Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Movie Review

Carl Sagan's legacy.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 11, 2014

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, an often stunning update of Carl Sagan’s iconic Cosmic: A Personal Voyage, makes it abundantly clear that the universe is awash in miracles and the unexpected, but perhaps not even a rocket scientist (a type often credited with inherent genius) could have predicted that the name of Seth MacFarlane would be among the Executive Producers. Even more astounding is the fact that MacFarlane evidently was instrumental in getting a bunch of important Sagan papers and notebooks to the Library of Congress, as is detailed in one of the supplements appending this appealing new Blu-ray set. As MacFarlane jokes with Sagan’s widow Ann Druyan at the Library of Congress celebration, maybe this helps to make up for all the “fart jokes” he’s told on television. The participation of MacFarlane of course ultimately makes little difference to the quality of deGrasse’s efforts, for it’s the amiable astrophysicist, the sort of guy who can demolish Jon Stewart in one fell swoop by telling him that The Daily Show’s opening graphic features the Earth spinning in the wrong direction, who set the tone and tenor of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. And it’s here that Sagan’s long shadow finds a contemporary companion. Tyson may not have Sagan’s innately poetic spirit, but he obviously has Sagan’s passion for science. When the original Cosmos aired, the world was in the throes of a huge technological revolution that had seen everything from manned flights to our nearest neighbor to the burgeoning of what would soon become known as the personal computer. Despite the march of progress which has continued unabated since the Sagan show aired, and which arguably has only increased in pace and amazing developments, science is weirdly dismissed now by an increasing segment of the population, whether those be climate change questioners, those who posit links between vaccines and various dysfunctions, or even those who claim the Bible is the be-all end-all for “history” as we know it, including the age of our planet. That perhaps makes the stakes considerably higher for this “new, improved” Cosmos. The fact is Tyson may not sway any minds (or hearts) that come to this enterprise with preexisting belief systems, but for those who are still able to conjure up a sense of wonder, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey offers abundant thrills and amazements.

One decided example of technology improving and becoming more integrated with everyday life is evidenced by simply comparing the looks of the two Cosmos series, divorced from any differences in actual content. Sagan’s Cosmos was a breathtakingly groundbreaking series in its day, but the “special effects” of the series, as inventive as they were for that particular era, look positively quaint to today’s CGI hypnotized eyes. Tyson’s version in fact references the eye itself in several opening graphics, where a spiral galaxy looks deceptively like an opening iris of an eyeball. This new Cosmos takes full advantage of the advances in CGI, thrusting Tyson into a variety of different environments as he pilots his “Ship of the Imagination” to both macro and micro locations. Perhaps oddly, there’s also a decidedly more “old school” approach on hand in every episode here as well, with sometimes long animated sequences that tend to illustrate historical peoples or events. The visual presentation here is so strong and engaging that many people may initially be unaware of just how much information is also being imparted, almost subliminally at times.

Tyson both refers to and plays with the content of the original Sagan Cosmos throughout this reboot. Some of it is unmistakable, as when a brief clip of the now famous scene of Sagan blowing dandelion scenes segues into a headlong rush out into the starry expanses over our heads as Tyson “takes over” from his predecessor. But there are subtler references as well. Much as with the first episode of the original Cosmos, Tyson explores our “cosmic address” in his opening episode, though he goes off on some tangents that Sagan never addressed. Even here, though, Tyson clearly keeps Sagan’s original formulations in the back of his mind. For instance, while Sagan mentions the library of Alexandria early on in his version, Tyson waits until toward the end of his version and only then brings up the lost treasury of human knowledge in a somewhat different context. The interesting thing here is those with absolutely no memory of (or experience with) Sagan’s version will miss nothing at all, while those who do fondly recall the original Cosmos well get little soupçons of additional interwoven data as Tyson moves through his version.

