watchable, thoughtless entertainment. As an added bonus, you get Theo Huxtable and Dylan Walsh strutting around like they're oh-so-bad, which has some unintended comic relief to the otherwise straightforward plots which occasionally club you over the head with their "hidden meaning".
Watch it if you're a big fan of end-of-the-world settings. Skip it if you consider yourself to have any sort of standards.
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| Luke Perry? Who Knew? |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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Like many other reviewers I discovered this great show by accident browsing through the Netflix SciFi section. So 5 years after the show was cancelled I'm discovering Jeremiah and Kurdy's world for the first time. Yes, the first season is a little slow. But I've decided it's supposed to be slow. No lights, no electricity, no running water and no television. The viewer travels with Jeremiah and Kurdy at their pace (where DO they get the gas for that truck, anyway? I guess we're not supposed to ask.) Follow along with them and learn about life and human nature. Rent or buy it, but enjoy it. If I have one complaint it would be that the characters often use slang or expressions they probably wouldn't have had time to learn before thier parents died. Might they not even have their own popular culture jargon by now? Just wondering.
Not being the right age to enjoy his earlier work, I had no idea Luke Perry was such a good actor. Through season one and two he grows his Jeremiah character--often with a great deal of protest--into a leader. Jamal is also great. He's perfect in this role. Just perfect. His character also grows and matures and it's plain entertaining to watch. I have just four episodes left to watch of season two. I don't want it to be over! The addition of the new characters in season two was also an excellent decision.
The clean underpants scene had me laughing so hard I almost rolled off the couch. What an imagination. Two favorite moments: Theo discovering the hotwater and toilets in the Thunder Mountain ladies room and "When was the last time you even saw a pair of underpants, Jeremiah?" --Kurdy.
Enjoy.
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| Far too short a series run. |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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A very interesting post-apocalyptic (but not depressing) series from the man that brought you "Babylon 5". This box set is season one of the two season series. Each season has stand-alone stories and a season length storyline with a good wrap up at the end of the season. In other words, there is no cross-season cliff hanger. Each season is a stand alone storyline. Well written, well acted, and with interesting characters. Two-thumbs up.
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| Among the best DVDs I've ever watched |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Excellent. If you liked the CBS show Jericho, you'll like this one just as much, and the acting is better.
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| Jeremiah, season 1 |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Absolutely outstanding show! Waiting impatiently for the release of season 2 in a box. Can rent from NetFlix, but really want to own the box set. I'm really bummed that the show folded after 2 seasons though. Wish they'd bring it back.
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