Alias - Season 1-5 The Complete Set [DVD]

I was as upset as anyone when the series ended, and by the way it ended. Too many loose ends, unanswered questions, plot holes, etc. Having said that, there has never been a series as intriguing, exciting, and enthralling as Alias. I bought seasons 1-4 as they became available and watched them at least 5 times each. I was not the least bit hesitant to buy the boxed set when it first went on pre-order. I would have liked more extras, but what it has are great. If you didn't really follow the series when is was broadcast, do yourself a favor and watch it on DVD. If you already are a fan you probably already have other DVD sets. Do YOURSELF a favor and buy the boxed set. Another word for the true fans. Okay, I became an Alias addict as soon as the first episode aired. I am such an addict that I am writing an Alias novel as therapy after the series ended leaving so many plot holes and unanswered questions. So, I was shocked when I recently watched season one DVD's of The Pretender, which aired from 1996-2000 (ending 1 year before Alias aired). I was totally blown away by the following similarities between the two shows. And since The Pretender came first, it was Alias which copied ideas from The Pretender. Here is my list of similarities between The Pretender and Alias- just from the first few episodes of The Pretender: 1- A young boy is at a center where he's being studied and his special abilities are being groomed for use by some secret group (Alias tie- Project Christmas), 2-he builds a tall building out of an erector set(Project Christmas wooden block puzzle)demonstrating his abilities. 3-The man who is directing this use of the boy is a Dr. named Sydney (Alias main character name), 4-who is played by the actor who played Dr. DeSantis in Alias. 5-The boy grows up in the center and eventually escapes. He goes into hiding from this powerful organization, taking on a new alias each week and using his abilities to right wrongs (like Sydney in Alias- see #24). 6-He is a combination of the Sydney Bristow and Marshall Flinkman Character on Alias. 7-The main character is trying to find out who he really is and what happened to his real parents(Alias-Sydney and her mother,Irina). 8-Familiar Alias type phrases, one of which is "decide whether you are going to be a scientist (spy) or a mommy- you can't be both," the female lead says to Dr. Sydney"(very similar to what Irina told Sydney about being a spy and a mother in the last season of Alias). 9-Jerrod speaks many languages (Sydney does too). 10-He flies airplanes(Sydney does too). 11-Jennifer Garner (Sydney in Alias) once guest starred in The Pretender(2 years before Alias aired), playing a character named Billie VAUGHN(her boyfriend in Alias was named Michael VAUGHN). 12-The actor playing Jerrod is MICHAEL WEISS(as in Alias characters MICHAEL Vaughn and another main character, ERIC WEISS), while the name of the actor who plays the creepy bad guy at the Centre trying to hunt down Jerrod is named Richard MARCUS (as in Alias character MARCUS Dixon).13-The female lead, Miss Parker, who is teamed up with Dr. Sydney is a hard, driven, ruthless Alias character Irina Derevko. 14-Some of the graphics in The Pretender are Rambaldi(mysterious 15th century Alias character)-esc. 15-There is a black female director at the Centre(Alias tie- Director Chase at CIA). 16-Sydney Bristow's mother, Irina, was unquestionably the power behind much of the evil in Alias- Miss Parker's father is the head of the Centre. 17-When Miss Parker was young her mother supposedly killed herself, but as the show progresses Parker discovers that her father may have killed her, or that she may actually still be alive (Alias- very like Irina). 18-In one episode the bad guy boss of a law firm is named Mr. Sloane(name of main Alias bad guy for 5 seasons). 19-In the same episode a guy wrongly accused of a murder has the first name Marcus (again, Alias- Marcus Dixon). 20-Sloane goes to jail (also in Alias). 21- Last line spoken to Mr. Sloane in that episode at the end of that episode of The Pretender-"Now you have all the time in the world." (Same last line said to Mr.Sloane in Alias).22- A recurring number holds the key to a mystery behind the Centre- SL-27 (Alias- #47). 23- Dr. Sydney, who feels responsible for his brother's death, speaks to his brother, who appears to him from beyond the grave(Alias- Nadia, Sloane's daughter whose death he is responsible for, appears to him from beyond the grave). 24- They start each episode of The Pretender explaining that the main character is a Pretender- a genius with the ability to become anyone he wishes. That is the essence of creating an effective alias- something Sydney Bristow did every week. In fact, she explained to another Alias character that to pull off an alias you have to become that person. So, the essence of being a Pretender is the same as creating an Alias. Alias was a GREAT series, but I have never heard anyone address how heavily it was influenced by The Pretender.

