Starring:
Jennifer Sky as Cleopatra/’Cleo’
Gina Torres as Helen/’Hel’
Victoria Pratt as Sarge/’Rose’
Patrick Kake as Mauser
David Press as Horst
Mark Williams as Cat Man
Elizabeth Hawthorne as Voice (voice)
Rupert Cocks as Granger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danielle Cormack as Raina
Danny Lineham as Member of ‘Loop Group’ (voice)
Joel Tobeck as Creegan
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Special Effects and Stunts
Episode of Earth 2: The Man Who Fell To Earth (Too)
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 2.0 Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 12 Hours 37 Minutes
Synopsis:
Cleopatra 2525 originally aired on TV in 2000-2001. The following is from the DVD cover:
Get ready for temperatures to rise as the sexiest sci-fi series ever, Cleopatra 2525, explodes on to DVD for the first time! Action goddess Gina Torres stars in the sizzling series about a cryogenically frozen exotic dancer who, after accidentally being thawed in the year 2525, joins two sexy freedom fighters in their battle against evil robots called Bailies. Led by the mysterious “Voice,” this tempestuous trio must out-fight, out-seduce and out-maneuver the forces that threaten to destroy the world. From executive producer Sam Raimi (director of Spider-Man and Evil Dead) comes all 28 action-packed episodes and exclusive bonus features from the series that has the New York Daily News declaring “the sexy factor is way in the red zone.”
Cleopatra 2525 is not rated.
The Movie:
Simply put, Cleopatra 2525 isnt that great. The show is ultra hokey, the plots are rather simplistic, and each episode is little more than an excuse to show some cheesecake on the small screen. Unless youre a fan of Sam Raimis Xena Warrior Princess series, I wouldnt recommend you even bother with Cleopatra 2525.
The show does have a couple of bright spots. First of all, it was one of the first series to showcase the talents of Gina Torres as Helen/’Hel’. Torres is beautiful, tough, and has nobility about her that seems out of place in Cleopatra 2525. She went on to star in the Matrix sequels and the Firefly series where her talents were put to better use. The show also features a few cool concepts. For example, the characters live in underground lairs where they freefall down deep shafts in order to get around. They stop themselves by shooting Spider-Man-like web shooters. (This is ironic considering producer Sam Raimi went on to direct the Spider-Man movies.) There are other touches here and there that are cool, but its not enough to make me recommend you spend 12+ hours watching it.
Cleopatra 2525 is also more comedy than action adventure. I mean, the lead character is a cryogenically frozen woman who went in for a boob job and woke up in the year 2525. I think thats a first for Hollywood. The humor in the rest of the show is of that spirit, so if that cracks you up then maybe youll enjoy it after all.
The Extras:
There are a few bonus features included on this DVD, but no bonus features with interviews of the cast or crew:
Deleted Scenes Theres about 10 minutes of deleted scenes included. Some of them dont have completed effects or sound, but you get the point.
Outtakes This is your typical gag reel featuring flubbed lines, botched stunts, and clowning around on the set (including a strip tease by Jennifer Sky). Be warned that the language is R rated.
Special Effects and Stunts This is a compilation of some of the bigger stunts and effects moments from the show. They are seen with blue screens and after effects are added.
The Bottom Line:
I can only recommend Cleopatra 2525 to fans of Xena or die-hard fans of Gina Torres. I dont think it will please many other people.
