Masters of Science Fiction: The Complete Series

Sam Waterston, John Hurt. From the pens of sci-fi geniuses to the small screen, ABC presents some of the most compelling stories by writers such as Robert Heinlein, Sam Egan, and Walter Mosley. Each hourlong episode is hosted by famed physicist Stephen Hawking and stars Sam Waterston, John Hurt, Judy Davis, Anne Heche, James Cromwell and many others. 6 episodes on 2 DVDs. 2007/color/4 hrs., 24 min/NR/fullscreen.

A wealth of Hollywood talent brings to life six thought-provoking short stories by legendary authors of science fiction in this criminally underrated anthology series. Produced by the same team who brought Masters of Horror to television, Masters of Science Fiction takes a decidedly literate route with its stories--though production values are top-notch, it's the material, and the message behind them, that drives the episodes. The moral complexities of war are examined in Robert Sheckley's "Warbird" (one of two episodes on the set making their debut on this DVD) and "The Awakening," by Howard Fast, while Robert Heinlein's "Jerry Was a Man" and Harlan Ellison's "The Discarded" challenge the definition of humanity. Elsewhere, Walter Mosley explores justice in a draconian future ("Little Brother"), while Nebula winner John Kessel's "A Clean Escape" delivers a Twilight Zone-style sting with its story of a psychiatrist (Judy Davis) attempting to uncover a truth hidden in the mind of her patient (Sam Waterson). The cast in the latter episode is indicative of the level of talent in front of and behind the camera for Masters of Science Fiction; among the other players are Terry O'Quinn (Lost), James Cromwell, Brian Dennehy, John Hurt, Anne Heche, Malcolm McDowell and Sean Astin, while directors include Mark Rydell, Harold Becker, Michael Tolkin and Jonathan Frakes, and scripts are penned by Ellison, Mosley, and Hugo winner Sam Egan. The emphasis on strong and evocative stories and performances over special effects does much to draw parallels between Masters and such classic genre anthologies as the aforementioned Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits; it's unfortunate that the program wasn't given more of a chance to develop an audience during its brief network run. Equally disappointing are the lack of any supplemental features in the two-disc set. --Paul Gaita