Genre: Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Mystery

Directors: Martin Wood, Damian Kindler, Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Steven A. Adelson, Lee Wilson

Writers: Damian Kindler, Alan McCullough, James Thorpe, Gillian Horvath

Cast: Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins, Christopher Heyerdahl, Agam Darshi, Pascale Hutton

Discs: 4

Running Time: 585 minutes plus extras

Aspect Ratio:(BD) 1080p High Definition 1.78:1/(DVD) 16×9 (1.78:1)

Audio: (BD) DTS-HD Master Audio/(DVD) 5.1 Surround Sound

Summary:
Amanda Tapping returns as Dr. Helen Magnus in the amazing fourth and final season of the hit Syfy series and Primetime Emmy nominee for Outstanding Special Visual Effects, promising bigger myths and greater surprises than ever before! Entertainment One presents SANCTUARY: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON on DVD and blu-ray – the most cutting-edge and groundbreaking season yet from one of television’s most consistently inventive series. The four-disc set features all 13 episodes from the fourth season, plus extensive behind-the-scenes featurettes and a multitude of otherworldly bonus features.

The trailblazing series returns with the enigmatic Dr. Magnus and the Sanctuary team — featuring Robin Dunne as Will Zimmerman, Ryan Robbins as Henry Foss, Christopher Heyerdahl as John Druitt and Agam Darshi as Kate Freelander — continuing their quest to unlock the mysteries of the strange and sometimes terrifying beings that secretly hide among us.

The SANCTUARY creative team, who routinely brave new worlds in each episode, includes executive producer, writer and creator Damian Kindler (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis); executive producer and lead actor Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis); and executive producer and director Martin Wood (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis). In addition, Sam Egan (Jeremiah, The Outer Limits) serves as executive producer and writer along with John Smith (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis) and Keith Beedie as executive producers. Sanctuary is distributed by Tricon Films and Television.

Season 4 is the final season of this innovative series, and is arguably better than the previous best, Season 1. As always it follows a familiar hybrid format of both serialized and one-off episodes, but this season settles in to the new world of Abnormals Are No Longer Secret, and Some of Them Have Organized, very nicely. It’s a smart and somewhat unusual direction, but gives them a lot more to work with. They had an extremely short amount of time between getting the greenlight for the season and needing to have episodes ready for airing, so in that regard this season is a particular triumph.

If you’re not familiar with the show, you should be able to dive in to this fourth season cold as long as you pay attention to the “previously on” clips at the beginning of each episode. Like most sci-fi series, you’ll have a bit more to figure out than if you were jumping in to the fourth season of a non-genre drama, but if you’re interested in sci-fi you’re smart enough to get there. I think it helps a bit that the first episode is “Tempus,” the time-travel episode. It introduces us to the idea of abnormals, gives us a background, and limits us to just a few characters. The second episode immerses us in all that’s gone on in Hollow Earth and the status of the abnormals who once lived there, so having that first episode be a bit quieter is nice.

Although I’m a fan of serialized shows, I think I actually like the one-off, monster-of-the-week episodes best in Season 4. They’re a little more intimate and focused, and are what this series seems to do best. This is also the season that includes the unfortunate musical episode, “Fugue.” I’m rarely if ever a fan of musical episodes, and this one is particularly uncomfortable, but I can’t blame them for trying. One of the bonus features is about the making of that episode, and my hat is off to them for the effort.

If you’re wondering if the season finale will leave you with a cliffhanger that will never be resolved, don’t be. Although they didn’t know whether they would be granted another season when the season finale was written, shot, and aired, I have a very clear recollection of thinking, when I first saw it broadcast, that if the series has to end, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to go.

This series is shot almost entirely on greenscreen, and in fact has been for me an exemplar of how cg should be done on broadcast television. I’ve often thought, when seeing the attempt made on another show, that the people who are involved in this production ought to give a master class for the industry. However… it just so happens that Blu-ray isn’t particularly kind to it. Who knew? I have watched the show in HD and I own the previous seasons on DVD and never noticed the edges between the characters and the CG backgrounds quite so distinctly as I do on this Blu-ray set. Now that’s not to say that the effects aren’t still impressive, it’s just that, for me, a great deal of it is brought down to the level of other shows. In other words, it’s still good, it’s just more obvious and therefore more like what we’re used to elsewhere.

Packaging – This set comes in a three-fold case inside a slipcover. The first inner side is a table of contents that lists every episode by disc and includes a description of each, which is unusual and appreciated. Episodes with commentaries are marked with an asterisk. The other two parts of the folder hold the four discs, and I’m not crazy about the setup; it’s one of those that has two discs stacked directly on top of each other, so that it looks like one disc per side instead of two. While I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with doing it that way, it just bothers me. The exterior of the folder features shots from the episodes, and movie-poster-like credits on the front. The slipcover features a cast shot on the front and a very brief series summary on the back, with a list of bonus features. While I prefer to have episodes listed on the exterior of the packaging, so I’ll know if I have the season I’m looking for at a glance, the inclusion of episode descriptions on the inside makes up for that shortfall.

Bonus Features – These are the kinds of bonus features I most appreciate, chock full of insights into the behind-the-scenes production of the series.

• Amanda Cam – Wow, this woman is crazy-busy. Although there is a little bit of Amanda Cam – a camera following Amanda throughout her day – most of it is interviews with the cast and production about star and executive producer Amanda Tapping, and with the woman herself. Off-camera she is far different from her character Helen Magnus; she loses the accent and with it, the imperiousness. She is driven, inspiring, and exhausting to watch.
• Fugue: Making a Musical – Yes, it’s that unfortunate musical episode. But watching the “making of” featurette was inspiring and impressive, as well as being poignant – composer Andrew Lockington lost his battle with cancer earlier this year.
• Tempus: Behind the Scenes – The making of the first episode of the season, the time travel episode. Challenges included “twinning” (scenes where one person plays two roles) and the constant pouring rain which was not computer generated. And wait until you learn who played Spring-Heeled Jack!
• Robin Dunne Directs Homecoming – This production company is very nurturing of its members wanting to learn to do more. From Robin Dunne’s perspective, we learn a great deal about what’s involved in learning the new-to-him craft of directing.
• Gag Reel – It’s really funny, really long, and adds the nice touch of a little music in the background.
• Deleted Scenes
• Commentaries – I love these commentaries, as they again give a lot of insight into what goes into such a technically challenging production, and gives me an even greater appreciation for all that goes in to it. They can be found on Episode 2 “Uprising,” Episode 9 “Chimera,” Episode 11 “The Depths,” and Episodes 12 and 13, “Sanctuary for None” Parts 1 and 2.

If you’re a fan of the show, definitely get this set – or better yet, the DVD set – because nothing compares to watching a show you love, straight through with no commercials or need to fast forward. If you’re new to the show, it’s great for fans of time travel, unusual beings, cool effects, and interesting story lines, and the enthusiastic and tireless people who create them.

I give Sanctuary: The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray) Four Out of Five Stars.

 

 

Sanctuary: The Complete Fourth Season is available to order today – here’s the link:
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