It’s now official. As cuddly, adorable and relatively sass-mouthed as Alf was, this fourth season of that crazy Melmacian goofball’s sitcom is simply too much.
I loved Alf – my whole damned family seemed to – and I even had a few Alf lunch boxes (I think my brother had a beach towel with Alf’s mug on it). But where the first season of Alf on DVD provided a lovely trip down memory lane, this fourth box set of the series has done more than just make me wonder why I liked the show in the first place. It beat me over the head with the realization that after a few episodes, Alf gets a little old.
Maybe it’s that this fourth season delivers the syndicated versions of Alf – I guess all tried and true Alf connossieurs will have to wait for the next home entertainment format to make their collections complete – but after two or three samplings of the series this time around, this writer found himself crying uncle in a massive way.
Don’t get me wrong. Alf’s sweet tooth for felines? Fantastic. And whenever the show’s creators find a way to get Alf into a smoking jacket and let him croon along to some velveteen lounge songs, you can’t miss. But so much of this fourth season is a retread of old Alfisms that it’s difficult to warm up to it at all. Yes, it’s nice to finally have a chance to watch what ended up being the show’s final episode, but after four hours of sitting through this DVD box set, I can’t say I was all that impressed.
It’s not enough to make me throw my old Alf lunchbox away – trust me, it’s in a safe place – but I’m definitely rethinking the importance of having every episode of the series on my shelf.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
These episodes have transfer qualities similar to the first and second seasons, and that leaves things at being . . . pretty good. Color rendition and black levels are both consistent - but not entirely utilized - and even though there's a certain degree of haze and muddiness, finely grained detail is, at the very least, better than one might expect. Not definitive, but nice enough.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 tracks are similarly appropriate. Dialogue sounds fine, the occasional sound effect and exceptionally infrequent atmospheric becomes audible nicely in the show’s minimal soundscape. Sure, the show’s incessant laugh tracks are enough to make you beg for mercy, but if you purchase Alf: Season Four for aural quality alone, you’re definitely barking up the wrong tree.
Also included are English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The only bonuses are somewhat goofy Alf-hosted menus. The first time you watch them, they’re quite endearing. After that, you’ll fast-forward through them.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.
Final Thoughts
If it’s absolutely imperative that all four seasons of Alf live on your shelf, then finish it off. With the exception of a few reincarnations in the last ten years, this fourth season signaled the end of Alf as we knew it. Audio and video quality on this release are identical to those of earlier releases, but the severe lack of bonus features makes this set a difficult one to recommend. I say put the very first disc of the Season One box set and the very last disc of this fourth box set on your rental queue and see how it suits you.