There is a certain pretentiousness to the presentation here as Tyson “pilots” his spacecraft to explore everything from human DNA to infrared light to galaxies far removed from our own. But Tyson is such an appealing presence, in some ways a bit more accessible than the more formidably brainy Sagan, that even the series’ excesses are easily forgivable. MacFarlane states in one of the supplements on this Blu-ray set that the creative crew wanted as cinematic an experience as possible, and there’s certainly a more than epic sweep to this Cosmos. Tyson’s firm hand on the rudder, though, goes a long way toward making everything comprehensible and perhaps even more important, engaging. Science deniers may still have their “issues” with various supposedly disputed facts, but even those curmudgeons would have a hard time not being impressed by the sheer scope and immediacy of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The series wafts back and forth between three general approaches, live action sequences with Neil deGrasse Tyson (on both actual and virtual locations), CGI elements, and the aforementioned animated sequences which are typically utilized to bring historical characters and/or events to life. The outdoor footage is nicely sharp and detailed, with excellently saturated colors and some appealingly deep blacks (a couple of episodes feature Tyson huddled next to a campfire at night). The interior of the "Ship of the Imagination" features a huge viewscreen which typically lights up with whatever Tyson is discussing, and here there are some occasional problems with Tyson's image in front of the background in terms of sharpness and clarity. The animated sequences exploit ochre to yellowish hues a lot of the time and are decently sharp if never overwhelmingly precise. Some of the CGI is astoundingly sharp and colorful, while other elements (which may in fact be culled from stock footage or stills) look less crystal clear (some shots which may have been taken by the Hubble Telescope are a good example). On the whole, though, this is a spectacular looking series that benefits immensely from its high definition presentation, and despite a few niggling qualms, there are neither major issues nor major artifacts to contend with.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey features a wonderfully immersive lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which surrounds the listener with a variety of sound effects, Tyson's voice and a really lush and varied score by Alan Silvestri. My one and only issue with this track is the sometimes jarring disconnect between sequences that feature Tyson's voice, which seem to have been edited together from different sessions where levels weren't equalized. Therefore, you'll suddenly get a minor but still noticeable "blast" of Tyson at peculiar moments, as if amplitude inexplicably spiked for just a word or two. Otherwise, though, the series offers a lot of inventive sound effects, and even some reasonable if never overpowering LFE, to propel virtually every episode. Some of the historical animated sequences feature other actors voicing various characters, and those are also cleanly and clearly presented.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary for Standing Up in the Milky Way features Ann Druyan, Mitchell Cannolo, Brannon Braga, Jason Clark and Kara Vallow.

Disc Two:

• Celebrating Carl Sagan: A Selection from the Library of Congress Dedication (1080p; 34:37) is a great piece focusing on a bequest of Sagan's papers and notebooks to the Library of Congress. Seth MacFarlane and Ann Druyan are in attendance.

Disc Three:

• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey at Comic-Con 2013 (1080p; 40:13) is a fun and sometimes funny look at the massive assortment of geeks (Neil deGrasse Tyson's own word) who congregated at Comic-Con.

Disc Four:

• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - The Voyage Continues (1080p; 41:20) elucidates how this new series built upon the foundation forged by Sagan while offering some fun behind the scenes looks at how things were filmed.


• Interactive Cosmic Calendar (1080p) features Ann Druyan as host and voiceover artist in this compendium of information laid out on a timeline accessible by choosing any given cosmic "month". Various pit stops on the calendar feature more information about that particular epoch or event.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's maybe a little scary for those of us who watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage when it first aired to realize that well over thirty years have passed since it premiered, but that only makes it all the clearer that the time was right for this new reboot. Wonderfully hosted by the always enjoyable Neil deGrasse Tyson, and overseen by a coalition that includes Sagan's widow Ann Druyan, this new Cosmos has all of the intimate charm of the first outing along with some pretty whiz bang computer imagery to up the visual ante considerably. Information comes quickly here, but is always presented in a clear and concise manner that repeatedly draws interesting parallels between what's happening "locally" and cosmically. Science lovers will certainly flock to this set with no other urging necessary, but even those who typically don't think of themselves as being interested in scientific information may well find Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey one of the most uniquely satisfying and compelling shows in recent memory. Highly recommended.