Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21868 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-01-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 380 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The 4400, which began as a five-week mini-series, is built around a deceptively simple, dramatically rich premise. What if all the people, who had ever been abducted by aliens, were suddenly returned to Earth? What would happen? Although they look exactly as they did when they left, they have no knowledge of where they were or why they were taken. Now some even have special powers, like clairvoyance. As with ABC's Lost, which centres on the survivors of a plane crash, The 4400 features a large cast of characters and a host of mysteries to be solved. If the special effects, which are kept to a minimum, can be a little cheesy at times, the concept--and the skillful execution of the concept--easily makes up for it.

Produced by Francis Ford Coppolla's American Zoetrope and created by Scott Peters (The Outer Limits), The 4400 is set in Seattle, where the 4400 are returned. The principal characters include Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote of E.T.), the local supervisor of Homeland Security. He's joined by agents Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch of Taken), whose nephew was one of the returnees, and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie of Romper Stomper), who takes in one of the youngest returnees.

Guest stars include Michael Moriarty (Law and Order) in "Pilot" and Lee Tergeson (Oz) in "Becoming." Billy Campbell (Once and Again) also appears in several episodes as Jordan Collier, a real-estate magnate and returnee who becomes an advocate for others like himself, many of whom are having problems adjusting to a changed world. Like Lost, one of the biggest success stories of 2004, The 4400 debuted to strong ratings and was renewed for a full season. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Synopsis
When 4400 alien abductees return to earth just as mysteriously as they vanished, the Department of Homeland Security demands answers. But even more pressing than the concerns of the government are the experiences of the 4400 victims as they readjust to life on earth. Upon their return, these formerly missing persons lose all memory of what happened to them. Though they can't remember where they've been, they are haunted by the knowledge that their experiences have changed them. Operating in a cloud of unknowns, the victims start to go through mysterious changes, gaining powers that they can't always control.

Customer Reviews

They've returned
The last year had a lot of creepy-suspenseful shows, sort of crosses between "X-Files" and "Lost." But before those shows came out, there was the most underrated one: "The 4400," a suspenseful, intelligent show that looks not at mysterious abductions -- but mysterious returns.

1946: A little girl vanishes in the woods. 1951: A black GI vanishes from a tent. 1979: A corporate head vanishes from his car. 2001: A teenager vanishes from a camping trip, leaving his cousin in a coma. In 2004, a comet is on a collision course with Earth, causing widespread panic. But instead of crashing, it hovers over a Seattle lake -- and leaves 4400 bewildered people around the lakeside.

These people all vanished over the past sixty years, and have been returned without any aging, and with no memory of what happened to them in the time they were gone. Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch), whose son is the one in a coma, is desperate to find out what did happen, so he rejoins Homeland Security to keep tabs on the "4400," as they are now known.

Some like his nephew Shawn (Patrick Flueger) return to their old lives, only to find that they are reviled. And some like ex-GI Richard (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) and his girlfriend's granddaughter Lily (Laura Allen) find that they have no lives to return to. Ostracized and threatened, they start to draw together. But the strangest thing is that the 4400 are starting to show signs of X-Men-like powers: super speed, clairvoyance, telekinesis, healing, and mind control.

Tom and his HS partner Diana Skouros (Jacqueline McKenzie) track down both rogue abductees, and try to prevent harm from coming to the innocent 4400s. But when Shawn heals Tom's son Kyle (Chad Faust), Kyle comes back changed -- and his strange behavior holds the key to the 4400's purpose on Earth.

Okay, the complete first season of "4400" is only five episodes long, making it about the length of a miniseries. But unlike most shows on TV, its writers cram a whole season's worth of plot into only six hours. In most movies and shows, people who vanish and then are returned are always welcomed back. This time, they are treated with suspicion and even hatred, and many are completely alone.

There are standalone "4400 of the week" stories, like the one about a 4400 serial killer, or a vigilante who is using his powers. But there are also intertwining plots about how the 4400s try to survive in a new world that fears them. We see Shawn trying to fit back into high school, and Richard and Lily finding that they have no homes left, and building a home together.

And the final episode is absolutely mind-blowing, with sudden shifts in Homeland Security's power, a sinister megamogul, and Tom desperately trying to save his son. While the mystery of the 4400s is partly solved, there are lots of questions left over for the recently released second season. It's satisfying, but will leave you wanting more.

The acting is kind of stiff in the first episode or two, but when the actors settle into their roles they do a solid job. Gretsch and McKenzie have good-cop/bad-cop chemistry, and they do a good job playing off each other's personalities. Flueger soon does a good job as a a tormented teenager, and Ali is nothing short of brilliant with his confused, bittersweet Richard. The one real problem is Conchita Campbell, who spends most of the season playing the Smiling Little Kid Who Makes Creepy Pronouncements.

"The 4400" is one of the more intelligent new shows on TV, with a new spin on the typical "abducted by aliens" plot. Suspenseful, smart and well-written, this is one to keep an eye on.

4400 reasons to buy this!
Don't worry I am not about to actually list 4400 reasons here. I just want to say that this is a refreshing take on alien abduction/ sci fi drama. This is like the flipside to the "X Files" or "Taken" where they concentrate on abductees coming back to earth. OK 4400 return at once but they just focus on a handful and take it from there. Why have they returned, where have they been etc, the usual questions asked and probed in this brilliant series. Only 1 complaint! Only 5 episodes in season 1 and ends in a cliffhanger.

4400 - a show you must see!
This show has been very popular in America but not so much in the UK. Don't let this put you off; it's an amazing show. It's been called the new X Files, and it is certainly as good. The first series is short but had me hooked. The second series was just as good. If you like the supernatural and the different interactions between people then you should certainly watch this.