Must See Movie...

Absolutely Fantastic

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Okay, let me start off by saying I'd never heard of Harsh Realm. 1999 was a busy year for me, and when I heard the words "From the creator of the X-Files..." I didn't get to the end of any of the ads before I turned the channel. I never liked the X-Files, and for no particularly good reason. I might never have heard of Harsh Realm, but I work at Wal-Mart, and they got some DVD series in for fifteen bucks, and I thought "Hmmmm." I picked up Dark Angel first, another series I'd never heard of, then, the next week, I gave Harsh Realm a try. I enjoyed all 9 episodes very much, and I enjoyed the special feature's look behind the scenes. It was well put-together, and they didn't spend the whole time yelling about how they were never given a chance and all that, as some people like to do in their commentaries. I only wish the show had had a definitive ending, and, of course, that I had watched episode nine before episode eight, as I was instructed to do. I'm not going to say anything to spoil it, just that if you pick up the DVDs for yourself, you should watch nine, then eight, it gives it more of an "ending" feel, if only slightly....

Harsh Realm was an intriguing premise which was unfairly dismissed out of hand before it got a chance to show what it could become. Aside from movies such as 'The Matrix', or if you want to go back even earlier, 'Tron', the concept of virtual reality is still largely unexplored in popular television and cinema. Had it been allowed to develop naturally, who knows where Harsh Realm might have led us as it explored the worlds within our world.Scott Bairstow, the quietly earnest Tom Hobbes, and D.B. Sweeney, throwing a more cynical view on things as Michael Pinocchio, were great leading men, giving wonderfully nuanced performances that were just beginning to grow in strength as they worked out their characters quirks and foibles. Supporting players Rachel Hayward as Florence and Max Martini as Mel Waters did much with little, while Terry O'Quinn's Santiago was a suitably driven dictator and Sarah Jane Redmond added many shades of grey to the ambiguous Inga. Perhaps the only performance that failed to impress came from Samantha Mathis as the saccherine Sophie, but given time she to could have shone.That's not to say it was all good. The dog, although very cute, quickly became a plot liability, while episodes like 'Three Percenters' and 'Leviathan' were hardly stand-outs and the pilot needed a second and even third viewing for this reviewer to understand the complex story line. But in the mix you also get episodes such as 'Reunion', 'Manus Domini' and 'Cincinnati' which are rich in character development and great stories to boot.Who knows what might have happened had Harsh Realm been allowed to run a full season. It might not have lasted the distance, but then again, maybe it could have. With careful nurturing it could have turned into a thoughtful, contemplative show that questioned our very reason for being, or else simply a rollicking good adventure series.As it is, Harsh realm lives on in the minds of a few dedicated fans and is a prime example of why nervous network executives should give second thought about pulling the plug too early.

I loved every minute of this show. D.B. Sweeney has been a favourite of mine for years and it was pure delight to see him on TV again. I was told that the show was cancelled after the first season - I would personally like to slap the person who made that decision.For all those poor souls who didn't watch the show - you have no idea what you were missing. I did not expect Carter to make another"X-Files" (of which I am a huge fan), and he didn't. He was very original and created something that I've never seen before. Thanks for making this show - it was great!

I really love the X-Files and it is a shame that this is the last season for it (1999), but if Carter was trying to transition his fanbase to another show (Millenium ended last season), this was a really bad attempt. Yes, it's similar to The Matrix. And I have heard about a previous comic book. But there really wasn't any "substance" - in the long run he had to defeat the Bad Guy. Big deal. Why should I watch every week? To see the same Goo effect of a "bug" in the VR world? X-Files always leaves another question - "What will happen next?" or "But what about ....?"Read in the newspaper that FOX picked up on this too, and after three aired episodes - goodbye!