I first pre-ordered this item during the summer, and was very happy when it arrived weeks before the December 23rd shipping estimate. Yet when I opened the box, I was disappointed to see that they had used cardboard sleeves to keep the DVDs in. Even worse, they had a rough cardboard edge directly in the middle of the DVD. Due to the packaging, the DVDs shifted around during shipping, and several were scratched. Approximately 5 would start freezing while being played - but not until a good part of an episode! I contacted Amazon, who sent me another box, and allowed me to pick and choose between the better DVDs. I managed to get a complete set that works, with minor scratches, but I'm afraid that storing them inside the Rambaldi DVD sleeves will just scratch them further. Great idea, but the packaging is horrible. You'll spend more time trying to assemble a working set, then it's worth.

I have over 50 boxed set DVDs and without a doubt, this is the most exquisite! It is sturdy and has a gleaming gold exterior that does not begin to show up in the picture featured here at all. If you are thinking of a holiday gift, THIS is the one to choose. Also, it ships very nicely and the DVDs are packaged in a way so that they don't fall out. That said, I will add my comments to the other reviews regarding the show itself. I had actually never seen the show prior to ordering this set. But I kept hearing all the hype about it and I have to say that the series is absolutely one of the very best. JJ Abrams of Lost fame created and wrote for the show and I have to say that Lost and Alias are two of my top three television series. What a genius! I grew up in the 60's watching "Man from U.N.C.L.E." and of course James Bond, and I loved this series about a young woman who erroneously has been led to believe that she works for a covert division of the CIA. Moreover, the writers do not have the viewers just blindly accepting that this woman is a "super spy" with extraordinary powers. Instead, they give a very plausible rationale for her extreme gifts in the world of espionage. LOL I have to admit that if I could be any fictional character from a television series....it would have to be Sydney Bristow. Jennifer Gardner just made this character come alive. I would love to have an alter ego = female spy fighting for the "good guys." Although I previously liked Jennifer Garnder and thought she was a pretty good actress on the big screen, Alias made me realize what an absolutely amazing and talented actress she is. Likewise, ALL the actors in the series are SO awesome. Of course, Michael Vartan is great and played his part beautifully but I thought that the performance by Kevin Weisman who played Marshall was incredible. Absolutely nailed his character down pat. This boxed set also include a HARDCOVER little book about Alias as well.

by far the most spectacular packaging i've ever seen ! but the content blows all expectations. reading all the reviews i expected the last 3 seasons to be way worse then 1 and 2. although season 4 gets a bit confusing in terms of where the plot's leading(even if watched in correct order, as i did), i still think alias is the best thing to hit the small screen besides 24. after a quite weakt season 4, season 5 pulled it off to bring back the amazing feeling of the first three, despite the many new characters (of which i think the reneé rienne character is absolutely misplaced and unnecessary) the final season gets better with every episode and the finale is stunning and spectacular. season 2 is my personal favourite, but all the others are amazing as well. i've had this box set shipped all the way to austria, and not a single disc was damaged ! two had minor scratches and one had a strange light spot but all were completely playable. i watched seasons 3-5 back to back in about 2 weeks and and i was completely blown away when i had to leave the stunning world of alias after these 2 weeks when i literally had nothing else in my mind than Sydney's adventures and how it is all going to end. so my suggestion : BUY BUY BUY this complete collection, before they replace it with a normal standard compilation of 5 box sets.

Mini scratches on several disk , on season 1, 2 disc would not play Don't Buy

You know about the show, but here's about this particular set with the artifact box. The box is just too cool! It opens in a "Rambaldi" fashion, with a secret compartment at the bottom. It's not just another DVD case! It's something you can leave on your coffee table as a real eye-catching conversation starter. If you like the series, go ahead and splurg a little to get the entire set in this box. It's a very good deal price-wise for the DVDs, and you'll feel like you have a Rambaldi artifact of your own. (The picture here doesn't do it justice! You have to see it for real. Velour lining and a little book with comments about the series from the actors, creator, directors, writers, etc.) It is a limited edition (well, okay, so it's a limited edition of 40,000, but still a limited edition). Any Alias fan would love this for Christmas! **Note** Yes, I too have scratched discs in my set (mostly only season 4). :o( Most of the reviews are about the actual show (which is great!), and, while the box is really impressive, the issue with the scratches on the discs shouldn't be missed. So, if you purchased this as a Christmas present, check out the discs so there is not a disappointed Alias fan out there on December 25.

