Official Synopsis:
As one experience ends, another adventure begins… in the extraordinary worlds of Amazing Stories! From acclaimed director-producer Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment comes the Emmy® Award-winning TV series available on DVD for the first time ever. Join a roster of cinema’s most illustrious stars, including Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Tim Robbins, John Lithgow, Kevin Costner and more, as well as some of Hollywood’s greatest directorial talents, in this epic collection of all 24 groundbreaking Season One episodes. Relive all the mesmerizing magic, mystery and suspense in these unique episodes from some of filmmaking’s finest storytellers!
Our Take:
Amazing Stories was a show that should have been much more successful than it was. Two measly seasons were simply not enough to fully explore the creativity that this show brought to the airwaves. At its core, the show owed more than a little to its predecessors like the Twilight Zone, but in reality it was so much more than that. It was a showcase for filmmakers and actors to explore any kind of genre they wanted; from comedy to horror, science fiction to adventure tales.
You look at the talent involved now and it's hard to imagine a show like this not being a success, isn't it? If any series today could boast this kind of creative line-up, it would likely be a ratings bonanza. Steven Spielberg, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Drew Barrymore, Brad Bird (director of The Incredibles), Anthony LaPaglia, Peter Hyams, Gregory Hines, Mick Garris, Sid Caesar, Bronson Pinchot, Burt Reynolds, Loni Anderson, Dom & Michael DeLuise, Clint Eastwood, Harvey Keitel, Beau Bridges, Seth Green, James Cromwell, Joe Pantoliano, Forest Whitaker, Mark Hamill, Joe Dante, Robert Picardo, Martin Scorsese, Tim Robbins, Irvin Kershner (director of The Empire Strikes Back), John Lithgow, Timothy Hutton... and that was just the first season! When was the last time you saw a line-up like that?
The Amazing Stories four-disc DVD collection comes with just one extra feature, and that is a collection of deleted scenes. Twelve episodes offer deleted scenes, with a running time of about 20 minutes total.
I used to watch Amazing Stories religiously when it was on television, and I was surprised by how vividly I remembered so many of the episodes, even though I had only seen them once or twice. One of my favorites is easily Mummy Daddy, a show which has stuck with me so well over twenty years that I could remember specific gags from the humorous episode. While I would have loved a featurette with some comments by Spielberg himself, the main attraction here is the show itself. If you're looking for some amazing stories, then look no further.
RECOMMENDED!
Overall Picture:
Show: A
DVD: B-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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