Lost - The Complete Fifth Season [DVD] [2009]

Continuing to jump around with its time and narrative, this season also finds Lost in a more decisive mood, as some key genre decisions about the show come to fruition. And, naturally enough, it leaves things finely poised for the show’s final season, with a cliffhanger at the end of the season that, not for the first time with Lost, poses many, many questions.

So what’s so special about the Blu-ray release? The picture quality for starters, which by far transcends what you may hope and expect from a television show. Granted, Lost has rarely skimped on its production values, but the show is laden with detail, and it looks terrific in high definition. Matched toe to toe by the audio, it’s a solid upgrade from the DVD edition, and fleshes matters out with some welcome extra features too. Furthermore, there’s also an interesting, take-it-or-leave-it season play feature, that can follow just where you’re up to in the show to ensure you start back at the right place. That latter point, of course, isn’t going to sway anyone to buy the Blu-ray set. The quality of the show itself, and its presentation here, offer far more compelling arguments, however. --Jon Foster