This set looks to be a terrific investment for people who loved "Alias" and don'y yet own any of the DVD sets. For people who've been purchasing the DVDs all along, it looks like a mixed bag. Additional special features have been promised, but will they be worth the price tag? Probably not. Expect prices on used individual season sets to plummet soon. As for the series itself, well, I'm forced to say it's a mixed bag, too. It never, thankfully, turned into a bad series, but I think that the last couple of seasons were inadequate, and failed to deliver on the promise of the seasons that came before them. Seasons one and two, in my opinion, would have to rank as amongst the finest single seasons of TV ever produced. Those 40-plus episodes are relentlessly excellent, beginning to end, and sometimes seem more like movies than TV episodes. Many critics and fans disparaged season three, calling it "convoluted" or the like. Personally, I found it pretty terrific. For the most part, it flows almost like a single long story. It must have been difficult for some people to keep up with what was going on week after week as these episodes were airing; in any case, this is not a problem on DVD. Season four represents a major step down, in my opinion. Again, it doesn't become bad at ANY point . . . but certain storylines vanish, other hard-to-credit storylines crop up, and every time it seems as if something really great and meaningful is about to happen, the story takes a sharp left turn and goes somewhere less interesting for two or three episodes. Season five is better, featuring at least two excellent new characters. Things really pick up toward the very end of the season, until the quality level is almost at the same peaks it was in the first two seasons. Unfortunately, for me, the series finale was fairly weak. Some of the series's major plot points are resolved, some very poorly in my opinion; others are not resolved at all. Many fans seem to disagree with me, of course, and in the end it's going to be a matter of personal taste. But even if you hate the way the series ends, this is a box set well worth having.

I started the Alias series this summer and I was hooked after watching the first couple of episodes! I chose to watch Alias because I am a fan of LOST and I was curious to see more work done by JJ Abrams (Alias Series Creator and LOST Co-executive Producer). Well I was not disappointed. JJ and the writers of Alias keep you entertained with great character development and plot twists that will always surprise you. You have to watch with some "faith" because the number of times these secret agents avoid death makes the story lines a bit predictable. But, if you are a lover of spy thrillers, this series is well done and fun to watch. Not to mention Jennifer Garner's wonderful performances as Sydney Bristow, she helps to keep you watching. Also, Victor Garber, also is great fun to watch, he plays Sydney's CIA father without a hitch - I looked forward to watching him act. The price tag shouldn't scare you, the individual cost for all five series is greater than this box set. Plus you get a few extra's, like a little book discussing the secrets of Alias (Spoiler caution, do not read the little book until you have seen all the episodes), and a there is special Rambaldi DVD found in a hidden compartment at the bottom of the box.

