Helix – Season 1: DVD Review
Season Overview
A team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control travel to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that holds the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation.
Helix takes a fairly realistic scenario and turns it completely upside down. It looks at disease and outbreaks in a contained space and what people actually do and react in a situation like that but at the same time it’s a sci-fi show so it goes in some crazy directions. I liken it a lot to 28 Days Later because of the viral outbreak but also because of the people that become infected. They basically have an abnormal amount of rage and their main mission is to kill and spread the virus. The main difference is that instead of spreading it through blood like 28 Days Later it’s transmitted through a black ooze that seeps out of the victim’s mouth. When you deal with a story containing a research facility and the CDC you know that there is going to be more to it than what you see on the outside. There’s double crossing, conspiracies, and lots of mayhem. What more could you ask for in a show? I didn’t think I was going to like it at first because some of the acting seemed a bit cheesy but it progressively got better and better with each episode. It almost seemed like the actors became comfortable and were able to find their footing on the show. The main title music is used throughout the show can only be described as chipper elevator music but layered on top of a violent scene makes it super creepy and that’s exactly what I loved about it. You don’t see that sort of thing often in television and along with the interesting story it makes for some great T.V. This will get you pumped up to see season 2 but the only bad thing is that we have to wait to 2015 which feels like a really long time. You owe it to yourself to watch this if you’re a sci-fi fan or a fan of outbreak type films. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed!
Special Features:
Ronald D. Moore: The Outlier Of Science Fiction – A interview with Moore as he explains his vision in creating a new show with the viral subject matter.
The Future Of Disease – The feature takes a look at the actual possibility of a viral outbreak and just how they used that realism when making the show.
The Art Of Isolation – This is more of a production design feature. They talka bit about what it took to make an Arctic base and make it feel so secluded and contained.
Dissecting The Characters – This is a profile on the characters in this season and how they impact each other as well as the overall story itself.
Outtakes – Not a whole lot of outtakes here but still some pretty funny stuff.
Deleted Scenes – A quick collection of scenes throughout the season that don’t really offer up anything extra.
