Lost: The Complete Seasons 1-5

I decided to get this DVD set as a gift for my mother for Christmas, with the intention that we would watch the whole show together and try to catch up in time to watch the new season. Neither one of us had ever seen it before.As for LOST, I'm sure almost everyone has their opinions about it already. It is a very difficult show to describe to someone who has never watched it, and this is why it took me so long to be convinced. I will say right now that it's the most compelling and exciting show I have ever seen. The only less than stellar thing about this show is occasional problems with pacing. Sometimes it seems that Seasons 4 and 5 could have easily been condensed into one 16 episode season, but at the same time it is also disappointing that Seasons 4, 5, and 6 only have 16 episodes each, instead of 24. The trend seems to be that major events are decided ahead of time as season finales, and then everything up to that is build-up and lead-in. In the case of Season 4, it felt like almost nothing happened until this finale, and the mysterious newcomers to the island were just stalling for time until then. No, I won't tell you why I'm here. Just do what I say before I shoot you with this gun. Sometimes the show resorts too often to taking prisoners and hostages, being prisoners, being led around at gunpoint, and punching people in the face. Hopefully, the 6th and final season will be more than just another wave of strangers with demands, guns, and secrets.This particular DVD set featured all "widescreen" boxes, but I found that on our Sony Bravia, the resolution before stretching or zooming of any kind was fullscreen, and I had trouble making it look right with the DVD player and that television. On the Samsung television with a Blu-Ray player, the picture quality was much better and displayed at a much more believable widescreen resolution.The DVD extras were not particularly fulfilling. On the back of the boxes, the descriptions of the features promise explanations or new insight about the mysteries presented in each season, but upon watching the features, you find that no questions are answered whatsoever; they are merely asked again. Those hoping to get any additional information about the show will not find it in these features. Instead, what you get is a little bit of behind-the-scenes peeks, some mildly amusing gag reels of actors forgetting their lines and giggling, and a lot of rehashing and fluff. Most discs feature a commentary track for an episode or two, but as we were watching each episode for the first time, we did not want to use them.However, the presentation of these extras and the menus is very impressive. The menu screen is often a shot of a location of interest from the previous or current disc, and in later seasons features people walking around or milling about doing things. The extras menus are themed to something featured in the season; for example, the Season 2 extras are made to resemble an old 1980's video. It is clear that the DVD production team put their utmost effort into these box sets.In the end, the only small disappointments about this box set come from the fact that if you become a LOST fan, you always want more.

Everyone should be aware that there is NOTHING in this set that's not in the individual edition. Each of the seasons in its separate box, shrink-wrapped and sealed.Anyone who already has the individual seasons should have no reason to get this unless they wish to upgrade from DVD to Blu. Those who don't have LOST yet, this should the right set to buy or... wait until the 6-seasons sets become available next year.To me, LOST is the best TV series of the third millennium, so far. In fact, I am very surprised that a TV series could be made this good these days when cost cutting and declining standards seem to be the norm everywhere else. But, not in the world of television, it seems. Or, rather, LOST and a couple other shows (Heroes is another favorite of mine) happen to be the exception.LOST employs a cast of dozens to tell a big story. How big the story is? Well... five years and it's still going so... it's big. Slowly, what begins as your run of the mill airliner crash survivors story keeps adding layers on top of layers, expands, branches out in unexpected directions and, episode after episode after episode keeps us mesmerized, guessing, mourning those lost and left behind, surprised, intrigued and always ready for more. 100 episodes later and we are used to expect the unexpected now. I will not reveal the plot but it's probably proper to note that you are going to see peoples struggling to overcome extreme circumstances, stories of friendship, love, solidarity, spontaneous cooperation, the inevitable conflicts between people of many different upbringings, chasing different dreams, sometimes competing for the same rewards. Facing danger, the unknown and, what appears to be the incomprehensible, the initial state of anarchy spontaneously gains textures and a fragile structures are formed only to unravel or morph into something else.LOST has an incredibly well-written story line, great acting and it's shown to us in the highest quality picture and sound. It is, without a doubt, one of the best TV series I've watched in a long, long time. If you haven't watched the weekly episodes on TV, you should consider yourself lucky. I haven't either and I am glad I didn't have to wait, week after week, for yet another mystery to solve itself in the next episodes. We are very likely to go through the first five seasons at least once, possibly twice before season six is released.Oh, and, one more thing that you should keep in mind - but you will constantly fail at it: NOTHING is what what it seems to be and nobody is what he/she claims to be.Happy viewing :)___________________________________________As a frame of reference, this set was available at Amazon for ONE day, on Dec. 9, 2009, for 108.99. I am highly doubtful that such an opportunity will present itself again until maybe next year when the 6-seasons set could be made available for one day or a for a few hour at a comparatively great price.

Packaged with care and delivered on time. GREAT JOB!!!

ONE OF MY ALTIME FAVOURITE SERIES!!! YOU MUST WATCH IT FROM THE BEGINNING TO FOLLOW WHAT IS GOING-ON! WELL ACTED & VERY INTRIGUING!!!!!

It's easy to get lost in Lost. It's as complicated as it is compulsive. The extensive cast dies and gets replenished with new characters in the blink of an island.So it's best viewed with complete indulgence - take a week off work, send the kids to their grandparents', forget the housework and don't try playing solitaire on the computer while watching. If you give it your full attention it'll reward you with a wonder of which character you'd be if your own dreams or nightmares about getting stranded on a desert island were ever played out.If all you know about Lost is the polar bear in the jungle then give the rest of the cast a chance too. I ended up loving the castaways I couldn't stand in the first series. They're all given greater depth and likability as the story progresses as they get their chances to reveal their flaws and redeem themselves.It is pretty weird but wonderful too and it's a shame it couldn't run into many more series but it's a plot that could only have ever been finite. I'm sad to be nearing the end of series five but looking forward to the finale later this year.The plan now is to go back and watch the bonus material. Unless it's as addictive as the episodes I won't be able to comment on it for some time as there's hours and hours of it on the box set. But the odd bits of it I have seen look like it'd complement and enhance the story if watched in synchronised order with the features - if only you have the willpower to suspend the drama before sticking in the next DVD.

We have watched multiple times all the way through. Each character's story is revealed over time as to why they came to be on the plane which crashes a thousand miles off course. What caused the crash? Do the survivors have things in common with one another? All is eventually explained with superb acting, lovely scenery, a little bit of humour, a lot of romance and tears mixed with adventure. My favorite box set ever.

After buying this box set I became completely hooked! Lost is a fantastic series with so many facets to it. You can watch it in a simple way, seeing how people cope lost on an island, or you can get into the deeper meaning of the series, the intrigue, the philosphy, the mythology and the conspiracy. It is one of those series you can watch the first time and see a whole bunch of new things you didn't see before when you watch it a second time around. Well worth the money, can't wait for season 6. Shame it will be the final one!