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Millennium - Season 1 [1996]


RRP: £39.99
Our Price: £9.00 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Millennium marked the second major television series created by Chris Carter, who'd already made his name as the brains behind The X-Files. And, like its predecessor, it shares a lot of the same themes--it's a crime thriller that gradually unfolds into a grand conspiracy involving the government and the fate of the entire world.

Agent Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) is a former FBI agent who has transplanted his family from Washington DC to Seattle, after suffering something of a breakdown. He's an expert criminal profiler--arguably the best, thanks to his ability to "see" into the minds of killers--and he fears for the safety of his wife and young daughter. In Seattle, he joins the mysterious Millennium Group, an agency of freelance crime-busters who investigate particularly brutal crimes. As a result, Millennium is downright bleak viewing, as Black jumps from horrific slaying to horrific slaying. Moreover, there's a growing sense of unease about the workings of the Millennium Group, so that in typical Chris Carter fashion, you don't know who to trust. With its pre-Y2K angst and overwhelming darkness, as well as its general humourlessness, Millennium hasn't dated as well as The X-Files. Still, thanks to Carter's vision and Henriksen's compelling take on the tortured Black, it's difficult not to get hooked. --Ted Kord


Did I miss something?
Review date: 2008-04-05 Rating: 4 out of 10

Having watched the whole series I was not overly impressed and will not be buying the next one (Is there another one?).

The key problem for me was that the main character's psychic ability was used to eliminate the need for much of the plot. Basically he touches the victim and immediately knows what happened without requiring any detective work. This is visually presented in a kind of flashback format. It just seemed like gratuitous horror lacking in content/depth.

1)Crime occurs
2)Use psychic power to see who did it
3)Go get 'em

Perhaps I missed the point.

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Reviews


Brilliant but developed in the second season
Review date: 2008-02-19 Rating: 8 out of 10

I know this will irk most fans of 'Millennium' but, for me, Season 1 just doesn't compare to the outstanding Season 2, which was one of the most daring, inventive and captivating pieces of television ever to be made. I've always found it rather difficult to comprehend that 1 is preferred by fans, as 2 just has so much more going on. Don't get me wrong, I watched Season 1 first and got hooked on the show but it has its limitations.

First though, I'd rather praise 'Millennium' as it is such a unique work and Carter may even have witnessed his finest hour here. Season 1, as with all seasons, features excellent acting (Lance Henriksen gives the performance of his career as Frank Black), evocative scenes and powerful themes that carry the viewer's interest. It is refreshing to watch a show that doesn't try to mollycoddle the audience and to say it is dark is a vast understatement. The killers and criminals featured in the episodes are genuinely frightening and being allowed shots of their psyche leaves an impression on you that is hard to shift. My main problem with Season 1 (and also why I think the show came into its own during Season 2) is that the storylines are very repetitive and follow virtually an identical formula throughout. As a result, the middle part of the series loses momentum badly and it is only when more supernatural undertones are introduced towards the final third that it becomes gripping again.

But it is a brilliantly made series and it's a crying shame that it didn't continue for another two seasons, after the third run. Perhaps this is also understandable, as 'Millennium' is most definitely not a show for everyone and many will find it too unpalatable to handle for long. Personally though, I think it's remarkable and deserves more recognition.


Awful
Review date: 2007-10-10 Rating: 2 out of 10

Bad acting, dull plots, awful writing. The reviews on Amazon and the trailer were excellent, which is why I bought it. Lance Henriksen is usually very good as well. He suffers here in Millennium with such poor material.

Fantastic Season
Review date: 2007-05-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

Millennium serves up the darkness that The X Files always promised and is refreshingly cliche-free. Frank Black, our only lead character, is a retired detective with a lovely family and a smashing new house. He decides to take a job as a criminal profiler with a consult agency and, once an episode, he is tasked with uncovering details from the crime scenes with his almost-unnatural talents of observation.

