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•	Harsh Realm : The Ultimate Mind Game - The Complete Series (Three-disc Collector's Edition)

Harsh Realm : The Ultimate Mind Game - The Complete Series (Three-disc Collector's Edition)
enlarge	Studio: Fox Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~$29.98~~ Buy Used: $11.72 You Save: $18.26 (61%) New (37) Used (32) from $11.72 Avg. Customer Rating: 37 reviews Sales Rank: 41925 Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed) Rating: NR (Not Rated) Number Of Items: 3 Running Time: 387 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6 Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.5 x 1 MPN: FOXD2221572D UPC: 024543115724 EAN: 0024543115724 ASIN: B00028HOMM Theatrical Release Date: October 8, 1999 Release Date: August 24, 2004 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Editorial Reviews: Product Description Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 07/01/2008 Amazon.com The dark and fantastic Harsh Realm, a science fiction series about a war fought by flesh-and-blood humans trapped inside virtual reality, was launched by The X-Files creator Chris Carter in 1999 and died a regrettable, premature death on the Fox channel after three episodes. The remaining six shows found sanctuary on the FX network, and then Harsh Realm slipped into history, its wild story, based on a comic book, far from resolved. Perhaps Harsh Realm's ratings failure had something to do with its broad similarities to the hugely popular The Matrix, released only a few months before, or, for that matter, David Cronenberg's 1999 eXistenZ, in which characters fight for their lives inside a video game. Whatever the reason, enough time has passed to take an objective look at Harsh Realm, and there is a lot to be admired in its high level of imagination, complex plotting, and cutting-edge production values. Scott Bairstow stars as U.S. Army Lieutenant Tom Hobbes, a decorated hero who risked his life rescuing a buddy, Major Mel Waters (Max Martini), during a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia. Set to return to civilian life and marry his fiancee, Sophie (Samantha Mathis), Hobbes is summoned by a mysterious superior (Lance Henriksen) and asked to test-run Harsh Realm, a virtual reality war game devised by the Pentagon. Once he begins, however, Hobbes is mentally imprisoned in the dangerous game (his body, along with those of hundreds of other "volunteers," is cared for in a secret military hospital), where he is identified by other, desperate captives as the savior they've been awaiting. D.B. Sweeney is very good as another soldier, Mike Pinocchio, whose sense of mission is re-awakened by Hobbes and who becomes a partner in an endless effort to defeat a madman named Santiago (Terry O'Quinn), who rules Harsh Realm from within. As with The X-Files, the nine episodes in this boxed set are each very striking on their own terms, with post-apocalyptic sets, constant surprises, and that special Chris Carter touch (fans of his Millennium will like Harsh Realm, too) that makes every story look and feel like a collision of a nightmare and a crisis of faith. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews... Cancelled,eh? Welcome to HARSH REALM. August 4, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful After seeing the most recent X-Files movie, I heard an audience member mention that one character, Inga Fossa, had the same name in the TV show Harsh Realm. All I remembered was the following: it got cancelled after only airing 3 episodes. With no time like the present, I picked up this box set and watched all the episodes in about 3 days. After finishing it, I think it's a little cruel and dismissive to call this show a "Poor Man's Matrix". There's a lot of potential here, and with a few tweaks, this could have been a show that rivaled the X-Files in popularity. The premise is simple enough - Omar Santiago (Terry O'Quinn) is the top player in a virtual reality simulation called Harsh Realm. He rules this post-apocalyptic world with an iron fist, and to date, no one has been able to beat him. Tom Hobbes (Scott Bairstow) is sent in by the U.S. Government to kill Santiago. However, once inside Harsh Realm, Hobbes discovers he is trapped there until Santiago is killed - only then can he return to reality. Along the way, Hobbes picks up some unlikely allies - Mike Pinocchio (D.B. Sweeney), a Gulf War veteran with a Han Solo attitude, and Florence (Rachel Hayward), a mute VC (Virtual Character) with the ability to heal other characters in Harsh Realm. This trio sets out to eliminate Santiago and free Harsh Realm from his oppressive tyranny. Right away, there are several contradictions - we are told that Santiago can move in and out of Harsh Realm, but there are no episodes that actually show him doing this. We are told that there is no concept of an afterlife or religion in Harsh Realm, yet one of the central characters in a later episode is a priest. Worst of all, we only get a hint of Santiago's plans to make Harsh Realm all that remains of the "real world" - how he plans to do this is never disclosed. A few episodes introduce unique technology: weapons that can freeze Virtual Characters, Digi-Wands, Jump Points and Glitches. Sadly, most of these technologies were shown in the 6 episodes that aired after Harsh Realm's cancellation. The DVD Treatment: Two audio commentary tracks are on the pilot episode, but they do not include D.B. Sweeney or Scott Bairstow. There are TV spots/ads for Harsh Realm, and a neat little feature on the creation of the logo & intro sequence for the series. Chris Carter and two of his colleagues offer their thoughts on the creation and cancellation of Harsh Realm - not surprisingly, the lawsuit between Carter and the creators of the Harsh Realm comic were left out of this featurette. If I had to guess, the reasons Harsh Realm failed were as follows: (1) This show started out in the "Friday Night Death Slot" - there's a long history of TV shows that get cancelled because of a late time slot on Friday nights, and with only 3 aired episodes, Harsh Realm never had a chance. (2) "Poor Man's Matrix" theory: The Matrix came out 6 months before Harsh Realm hit the airwaves. This is an unfair comparison, simply because both touch