The Event – DVD Review

Not an Event to remember

Release Date: 3 October 2011
2010-11 | 15 | 887 minutes | £32.99
Distributor: Universal Pictures UK
Creator: Nick Wauters
Cast: Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Laura Innes, Zeljko Ivanek, Clifton Collins Jr

Another glossy US TV series hyped as “the new Lost”, it’s unfortunately easier to look on The Event as the new FlashForward, especially since the show’s cancellation after one season means this sci-fi conspiracy thriller’s cliffhanger ending is never going to be resolved. However, despite all the blatant Lost influences (especially the character-centric flashbacks, sensibly dumped halfway through the run), The Event owes its biggest debt to 24, to the extent that most episodes feel like Jack Bauer could wander into shot at any moment.

It’s all thanks to the “sleeper agents on American soil” central concept (in this case the people hidden among us are aliens, looking to evacuate their population to Earth before their original planet is destroyed). This conflict boils down to a very post-9/11 Us-vs-Them subtext, but while the pilot episode is thrilling and cinematic, the show quickly gets stuck in a rut of middling but rarely exceptional action adventure. The murkiness of the central premise (especially since we never discover precisely what the titular “Event” actually is) leaves the central arc feeling unfocussed at times, ending up as a repetitive series of betrayals and counter-betrayals. Without any stand-out performances or truly remarkable episodes, it’s a show that’s slickly produced but instantly forgettable.

Extras:

Three audio commentaries, 76 minutes of bland deleted scenes and a handful of weak featurettes. Beware the disc menus, which actually spoil the climactic sequence of the final episode!

Saxon Bullock