Season One of Millennium is, essentially, David Fincher's Seven with a different detective. Stylistically, it's very similar. As you'd expect from the X Files team, it's beautifully made and very well written. However, Millennium, in the first season at least, is free of the tired formulas that eventually sank The X Files. Frank Black doesn't even carry a gun. Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Terminator, Near Dark) is always an interesting actor to watch and effortlessly carries the show. The supporting cast are cool too.

If you loved The X Files but want something a bit different from all the ghosts and aliens and government conspiracies then I'm sure you'll get a kick out of Millennium which is, in my opinion, one of the greatest single seasons of any television show in recent history.

A word of warning about the later seasons - Chris Carter left the show and it slowly but surely started to turn into a show about conspiracies and supernatural stuff, leaving behind the fascinating serial killer profiling of season one. Frank's almost-unnatural ability becomes a completely unnatural near-psychic ability and demons start appearing and, though there are the odd stand-out episodes, the writing really takes a nose dive and it turns into something completely different and very uninteresting. But don't let that put you off this brilliant, near-perfect first run.

Frankly my dear, you're a brilliant creation!,
Review date: 2006-08-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

Perhaps one of the major reasons why `Millennium' never achieved the massive success of its fellow Chris Carter creation `The X-Files' is that many of these stories are simply good old-fashioned who-done-it mysteries. While the viewer is often made aware of the identity of the killer long before leading character Frank Black has deciphered his most recent horrific vision and pieced together all the clues, most of the entertainment for the viewer comes from the eventual discovery and capture by Black and his team of the latest depraved murderer.

Another reason why this intelligent show only lasted a meagre three seasons could be because sex, death and horror are the themes that dominate almost every episode, a lot of which can be very unpalatable and disturbing to even the least squeamish viewer. Frequently, innocent victims are slaughtered for little or no reason, but with Frank Black interpreting the killer's every thought and impulse for the benefit of the audience, these deaths are made that little bit more understandable and the process of the villain's detection and apprehension is made ever gripping thanks to him.

Acting as profiler, detective, psychologist and psychic all rolled into one, Frank Black is one of the most convincing protagonists ever to appear on the small screen and Lance Henriksen's performance is consistently mesmerising- he effortlessly steals every scene he's in. But the rest of the cast also deserve recognition for their contributions to a show that manages to be believable and yet fantastic all at once- Frank's loyal and logical wife Catherine (brilliantly under-played by Megan Gallagher), his mysterious colleague Peter Watts (the ever-dependable Terry O'Quinn) and most convincing of all in my opinion- Bill Smitrovich as the stubborn and uncompromising police detective Bob Bletcher.

It's hard to know where to begin with my favourite episodes from this season and it's made doubly difficult by the fact that there isn't a single dull or mediocre story here- the standard is pretty much sky-high throughout. But I'd have to say that the ones which particularly stand-out for me are...

Episode (1) `Pilot' -Definitely one of the more gruesome and disturbing episodes in the first season and setting the bar very high indeed, this story brilliantly sets up the characters and format for the programme.

Episode (5) `5-2-2-6-6-6' - A serial bomber calling himself Kaboom is on the loose and wreaking havoc. Deftly written and preformed; mixing detection, action and insight.

Episode (13) - `Force Majeure' - The opening scene is breath-taking and the rest of the episode unravels with more biblical omens and philosophical complexities than the rest of the season put together. Probably my favourite episode.

Episode (17) - `Lamentation' - Delving into the realms of the supernatural and mythical, this is one episode you won't easily forget.

Episode - (18) - `Powers, Principalities, Thrones and Dominions' - Asking more questions than it answers, but superbly (and more than a little abstractly) exploring the concepts of good and evil and the powers-that-be. Reveals just enough to captivate its audience, but leaves a lot to the imagination too.

Episode (19) - `Broken World' - Heavy on slaughter and perversion- chilling and thrilling.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Megan Gallagher
Lance Henriksen

Creators:
Lance Henriksen (Primary Contributor)
Megan Gallagher (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 5039036016988
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 6
Format: Box set, Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2004-07-12
Number of discs: 6
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 990 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1996-10-25
Language: Italian (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)

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