Torchwood: Children of Earth [Blu-ray]
Torchwood: Children of Earth [Blu-ray]

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 07/28/2009 Run time: 300 minutes Rating: NrAfter two engagingly frothy seasons of action-packed science fiction TV, the Russell T. (Doctor Who) Davies-produced Torchwood takes a decidedly dark and thoughtful turn in its abbreviated third season miniseries, Children of Earth. Here, Captain Jack Harkness and the Torchwood Three team, still reeling from the deaths of two of its key members in the previous season, investigate a outbreak of hypnotic chanting by children across the globe. The phenomenon heralds the arrival of an invading alien force, the 456, who plan to destroy the human race if 10% of the Earth’s children are not given to them. Captain Jack and his cohorts must find a way to stop the 456’s plan, but encounter formidable obstacles along the way, including enemies in the British Home Office and Jack’s own past, which is intertwined with the 456. Penned in part by Davies, Children of Earth does an impressive job of bringing the Torchwood characters and mythology into a more complex and mature storyline (which borrows and elaborates pleasantly on John Wyndham’s novel The Midwich Cuckoos and its film adaptation, Village of the Damned). Dedicated fans of the series may decry some of Davies’ decisions regarding some of the show’s characters (and new ones are introduced here), but most should enjoy this attempt to bring weight and suspense to the Torchwood universe. The Blu-ray release contains all five episodes of Children of Earth (which were broadcast on consecutive nights on the BBC and its affiliated stations), as well as a 31-minute episode of its companion series, Torchwood Declassified, which addresses the season’s production (and under no circumstances should be viewed prior to watching the episodes). –Paul Gaita
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Amazing, disturbing and dark — as it should be
I agree with pretty much every word in Amazon’s editorial review. The X-Files and Buffy and Doctor Who were never like this. You have to see it to believe it. I’m all the more eager to see the 4th season.
Was it perfect? No. I still give it the highest rating because I think it accomplished what alot of sci-fi series’ only aspire to. The characters themselves are still important, but the story itself eclipses them. The situation they face is on a much bigger scale than any they have dealt with in the past. There was more action, and more essential players. The special effects were close to flawless, considering it’s television. You can quibble over the politics, but the show as a whole isn’t really about that, so I don’t consider it important.
There were several parts I found unnecessary, even objectionable, and manipulative to its viewers. For the most part, though, I don’t feel betrayed. Some decisions were made that disappointed me, but that’s what I get for getting involved in a TV show. Still beats the whack out of most of the sci-fi series made in the US, so keep ‘em coming.
5 Stars Brilliant
Torchwood: Children of Earth is brilliant. Action packed, moving, and suspenseful, it has it all. This was my first Blu-Ray purchase and the picture is stunning. The packaging notes that the music heard on the disc for Day 5 is not the same as heard on the BBC broadcast. I haven’t gone back and listened to both to hear the differences, but nothing is really jarring or immediately noticeable as being different.
If you are a fan of Doctor Who and Torchwood, this is a must-see.
5 Stars wow!!!
I loved the movie, but i was disappointed in the fact that the series would not be returning.
5 Stars Transcends it’s origins
I’m not really a fan of Torchwood. I absolutley love Doctor Who, and I loved Captain Jack’s appearances on Doctor Who, but I always found Torchwood to be rather dumb and really silly with they way they tried to make it “dark” by having lots of sex & swearing. It all seemed to be just trying too hard to be different from Doctor Who.
So I was shocked by how good “Children of the Earth” really is, not just for Torchwood, but for sci-fi/espinoage thrillers in general. The first 3 episodes are classics of the paranoid action genre, with the stakes rising constantly and the ground falling out from under the characters over and over again. The fact that the government see’s Torchwood secret organization and raises them by an even more secret organization brings a great sense of unpredictability to the storytelling.
The main characters are many times more interesting here than they ever were in the first two seasons, and the new characters introduced are fun and fully developed. Of particular note are a handful of mid-level government officials who find themselves with the fate of the world literally resting upon their shoulders because the elected officials don’t want to take any responsibility. These poor and misguided people go about their business, doing their jobs and keeping their heads down because they are paid to maintain the status quo and not question directives. They are ordinary people doing terrible things because they are “just following orders.” The story brings an unexpected level of empathy for these functionaries who labor in obscurity doing mostly good things for most of their careers but suddenly find themselves being forced to chose between the career they’ve worked for most of their lives and what is, in almost any sense, the “right” thing to do.
When things settle into a less spy and more sci-fi atmosphere in the final two episodes the series manages to maintain the momentum and build things to an almost unbearable level of tension entering the climactic moments. The final series of events is stunning, tragic and epic, putting “Children of the Earth” firmly into the realm of classic science fiction storytelling.
The only bad part is that I have no idea how they can manage to keep this level of quality going. The series feels dangerous and fresh because of the constantly rising stakes and the feeling that things will not end well for anyone involved.
4 Stars Excited to have this on blu-ray
Because this show is a spinoff of Dr. Who, I have watched it from the beginning. I love scifi and this is very clever. The characters are very quirky and super intelligent and work well with each other. Sadly, two of the characters died in the last season, which leaves Gwen, Capt Jack and Ianto to solve this mystery. I saw the first episode on tv and the premise is that aliens take hold of the childten of the earth and use them to let the adults know that they are coming to take over. What happens next-stay tuned for the next exciting episode! This disc comes with specials that were shown on tv - such as a tour of Torchwood headquaters, interviews with cast and crew. A must see for sci fi fans. The only thing that I find objectionable is the affair between Capt Jack and Ianto but usually they are brief and then the action starts up again. I am glad that this title is on blu-ray.
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