Buck Rogers: Complete Series - Fabulous Films - 2nd April 2018

[samdvd1]

The year is 1987 and NASA launches the last of America's deep space probes. Aboard this small starship a lone astronaut, Captain William Buck Rogers. In a freak mishap Ranger 3 and its pilot are blown out of their trajectory into an orbit which freezes his life support system and returns Buck Rogers back to Earth 500 years later. Forced to readjust to a new world and its people who blame his generation for a nuclear holocaust which left the earth a radioactive wasteland. Buck is soon enlisted to help save the Earth from an alien threat, working with Colonel Wilma Deering and a robot-droid known as Twiki. They, roam space and planets to welcome back the lost and dispossessed.

EXTRAS:
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'- Theatrical version of the pilot episode 'Awakening’,’Flight of the War Witch' Feature Length version ,'Journey to the Oasis' - Syndicated 2 Part Version in Hi-Definition

http://www.fabulousfilms.com/products/508

[CompleteCount]

Very cool - always loved the show, right from when it was first played in the UK, so I might have to hit them up for a review copy!

Buck Rogers was always Battlestar Galactica with the stick removed from its ar*e.

[drterror666]

I loved the first season of this, but was never happy with the direction of the second series. This is a must buy, though!

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by drterror666

I loved the first season of this, but was never happy with the direction of the second series. This is a must buy, though!

Season 2 was deeply, and most profoundly crap, as typified by Hawk and Crichton.

crighton.jpg

[drterror666]

Originally Posted by CompleteCount

Season 2 was deeply, and most profoundly crap, as typified by Hawk and Crichton.

Attachment 193489

Well, the wheel wasn't broken in the first place, so why try to fix it?

[Spiderwalk]

The only enjoyment I got out of watching Buck Rogers back then was trying to spot Erin Gray's camel toe!

[Show spoiler]

[stargazeruk]

Dam this took it's time to be released over here. I imported the AUS version a while ago.

[Patient-X]

Originally Posted by Spiderwalk

The only enjoyment I got out of watching Buck Rogers back then was trying to spot Erin Gray's camel toe!

[Show spoiler]

Should be a lot easier in HD

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by Spiderwalk

The only enjoyment I got out of watching Buck Rogers back then was trying to spot Erin Gray's camel toe!

And for the ladies, Gerard's pants were so tight, they can take enjoyment in looking for Frog-Eye.

[mar3o]

Originally Posted by CompleteCount

Season 2 was deeply, and most profoundly crap, as typified by Hawk and Crichton.

This is very much not true. I own the Australian blu-ray set, so I've seen all of season 1 and 2 recently.

While season 1 is far better, season 2 is not crap. Most of the episodes are actually good stories. Hawk was awesome.

One of the problems with season 2 is the huge budget cuts. Season 1 had lots of space battles and space stations and fortresses in asteroids, and it wasn't all stock footage from the week before. Some effects footage was re-used of course, but much less than in Galactica. You saw new stuff throughout season 1 of Buck Rogers. Season 2 had very little space combat - almost none in fact. The Searcher was a cool ship but there was literally only a couple shots of it filmed, and you see those same shots in every episode. They didn't even bother filming it from different angles to give you new perspective shots of it on it's journey through space. And most of the stories take place either on the Searcher, or on alien planets that look pretty uninteresting. So season 2 just doesn't have the razzle-dazzle of the first season.

It also loses its sense of fun. Season 1 was lighthearted and campy, and it was better for it. Bright, colorful sets, outlandish, tight, skimpy costumes, Vegas-inspired space stations - season 1 was fun to watch, yet had some serious moments also. Season 2 is dead serious, with little humor. Gil Gerard had said many times in interviews, like in Starlog, that he wasn't a fan of the campy humor, and wanted things more serious. So season 2 was probably more along the serious tone that he was thinking. Still, season 1 is definitely more fun.

The cast changes hurt also. They got rid of the excellent character Dr. Huer, which was a crying shame, and replaced him with the absent-minded Dr. Goodfellow. Ugh. They turned Wilma from an intelligent, strong, reliable agent of Earth Directorate to basically a stewardess. That's not entirely fair, as she did accompany Buck several times to other planets in season 2. But overall I don't think they did her any favors in season 2. Hawk was fantastic as a character and had a strong opening pilot. Twiki took a step for the worse, losing his "bidi-bidi" dialect, and literally speaking practically like a girl in one episode due to Mel Blanc being ill. We also lost the awesome Dr. Theopolis, who was cool to look at as well as being a helpful assistant to Buck and Dr. Huer. Apparently he was difficult to operate on season 1 and they did away with him for season 2 to make shooting easier. The less said about the incredibly annoying Crichton, the better.

The music is another step back. Season 1 was full of cool space disco beats. Again, it just added to the lighthearted nature of the show. Season 2 lost that sound, and went with more traditional TV scoring.

But all that said, there were still some great season 2 episodes (and it was only a half-season). The Satyr was pretty frightening and had a well-written story. The Guardians involved a mysterious glowing jade box that harnessed a powerful force (this episode featured a great flashback scene of Buck back on Earth with his mother before the flight). Mark of the Saurians was another great one where lizard-like aliens tried to take over the Searcher, with only Buck being able to see them for who they really were. The final episode was a scary story of what happens when mob justice takes over. Testimony of a Traitor put Buck on trial with the accusation of being a Traitor against his country back in his own time, claiming the actions he took part in led to the final world war.

The episode that really brings down the entire season is Shgoratchx!, involving a bunch of feisty dwarfs with their eyes set on Wilma. It's truly an embarrassing episode, yet fascinating to watch, much like a train wreck in slow motion. But most of season 2 is watchable, with some good stories and some good performances. It's certainly not up to the standards of season 1, but it should not be dismissed as quickly as Galactica 1980.

