CSI: Complete Season 9

DVD Rating: ***1/2

Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson

Read Amber Wilkinson's film review of CSI: Complete Season 9
CSI: Season 9
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Momentum's CSI packages are generally solid without being spectacular and this is no exception. There are four featurettes. Goodbye Grissom and Crime Scene Initiation, as you would expect, pay tribute to the outgoing and the incoming. This is pretty standard stuff, although it's interesting to hear William Petersen talk about his hopes for the future, a planned return to the stage, which has since accomplished via Chicago's Steppenwolf theatre group.

More fun, are the longer featurettes From Zero To 200 In Nine Seasons and Rats In Space. The first plays out as a sort of video diary making of and wrap of the 200th episode. There's a chance to see William Friedkin in action, although the rather long series of backslapping speeches from everyone from series creator Anthony Zuicker to executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer drags and is probably for die-hard fans only. Rats In Space, is the meatiest and most fun of the featurettes and gives each department - from costume to make-up and props - a chance to talk about the 'lab rats' episode recreation of a Sixties show.

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The lab rats episode, A Space Oddity, is also the backdrop for one of the two commentary tracks here - and by far the most enjoyable, since there is so much for the participants, writer/producer Naren Shankar, Wallace Langham (Hodges), Liz Vassey (Simms), producers Bradley Thompson and David Weddles, to talk about. Whether the touted fact that Langham is "wearing Tom Hanks' hairpiece from Philadelphia." is true or not, it's the sort of anecdote that makes this a lot of fun.

The second commentary is by George Eads (Nick), Taylor Swift (who has a cameo in the episode) and writer Tom Mularz on Turn, Turn, Turn. It's not as enjoyable as that on A Space Oddity, but Swift's excitement is catching and there are some nice anecdotes, such as the fact they took some time off during shooting to watch President Obama's inauguration. The package is rounded out by ‘CSI Mode’ Scientific Trivia Track for Episode The Graveyard Shift, which flashes up real pieces of science trivia in boxes as the episode runs, the only trouble is that the text is so small you need to use a microscope, or sit on top of the television to read it. Subtitles are present and correct on all episodes but, somewhat shamefully, not on the extras.

Reviewed on: 10 Mar 2010
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It's all-change in Vegas as Gil moves on.
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Product Code: MP925BR

Region: 2

Ratio: 16:9

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Extras: Goodbye Grissom, Crime Scene Initiation, commentary tracks, Rats In Space, ‘CSI Mode’ Scientific Trivia Track for Episode The Graveyard Shift, From Zero To 200 In Nine Seasons


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