DVD Review: Red Dwarf: Back To Earth

This October, the most inept band of space travelers ever to roam the universe return in the highly anticipated 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray release – Red Dwarf: Back to Earth. The cult comedy and International Emmy winner made a triumphant return this past April in the UK, 21 years after its initial launch into eight successful seasons. Never before seen in the North America, this all-new special finds the not-so intrepid crew hurled through a portal back to Earth of the 21st Century, only discover they are just characters from a TV series. Knowing they will die in the final episode, the Dwarfers – in best Blade Runner tradition – decide to track down their creators to discover how long they have left to live. Shot entirely in high-defintion, Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is viewable in either a feature-length “Director’s Cut” version or the 3-part UK broadcast version. Additonally, enthusiasts of the series will relish the plethora of bonus features including an all-new exclusive documentarty, cast and director commentaries, featurettes deleted scenes, Smeg Ups and more. Red Dwarf: Back to Earth arrives on DVD and Blu-ray October 6, 2009

Review:
If you’re a fan of British comedy, then changes are you’ve seen Red Dwarf. What you might not have seen was the series return this last past April in the UK for a special that wasn’t seen here in America. In the 80’s this series ran for eight seasons making it a cult favorite and an International Emmy winner. But was the long wait for a reunion worth it for the fans? Sort of.

The crew gets hurled into a portal back to Earth in the 21st Century only to discover that they’re characters on a television series. The crew knows that they will die in the final episode – and in efforts to figure out exactly how long they have, they attempt to tract down the creators of their show.

The script lacks and the CGI is a little if-y, but the cast is back and slips into their beloved roles with no problem. However, I think major fans are going to have a hard time not picking this one apart. The absence of the studio audience laughing at all the right moments, Holly missing, and no cliffhanger resolution might have some people a tad frustrated, but there are still some good moments here that are well worth seeing.

There’s a ton of bonus features on the Blu-ray edition including: cast commentary, director commentary, an exclusive new documentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, trailers, web vidoes, photo galleries, and more… The extras make up for where the actual mini-series lacks and definitely makes it a fan’s dream.

Review by Emma Loggins

Grade: B+
Official site: http://www.bbcamerica.com
Buy on Amazon: Red Dwarf: Back To Earth