Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17265 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-05-12
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 324 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Unsurprisingly, eyebrows were raised when it was announced that the classic 1970s sci-fi television show Bionic Woman was being revisited. And those eyebrows shot even higher when it was confirmed that former EastEnders actress Michelle Ryan was taking the title role. But the fears, in spite of what some early word may have hinted, proved unfounded. For the new Bionic Woman is surprisingly strong.

The concept at the heart of Bionic Woman is similar, if not exactly the same as its predecessor. Ryan is Jamie Sommers, a woman leading an unspectacular life until she's caught in a horrific car crash. Saved by scientists, she's rebuilt with added strength and speed into the mix. And that proves to be just the start of the adventure.

The full series is included on this DVD set, and there's plenty to enjoy with Bionic Woman. Alongside an assortment of welcome guest appearances, the show boasts good action, strong effects and plenty of entertainment. Sadly, it wasn't enough to save it in the States, where ratings have led to its cancellation. And that's a real pity. Because while it's not perfect, and occasionally the pace is slightly off, Bionic Woman is good science-fiction television. And do you know what? Michelle Ryan is really very good too. In spite of it coming to a premature end, it's still a show worth picking up. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
Just as executive producer David Eick helped reinvent Battlestar Galactica for a new generation, he gives the 1970s series The Bionic Woman a slick update here. Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan, Eastenders) lives an average life as an average woman, but a horrific car crash upends her quiet existence. Scientists have saved her life, but she is now the less-than-proud owner of high-tech body parts that give her incredible strength and speed. Indebted to the scientists, Jamie now has to use her powers for their projects while she conceals her new abilities from her younger sister (Lucy Kate Hale, How I Met Your Mother). Miguel Ferrer (Crossing Jordan), Molly Price (Third Watch), and Will Yun Lee (Witchblade) co-star as people employed by the secretive company. But it's the guest appearances from Isaiah Washington (Grey's Anatomy) and especially Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) as the first bionic woman that give the action-driven series an extra shot of energy. Features the complete first series of the show.

Customer Reviews

Eight episodes of dull and tedious "drama".
There is a very good reason why this series was ditched in America, its boring.

What was advertised as a fast paced, action heavy update of the original, is actually painfully slow and light on action. If seeing two women go through the same fight and same dialogue week after week is your idea of excitement then this will entertain you.

The plots each week are dull and uninteresting and rather than any feeling of saving the world all we get is a boring soap opera between Jamie Summers (the new Bionic woman), Sarah Corvus (The "first" bionic woman) and Jamie's sister. By episode three this all becomes very tedious.

As far as performances go they are adequate considering the dreadful script. Miguel Ferrer adds some much needed class but everyone else just feels lifeless and appear to be just reading a dull script rather than doing any serious acting. Michelle Ryan is actually very good and her American accent is flawless. She has definitely come on a lot since her days in Eastenders. On this evidence I hope she gets more work in America as she has the talent and charisma to be a big star.

Overall this is hugely disappointing considering the hype. If you are desperate to see it, just watch it on the TV. There are far better things to spend your money on than this.

Held promise but not allowed to develop
Having read so many reviews which were less than complimentary I was fairly sure I would be intrigued by this short (and sadly only) season of a new version of Bionic Woman. I'm not sure what other reviewers were looking for in this series but I found myself quickly pulled into the world of Jamie Sommers and all the plot threads woven into the episodes. The initial episodes were perhaps a little overcrowded due to the involvement of Sarah Corvas (the first bionic woman) and this was made evident by the rather quick resolution to the storyline of Paradise Lost but I found the idea a very clever one. I felt a little sad that the later episodes seemed to drop the Sarah Corvas storyline but perhaps the idea was to continue that thread in Series 2 (which at present is sadly not to be). The sisterly wrangling was well played by both girls and felt realistic. The characters were being rounded out nicely but would probably have developed more as the next series was played out so to criticise them is a little unfair. Many shows I came to love had initial series which weren't as strong as later ones (Deep Space 9; Voyager come to mind) but the development can only occur if the show continues. Personally I felt this show had great scope for a future several series but sadly it was not to be and I, for one, lament that situation. Michelle Ryan was extremely good in the lead role and had some great back up characters, well portrayed, around her. If anything the final episode indicated the direction the show could take and the promise of what the future could hold in store had it not been cancelled. Let's hope that someone decides to give it another shot before too long. The only reason I gave it 4, not 5, stars is due to the cruel shortness of the series through no fault of the actors and production team ...... I wanted more!

Monotonous
Could have been so good - the pilot wasn't bad and neither was Michelle Ryan. In the end, it suffered from dire scripts, poor special effects and no imagination.