Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 17, 2023

There is no question that man's desire to explore has been one of the cornerstone driving influences of his existence for many millennia now. It is only recently, at least within the larger history of the species, that the desire to explore space took off, sparked by imagination, of course, writings like those of Jules Verne, and the recent technological advancements that have put man in space, on the moon, in orbit, and, hopefully in the years to come, beyond. Space has become within reach, and the vastness of the heavenly expanse affords literally endless opportunity for current and future study. But there is another place, right here on Earth, that is also ripe for exploration: Earth's oceans. Earth's underwater regions, vast as they may be, are certainly much more finite and plausibly explorable today, whether in terms of technology, cost, time investment, and so on. Unlike space, there's a limited field of exploration, yet man has barely scratched the surface, so to speak, of true underwater exploration. Enter SeaQuest DSV, a mid-90s TV show about a (then) future undersea world where both scientific exploration and complex political systems merge into a forward-looking show that finds its place below rather than above yet still tackles many of the same issues that define many of the best space-based Sci-Fi TV shows.

The show is very much like Star Trek for the oceans: a new world has been created, underwater habitations, colonies, and nations exist under the sea. The seaQuest is the flagship of the United Earth Oceans Organization (UEO) fleet, and it both conducts military operations and leads in scientific endeavors and exploration. It really is the Enterprise, submersed, with a full crew complement and the various personalities and conflicts that arise within the confines. Of course, the seaQuest is no ordinary submarine as they are today: cramped, limited, and so on: it more approximates a carrier than it does a submarine (she's about 1,000 feet long), which allow for greater freedom of movement and more "things" and "places" within the ship to do and explore. Season one is the best of the seasons; it's dramatically interesting, visually stimulating, and it's populated by some quality characters.

However, the show saw a fairly large shake-up headed into the second season that was not guaranteed to happen due to ratings struggles. A large, vast turnover was matched by a change in production location from California to Florida, and as a result the show feels fairly different from season one to season two. Yet season two is perhaps more Star Trek: Underwater than even season one with a greater focus on various Sci-Fi tropes that are inherent to both the plot and to the characters. Still, despite a fairly new approach and the unique setting, season two's divergence feels off next to the more nobly balanced season one. Various creative disputes, frustrations, and uncertain directions further marred the show, which was eventually rebranded and again largely recast for the third season, which would prove to be its last: the show was finally cancelled after three tumultuous seasons of ups and downs, a disappointing end to a show with so much promise.

SeaQuest feels like three shows in one through the three seasons, maybe something akin to Stargate and its various spinoffs that held to a basic core but charted their own direction. But SeaQuest undergoes these transformations from season to season, making for a jarring, and not oftentimes fully enjoyable, run. Each season plays well in its own perspective and within its own merits (despite some epic failures of episodes), each with more than a few good-to-almost brilliant ideas, yet the material never really comes together because the show cannot decide what it is or where it's going. What should have been a great show became something of a test case for how not to run a show, and the result is squandered potential with just enough good to merit a binge watch through three turbulent and divergent, but still more or less enjoyable, seasons.

SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek presents SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer framed at its original broadcast 1.33:1 aspect ratio, which preserves the original TV parameters by placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 HD display. The show looks pretty solid overall. Certainly, some of the visual effects shots show their age, and the opening title sequence looks awful, but was likely finished on SD video. There are some banding artifacts here and there, especially in underwater exteriors. While some compression artifacts are apparent, the picture rarely looks like a glob of digital chunks, even in darker backgrounds. A few speckles pop up here and there, and some static, baked-on debris crops up in spots, but the picture is fairly clean overall. It's also fairly clean in terms of grain. The show is not at all grainy but rather fairly-to-very glossy and lacking much filmic character. To be sure, the level of noise reduction does not push as severe as some of the worst offenders, but there is no mistaking the clean appearance that is a result of grain removal, leaving details still complex, but inorganic. The picture clearly benefits from the 1080p resolution anyway. It's sharper than anything viewers have seen before, with crisp and effective textures and clarity, and even looks good in many places, but there is some room for improvement.

Colors are handled will, offering good depth and natural contrast and temperature grading. Flesh tones are solid, and many of the darker SeaQuest interiors, made of various shades of black, blue, and gray, hold up well, especially with various computer terminal accents that offer an abundance of colorful buttons: blue, yellow, red, green, and so forth. Black levels are solid with no major push to light or to crush. Things could be better, but things could be much worse. If fans watch for the show rather than the peculiars of the transfer -- which is not perfect but far from poor -- this should make for a serviceable watching experience.

SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek launches SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation neither sinks nor swims, just sort of treading water and delivering a good, solidly foundational listening experience. The two-channel parameters obviously limit the opportunity for expansive activity, which is obvious during some of the more intensive action scenes, but it does allow for standard length across the front and good clarity to all of the basic necessities. Musical spacing and definition satisfy while dialogue is clear and images nicely to the center. Light ambience inside the ship is pleasantly complementary if lacking a bit in terms of substantial immersion. Overall, this is a healthy listen that satisfies within the show's original audio engineering parameters.

SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series contains supplements scattered throughout the set. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. The discs ship inside an overlarge Amaray case (each disc sits on its own hub with no stacking) which itself fits into a decently beefy outer box with different artwork.

Season One, Disc One:

• Deleted Scenes (480i, 4x3): Scenes from "To Be or Not to Be" (8:18), "The Devil's Window" (0:59), and "Treasure of the Mind" (3:04).
• Creating SeaQuest with Rockne S. O'Bannon (1080p, 10:02): Exploring basic show themes and settings, the timeframe, plot specifics, cast and crew, writing, and more.

Season One, Disc Three:

• Deleted Scenes (480i, 4x3): Scenes from "Nothing But the Truth" (3:25) and "Greed for a Pirate's Dream" (1:29).
• Directing SeaQuest with Bryan Spicer (1080p, 11:03): Working on the early days of the show, TV visual effects, collaboration with Steven Spielberg, anecdotes from the set, the animatronic dolphin named Darwin, and more.

Season One, Disc Four:

• Deleted Scenes (480i, 4x3): Scenes from "Hide and Seek" (2:13), "The Last Lap at Luxury" (1:10), "Abalon" (5:41) and "Such Great Patience" (1:33).
• Directing SeaQuest with John T. Kretchmer (1080p, 13:43): Discussing his work as both assistant director and director, shooting locales, sets, CGI, other directors working on the show, the "cinematic" flavor of the show, and more.

Season Two, Disc One:

• Directing SeaQuest with Anson Williams (1080p, 11:53): Looking back at his TV work, CGI on the show, tonal shifts in the show, cast turnover, action scenes, and more.
• Maiden Voyage: Scoring SeaQuest (1080p, 13:00): Composer John Debney discusses his work on the show.

SeaQuest DSV: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

SeaQuest never really found consistent footing, but even though it's more like three separate (though obviously very interrelated) shows rather than one unified experience, it's still a fairly solid watch worthy of any Sci-Fi fan's time. Mill Creek's Blu-ray presentation is not at all bad. Video could be better, but it is infinitely watchable. Audio is fine within the two-channel parameters, and supplements are fair in number, at least through the first few discs. Recommended.