The Outer Limits (1995-2002 series)*

I've just started watching the modern version of The Outer Limits on the Chiller network.

It is often very difficult to follow because the volume of the music is much louder in the mix over the dialogue.

My wife says she has noticed a similar effect on other shows.

Do you think this is intentional or some remnant of a process that comes off with rebroadcast today versus the late 90s production?

 

Many shows now have music that drowns out dialogue. I hate it and share your pain.

 

Yeah, it's a common problem these days. They crank up the music to make things seem more dramatic and edgy, but it's just an irritant. The Expanse has some such dodgy sound mixing, usually at the base end, so it sounds overly boomy, drowning out characters' voices (especially of they're speaking softly or in whispers).

 

Aside from sound issues, the few times I watched the modern version, I couldn't get into it. It seemed to lack the charm the original has. But I've only tried watching the newer one a few times, and quite a long time ago.

 

It's possible you're hearing a 5.1 remix or you're hearing a slightly different mix than the one used for cable in the 1990s.

The usual reason this happens is because theatrical mixes done in a big re-recording mixing stage are done with a reference level of 85dB (intended to be heard in a very large space); TV mixes are more traditionally done with a reference level of 82dB or even 79dB, in a small room (say, roughly 30' x 20'). TV mixes generally get the balance better between dialogue and the other elements of the mix. When bad creative decisions get made, what sometimes happens is that the low-level dialogue in quiet scenes is a little difficult to hear, and when a loud scene follows, it's so loud that it blows you out of the room and you wind up having to turn the overall volume down. And when a quiet dialogue scene eventually comes up, now that scene is hard to hear.

I was irked by the new 5.1 surrounds mixes of the classic Star Trek series, where I swear the MX and FX tracks are 3-4dB louder than the dialogue. It's clearly a creative choice on their part; the mono mixes are fine, and all other broadcast TV shows are fine.

I'm not a fan of theatrical mixes getting released to home video for this reason. I believe you have to make very slight adjustments in dynamic range to compensate for the fact that you're no longer in a theater with 800-900 people, but instead playing back in a living room with maybe 5-6 people (tops).

 

Original.
Blu ray available?

 

This seems like the most appropriate open thread for the 90's Outer Limits. I know there is a separate thread for the old series, but I'm looking for some specific recommendations of key episodes to check out from the new series. Any suggestions? I'm sure I've seen some in the past, but don't specifically remember which ones. Last night on Hulu I watched S1E2 "Valerie 23" and want to see some more, but with seven seasons, I'd like to filter down a bit.

 

I watched almost all of them when Showtime aired them. A pale imitation of the original, which was my favorite show. I liked a handful of episodes but was disappointed in most of them. I kept my VHS tapes as the few that were put on DVD were cut I believe.

 

I was a huge fan of the 90's series (and the original), and my all time favorite episode is
"A Stitch In Time" . This episode was one of the best time travel stories I've ever seen, either
on TV or in a film. Plus, they brought back the same character for the series final episode.
If you've never seen it, here it is........ (If it starts in the middle, move the slider back to the
beginning and watch from the start).

 

I like the one with Natasha Henstridge.

 

I remember watching the whole series in the 90s. The music always annoyed me, but there were some really great episodes that kept me watching throughout.

 

Watched a number of episodes from S1 recently.

#2 - Valerie 23 - creating robots indistinguishable from humans. Very common premise, but can always be fun. Good performances from William Sadler and Nancy Allen.
#3 - Blood Brothers - Pretty predictable. Didn't find anything memorable about it.
#4 - The Second Soul - Liked this one quite a bit. Got a bit of a problem with the end. It seems too hopeful just for the purpose of contrasting against humans, but I'm not buying

Spoiler: spoiler

that the N'tal will suddenly just decide to let themselves die and not transfer to new host bodies, as they have always done.

#6 - The Choice - Not bad. Like a lot of early X-files episodes, only with no Scully/Mulder. Fun seeing a very young Thora Birch as Aggie.
#11 - Dark Matters - Okay. I'm drawn to anything with space ships. Really bad wig on Annette O'Toole, but I guess they wanted to give her a tough look as she's the Captain.
#12 - The Conversion - Pretty good. I thought Frank Whaley and John Savage were both good in this one. I notice Rebecca De Mornay directed this, and she did a good job, though her appearance in the episode seemed pretty superfluous.
#16 - Caught In The Act - Hokey, especially the end. But an alien presence turning good girl Alyssa Milano into a sexually voracious killer is entertaining enough.
#19 - If These Walls Could Talk - Wanted to like this more, as I've always been a fan of Alberta Watson. And Molly Parker too. Nothing wrong with either of them in this, but the story itself just didn't engage me at all.

 

What I hated when blended most aliens stories into one story..
What till get to one where all knowledge is feed to us through into our brain
and oops the computers burns out.

 

This version of The Outer Limits was excellent. Probably my favorite anthology series made after the various classic 1960s shows. The DVD situation is a mess because the fully uncensored episodes were never fully released on DVD in the United States.

 

I think this is also another film show where all the effects and editing were done in videotape, so they'd have to rescan all the film and recreate all the VFX if they were to do an HD release.

 

Which doesn't seem to be imminent in any form. The original, uncensored episodes have made it out in some foreign markets.

 

Are the episodes on Hulu all uncensored or are they a mishmash? Of the ones I watched, I only saw one (Valerie 23) that would have had anything censored. It had a female topless scene. Until that happened, I never knew the show was originally on Showtime and that censorship was even an issue.

Edit: Forgot about the Alyssa Milano one (Caught In The Act). That definitely would have been censored on network TV.

 

When they issued the sampler DVDs, they used the censored syndicated masters. I haven't seen the show on HULU. Chiller, the now defunct horror cable network, was playing the syndicated versions as late as last year.

 

Picked up The Outer Limits (2DVD) Sex and Science Fiction which I thought is pretty good. It’s stars Natasha Henstridge etc...lot different than the 1960s series. Was this part of a bigger series ?

 

I really like "Final Exam." Has a few hokey moments, but it's quite intense. (Involves a cold fusion bomb.)

 

"Bits Of Love" S3 E1. Just watched that one.

 

Took me ages to track down the dvd.

 

I always felt that they had intended to revisit the N’Tal but it got forgotten.

 

A very good series. Some seasons better than others although I preferred the revival for The Outer Limits in the 80’s written by Harlan Ellison, Phil DeGuru, etc.

 

one of my favorites!
#2 - Valerie 23 - creating robots indistinguishable from humans. Very common premise, but can always be fun. Good performances from William Sadler and Nancy Allen.