on the idea of a virtual world. Harsh Realm had more of a Quantum Leap premise, with Bairstow's character trying to get back to his fiance in the real world. (3) The episodes with the best scripting were not aired early enough. For example, Terry O'Quinn gave his best performance in the series in "Cincinnati" - he showcases his character's ruthlessness, intelligence, and ability to lead others through intimidation. Another example is "Manus Domini": this episode showed a vulnerable side to the Mike Pinocchio character - his fear of finding faith in a world without it. If a few episodes that centered on Santiago's plans in the real world were scripted and aired early enough, it could have given Harsh Realm the fan base it needed to keep on the air. Alas, we will never know. If you're a fan of shows like the The X-Files, Millennium or Quantum Leap, I'm sure you'll enjoy this box set. Sure, the series leaves you with more questions than answers. Welcome to HARSH REALM. Nothing Harsh about this show May 6, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful There's just no excuse for this show being canceled. It was a brilliant concept that had limitless possibilities for several seasons worth of interesting story lines. Though some referred to it as the poor man's Matrix, this was really well-produced, despite being on a tv series budget. Too bad it never got the promotion from the network that it deserved. The only down-side... being left hanging at the end of the series. Missed Potential May 3, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful Chris Carter's Harsh Realm only lasted three episodes on television but the potential was there for much more. The series took for its premise an alternate reality inside a military videogame that existed in parallel with the real world. Into this world is recruited Thomas Hobbes (Scott Bairstow) , a soon to be discharged Army officer, sent on a final mission inside the game to kill General Omar Santiago (Terry O'Quinn) who has hijacked the game in the hopes of turning the virtual world into the real world. Along the way Hobbes joins fellow volunteers Mike Pinnochio (D.B. Sweeney) and mute healer Florence (Rachel Hayward) who join him on his mission. The series was exceptionally well designed but not well thought out. The three episodes that made it to television were enough to wet out appetites but little more. The final six episodes are of the stand alone variety which do little to explain the character arcs that Carter hoped to develop over time. One of the greatest problems with the show was that Carter did not include a powerful female lead character. Without a strong female we get a show that features stunts and explosions but not one which helps the characters to mature into individuals that the audience should care about. The episodes are a mix of really good with really bad. The plotting becomes silly in some but shows moments of greatness. It is said that if a show does not become a hit in the first few episodes Fox is likely to cancel it. This was one of those shows. With a little more time it could have developed into something special. What we have in this box set is a footnote on what might have been. The episodes are presented on three discs. The picture is full screen with Dolby 2.0 sound. The sound mix is a little bland for my tastes but suits the material. Included are two commentaries on the Pilot episode by Carter and director Dan Sackheim. The remaining special features are minimal and include a making of featurette, a feature on the logo and some TV spots. Rent it if you are interested. The last half of the series gets 4 1/2 stars... December 24, 2007 0 out of 1 found this review helpful Harsh Realm. It's hard to really dig into as it was canceled prematurely. As most reviewers state this was canned before it really got it's feet wet, however the potential of this show is realized in the last couple episodes. When I first began watching the series it felt so-so. The idea of being locked inside a virtual world has been explored by many movies and television shows in the past and seemed a little redundant. At the midpoint however the show really seems to find itself and its full potential is realized, however it is too late as the show gets the axe before it ever got to accomplish anything great. The cast here is very good (especially Terry O Quinn who has been a favorite of mine since Millenium first aired) as well as most script writing. If you're a fan of Chris Carter and enjoyed his other works (The Lone Gunmen, Millenium, X-Files) I highly suggest giving this one a chance. It's only 8 or 9 episodes and an easy watch. One of the rare canceled programs that probably deserved it December 20, 2007 Before watching Harsh Realm on DVD I was under the solid impression that any canceled series (e.g. Firefly, Wonderfalls, Deadwood, Huff, Dead Like Me, Miracles, Veronica Mars - you get the idea!) was better than just about anything currently on the networks. Harsh Realm is one of the exceptions to the rule. Don't get me wrong, it's enjoyable enough to watch. But it's all just cotton candy. HR suffered from massive holes in its plot and the obvious arrogance of its producers who thought they could placate their audience with multiple dead end cul de sac episodes that contributed nothing toward advancing the arc of the larger plot. HR's biggest plot point was that Santiago, the man who had taken over the virtual reality game, could somehow destroy the real world. It's nonsense on two counts - how is such a thing possible? And how could the game continue if the real world no longer existed? Another gnawing flaw was the idea that the VR world was identical to the real world in every possible way,as if not just people were copied, but their entire life histories as well. Just how could the government know every single possible detail about every human in the country? One of the lessons that the producers of shows like "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" (season 3 mostly) discovered is that you can't get away with multiple dead end episodes. In Harsh Realm we basically get the first two episodes that advance the larger plot and then it's essentially abandoned. I actually enjoyed watching the show. But the reasons for its cancellation were rather obvious.