Roswell: Season One (US DVD Release)
Reviewed By Lori Anne Brown (US News Editor, UK Conventions)

Roswell was yet another series I didn't see much of when it first aired thanks to networks scheduling genre series against each other (I think it aired against Buffy originally). What I had seen then I liked, though wasn't hooked enough to tear me away from my normal program. Being able to watch all the episodes back to back, I definitely did miss an interesting show.

The series takes a bit of a new spin on the legendary UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, presenting the idea that it was a UFO and that aliens not only survived the crash, but look human and are masquerading as high school students. Max & his sister Isabel along with Michael are the 3 surviving aliens trying to keep under wraps while finding out more about who they are and where they come from, giving us an interesting spin on the typical teen drama with an X-Files twist.

Keeping a low profile gets harder when Max saves the life of diner waitress Liz one day after an argument in the restaurant leads to a gunshot. He uses his alien powers to manipulate molecules to disolve the bullet and heal her raising suspicious with Liz, the sheriff and a few others. Liz and her friends Maria and Alex eventually become co-conspirators in keeping the alien secret that grows harder as the series progresses.

The characters are well developed and their interaction is really the main focus of the series, especially early on. As the show progresses, more and more alien elements are introduced and the tension and mystery of it comes to a head. The relationship anst among some of the characters got boring to me at times, but overall the development of the characters and the forming of new alliances kept it interesting overall. I can't say I was hooked enough to watch the series straight thru as I have on some DVDs, but it is interesting enough to watch 1-2 episodes a night instead of current network fair.

Roswell was loosely based on the young adult book series "Roswell High" written by Melinda Metz. The concept comes from the book, but the series takes it's own direction as the stories progress.

This 6 disc set (nicely packaged in 6 individual slim cases within the box case)includes all 22 episodes as well as several special features: Commentaries on six episodes from the writer, directors, producers or actors; deleted scenes from a few episodes; two featurettes - "Area 51" that's a behind the scenes look at the show with interviews with cast and crew and "Roswell High", a discussion with author Metz and editor Laura Burns about the creation of the series of books. The music video of "Save Yourself" by Sense Field and audition footage of Emilie de Ravin are also included.

Episodes are shown in widescreen format and is subtitled in English, Spanish and French (special features are not subtitled). Video and audio quality are good throughout.

In terms of DVD sets, it isn't as jam-packed with features as many fans would like, though the fact it is finally out on DVD will please most. The second and final season of the show will also be out on DVD, though no release date has yet been set. There have long been rumors of a Roswell movie and current rumors indicate this may be possible if DVD sales are strong.

Overall it's an interesting show worth giving a watch.  Out of 5 stars, I give it 3.