Plot: What’s it about?
“Sliders” was somewhat of a cult classic when it first aired. I remember watching episodes on the USA Network (if memory serves) and though it never really found the mainstream success that the Producers were looking for, it had (and still has) a niche. Science-Fiction television series are such that there will always be a group of people, and we can probably guess what that group is, that are drawn to it. Let’s face it, Science-Fiction forces us to use our minds unlike most of television. We have to suspend our disbelief and accept that the unexplained will happen. Can we travel at Warp 10? Can we jump through a wormhole and end up in a parallel universe? Probably not. But it’s fun to watch on TV and thus, very enjoyable. The star of “Sliders” was Jerry O’Connell, best know for his work in “Stand by Me” as Vern and as the football star in “Jerry McGuire”. O’Connell, along with his supporting cast made for pretty good entertainment and “Sliders” became somewhat of a modest success.
But first, what’s the show all about? We begin when we meet Quinn Mallory, a grad student in Physics who is working on an anti-gravity device. He mistakenly discovers a way to open up a portal to alternate dimensions, another Earth. The closest comparison I could draw is like Bizarro world in the “Superman” comics. Everything’s the same, but just a bit different. He decides to try out the device and, after a successful trip, invites his Physics professor (John Rhys-Davies) and friend (Sabrina Lloyd) to try it out. Naturally, things don’t go according to plan and the three, plus a has been singer (Cleavant Derricks) end up getting pulled in and are therefore “trapped” in countless alternate Earth’s. Their search is to end up back home, though each and every Earth has the basic elements of it. The concept for the show is actually quite intriguing and it’s therefore very easy to get sucked in (no pun intended) to the show. While a bit corny and clichéd at times, I was thrilled to add “Sliders” to my collection. To the fans of the show, I’m preaching to the choir, I know.
Video: How does it look?
“Sliders” is shown in the broadcast ratio of 4:3. Colors are generally sharp and on the money, though in some of the scenes I noticed some jagginess to the picture. This is common in non 16:9 transfers, especially those in the television medium. There seems to have been a bit of dirt on the print, but nothing too bad. The episodes look better than when they originaly aired and it’s a testament to DVD (once again) that the format can generally improve on everything we’ve seen. A nice transfer and one that exceeded my expectations.
Audio: How does it sound?
As expected, “Sliders” comes equipped with a Dolby Surround mix. I’d have preferred a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but this certainly suffices. Dialogue is clean and natural and though there aren’t a lot of ambient effects to be found, I noticed the rear speakers kick in from time to time. There’s not a lot else that can be said about the audio – the show is about ten years old and was produced on a modest budget. The audio doesn’t seem dated, but it’s cetainly not the best out there either.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Maybe all of the money was used on the packaging (a very unique 3-D effect of layered discs), but the extras are surprisingly sparce. There is a commentary on the pilot episode and fans of the show will certainly want to listen to it. It contains some little know facts about the locations, dates, etc. I’m always interested to learn of the inside jokes that are shown in TV and film. Next up is a 15 minute “Making of Sliders” with interviews with two of the stars of the show. Not a whole lot of information is learned here, but it’s nice to have. Unfortunately the other half of the cast seems to be MIA. A photo gallery is also included. On the whole, it’s nice to have this little-known show from the mid-90’s on DVD. While the price is a bit steep, bear in mind you’re getting two seasons as opposed to one, so if that helps any…