Alias - Complete Collection, Staffel 1-5 (Limited Edition, 30 DVDs) Zur Verpackung kann ich nix sagen, da ich mir jede Staffel einzel gekauft habe, aber bin mir sicher das es einiger maßen gut ist. Serie ist eigentlich durchgehend Spannend und Gut verständlich. Ab der 3. Staffel, wird die Story aber immer verworrener und unrealistischer. Ein Superschurke jagt den nächsten und und und. Das ist aber gar nicht schlimm, da so jede Staffel immer Spannender wird. Der rote Faden der Geschichte ist die Story um Rambaldi und seine Prophezeiung und um Verrat und Betrug, dies wird vor allem in der 3. Staffel in den Vordergrund gerückt. Alles in allem einen super Serie und kann ich nur empfehlen. PS. Die 4. Staffel "Alias" wurde in einer anderen Reihenfolge ausgestrahlt, als sie geplant war. Mancher sagt, die ursprüngliche Reihenfolge, so wie sie sich die Macher der Serie ausgedacht haben, würde der Staffel eine durchgängigere Storyline verschaffen und Zusammenhänge deutlicher erkennen lassen. Da das Thema immer wieder für Fragen sorgt, haben wir hier für euch die wichtigsten Fakten aufgelistet. *Die offizielle Reihenfolge ist die Ausstrahlungsreihenfolge. Also so, wie ABC die Serie ausstrahlte. Genauso sind auch die Folgen auf allen DVD's geordnet. *Ursprünglich wurden die Folgen in einer anderen Reihenfolge geplant, geschrieben und produziert. Daher der Name Produktionsreihenfolge. Nachfolgend erhaltet ihr eine Übersicht über die jeweiligen Reihenfolgen. Ausstrahlungsreihenfolge * IV.01 - Authorized Personnel Only (1) * IV.02 - Authorized Personnel Only (2) * IV.03 - Furchtbare Wahrheit * IV.04 - Ice * IV.05 - Willkommen in Liberty Village * IV.06 - Nocturne * IV.07 - Explosiv * IV.08 - Echos * IV.09 - Ein Mann ein Wort * IV.10 - Index * IV.11 - Kein Entrinnen * IV.12 - Dunkle Vergangenheit * IV.13 - Dienstag * IV.14 - Nachtigall * IV.15 - Pandora * IV.16 - Zweites Ich * IV.17 - Reines Gewissen * IV.18 - Trugbild * IV.19 - Wer bin ich? * IV.20 - Abstieg * IV.21 - Befreiung * IV.22 - Vor der Flut Merkmale: * offizielle Reihenfolge * so werden die Folgen überall ausgestrahlt und auf den DVD's nummeriert * kann die Handlung zerstückelt erscheinen lassen Produktionsreihenfolge * IV.01 - Authorized Personnel Only (1) * IV.02 - Authorized Personnel Only (2) * IV.03 - Furchtbare Wahrheit * IV.07 - Explosiv * IV.04 - Ice * IV.06 - Nocturne * IV.08 - Echos * IV.09 - Ein Mann ein Wort * IV.05 - Willkommen in Liberty Village * IV.10 - Index * IV.11 - Kein Entrinnen * IV.12 - Dunkle Vergangenheit * IV.14 - Nachtigall * IV.15 - Pandora * IV.16 - Zweites Ich * IV.13 - Dienstag * IV.17 - Reines Gewissen * IV.18 - Trugbild * IV.19 - Wer bin ich? * IV.20 - Abstieg * IV.21 - Befreiung * IV.22 - Vor der Flut Merkmale: * ursprünglich geplante Reihenfolge * soll besseren Überblick über Rahmenhandlung geben

Bella serie sempre attraente. Un episodio invoglia subito a guardare il seguente. Interessanti i vari extra inclusi nelle serie. Degno di nota anche il DVD finale.

I can't believe no-one has rated this supidly good product. Ok ok its a bit pricey but the sure entertainment and the package offset that easily. The package is beautifully crafted with fold down magnetic sides. Inside are all 5 seasons in lovely hardback book style cases. Also included is the coveted hardback book and a bonus disc hidden under a secret (but easy to find) compartment at the bottom of the box. If like me you're a fan of Alias THIS IS the set to get. There's a limited edition worldwide so should retain some value. Of course you need a multi region dvd player but hacks are easy to find or just buy one from Richer Sounds. The programme making is exceptional even though you often have to suspend disbelief it is so worthwhile. The first two series are brilliant, the third one takes it to a different angle continuing into the fourth series which has a great cliffhanger ending leading into the shorter fifth series which introduces a few new characters which although necessary does slow proceedings down a little. The overall ending although not answering every question from the entire series is suitable enough if not over a little quickly. Still this does not deflect from the hours and hours of great fun and pleasure this series brings. Jennifer Garner is HOT and changes outfits 3 or more times an episode, all the cast members are excellent, the production design is great and money well spent on a show that deserved it. Best thing about Alias: Marshall Flinkman, the genius! He's awesome, a true revelation and brings much needed comic timing to woeful situations. The guy's a legend, Kevin Weisman i salute you. Buy it, watch it, love it.

Coffret nickel, série complète et haletante . J'ai adoré.

Incomplete season 5 set. 2 disc ones, a missing disc four and a missing disc five. Disc two of season 3 was stuck(glue) to the DVD case/folder. Apart from that the set is beautiful, wish they would rethink these cardboard multi-dvd sets they are always prone to problems.