[mar3o]

For those that are curious, the series looks fantastic on my Australian blu-ray set. The colors really pop in season 1, and the detail is very impressive. It's by far the best it's ever looked. There seem to be no issues with anything missing or cut.

The only issue is that while the 2-part pilot is included (a must), the theatrical film release (which actually came first) is only in SD (with the aspect ratio slightly off also). It looks rather poor honestly. If they got the theatrical film included here in HD, I would buy the series over just for that.

Also, there are virtually no extras with the Australian blu-ray set. The Galactica DVDs and blu-rays came packed with hours of extras, so it's a shame Buck Rogers wasn't given any effort in terms of extra features. Still, for fans, it's a must-own set.

[Walrus Gumboot]

I absolutely agree. I was so disappointed not to have the theatrical film in HD. It was the first thing I went to watch on the set. So if this UK set does have it in HD I will re-buy it as well.

As far as extras on the Aussie set. There are the alternate opening and closing titles. Feature-length versions of the theatrical film and Flight of the War Witch both in SD. Syndicated 2 part version of Journey to the Oasis in HD. There's also an isolated music track for each episode if you're into such things.
The piece de resistance though is the limited edition fold-out poster... It has Gil Gerard on one side and Erin Gray on the other... I looked at it once and stuck it back in the box. Maybe if I got that 40 years ago I would've been a bit more excited.

[reason108]

I need to get this!

But, I wonder which version is the one to get? Either the release from Universal or from Fabulous Films? Are the bonus features on the Fabulous Films release the same as on the Universal release?

[CompleteCount]

Originally Posted by mar3o

The cast changes hurt also. They got rid of the excellent character Dr. Huer, which was a crying shame, and replaced him with the absent-minded Dr. Goodfellow. Ugh. They turned Wilma from an intelligent, strong, reliable agent of Earth Directorate to basically a stewardess. That's not entirely fair, as she did accompany Buck several times to other planets in season 2. But overall I don't think they did her any favors in season 2. Twiki took a step for the worse, losing his "bidi-bidi" dialect, and literally speaking practically like a girl in one episode due to Mel Blanc being ill. We also lost the awesome Dr. Theopolis, who was cool to look at as well as being a helpful assistant to Buck and Dr. Huer. Apparently he was difficult to operate on season 1 and they did away with him for season 2 to make shooting easier. The less said about the incredibly annoying Crichton, the better.

Thanks for preparing my case for me! The above represents the perfect example of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The sense of fun jettisoned from the 1st was key to the success of the show, making it more accessible for audiences who wouldn't normally tune in for such stuff. Sure, you should never pander to the lowest common denominator, but sugaring the pill makes it easier to swallow for most. The Gary Coleman episode was hideous, and represents going way to far to appeal to the plebs, and the camper excesses to the initial series. OK, it did have the great Albert Popwell in it...

My problem with Hawk might be in the choice of actor, as Thom Christopher goes somewhat overboard on the intensity, coming off as an actor merely being terse - he could make Tom Laughlin look relaxed.

The was a lot of fun stuff in Galactica 1980, but far too many dopey elements to be a credible continuation.

[Indiana Jones]

Originally Posted by reason108

I need to get this!

But, I wonder which version is the one to get? Either the release from Universal or from Fabulous Films? Are the bonus features on the Fabulous Films release the same as on the Universal release?

Well like the forthcoming UK release the Australian set was not released by Universal themselves either but a third party (Madman Entertainment) and the only extras listed for the FF release are...

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'- Theatrical version of the pilot episode 'Awakening’,’Flight of the War Witch' Feature Length version ,'Journey to the Oasis' - Syndicated 2 Part Version in Hi-Definition

Now if they are all in HD then its an improvement over the Australian release but it will in turn miss out on the isolated music tracks and text less intros/outros.

[reason108]

Originally Posted by Indiana Jones

Well like the forthcoming UK release the Australian set was not released by Universal themselves either but a third party (Madman Entertainment) and the only extras listed for the FF release are...



Now if they are all in HD then its an improvement over the Australian release but it will in turn miss out on the isolated music tracks and text less intros/outros.

Well, I`m in the US so the one released here is from Universal. It has extras listed as: Theatrical version of the pilot episode (in SD), Ending and opening sequences for 2 part version of Awakening, Opening titles (without narration), Opening and Closing textless titles, bonus - Flight of the War Witch - feature-length version (SD), Bonus - Journey to Oasis - syndicated 2 part versions (HD)

I was really just wanting to get this once on blu-ray and trying to figure out which one would be the best one to get that has the best extras. But, it seems that the extras are the same?

[TheOneWithThePrize]

Originally Posted by reason108

Well, I`m in the US so the one released here is from Universal. It has extras listed as: Theatrical version of the pilot episode (in SD), Ending and opening sequences for 2 part version of Awakening, Opening titles (without narration), Opening and Closing textless titles, bonus - Flight of the War Witch - feature-length version (SD), Bonus - Journey to Oasis - syndicated 2 part versions (HD)

I was really just wanting to get this once on blu-ray and trying to figure out which one would be the best one to get that has the best extras. But, it seems that the extras are the same?

There is no US release of Buck Rogers yet. The one listed at Amazon is the Australian import.

[notops]

What in God's name occurred on this show to warrant a 15 rating?

[CouncilSpectre]

Originally Posted by notops

What in God's name occurred on this show to warrant a 15 rating?

Dunno, but I bet it's something to do with Twiki....

[chip75]

Originally Posted by notops

What in God's name occurred on this show to warrant a 15 rating?

Originally Posted by CouncilSpectre

Dunno, but I bet it's something to do with Twiki....

The feature's rated (back in the '80s) 15 for some reason. Although the DVD set was a 12 (and it has the same feature?).