DVD Corner

Space: 1999- Season 1 Blu-ray Review

“Space: 1999” is a flawed, but intelligent sci-fi series.

The plot: Mankind has built a base on the moon (Moonbase Alpha) with the purpose of disposing nuclear waste. As you can imagine, this operation goes horribly wrong after an explosion causes the moon to move out of Earth’s orbit. Suddenly, the crew of Moonbase Alpha find themselves on the moon on their own. Episode plots involve magnetic radiation poisoning, a black sun, alien enemies, a child, discovery of planets like Earth, other planets, a mysterious old woman named Arra, death, people from a dying planet, the moon becoming a prisoner to an alien planet, human copies, a spacecraft, an ice world, time travel, a killer, war, a ghost, and a living machine. Season 1 contains 24 episodes.

It’s not hard to see why “Space: 1999” didn’t have a long life on television. The characters are wooden, there’s an overabundance of dialogue, there’s a lack of plot variety, and the plot is downright sluggish. And yet, even with all of these issues, ‘Space’ is still watchable. While outdated to be sure, ‘Space’ has three elements that make it worth watching- production values, special F/X and a welcome dark tone.

As most astute sci-fi aficianods will realize, ‘Space’ is clearly influenced by “2001” in terms of model work which is definitely a good thing. If there’s one thing you can’t knock ‘Space’ for it’s the production values and special f/x as the show looks tremendous. The sets, costumes, and especially the fantastic model work really stand-out here for the time period. It’s a shame the same amount of work wasn’t put into the actual scripts.

Speaking of the scripts, I do have to say that I found the rather dark tone of the show to be a welcome surprise. While the show could have used more focused story arcs, I appreciate the fact that the plot wasn’t the same old sci-fi story. The premise is interesting (albeit outlandish) and there’s clearly a lot of storytelling possibilities here. Unfortunately, the possibilities are often squandered on repetitive storylines with the exception of inventive episodes like “Dragon’s Domain.”

Summary: “Space: 1999” and or Gerry Anderson fans will be overjoyed by this stand-out Blu-ray release. Now, can we get “Thunderbirds” on Blu-ray, please?

Video/Audio:

The fullscreen remastered hi-def picture quality is stunning. I wish all classic series were given the same treatment on Blu-ray. From the explosions to Barbara Bain’s blue eyes, the colors explode with life.

This set includes DTS-HD 5.1 and Original Mono audio tracks. The DTS-HD track is obviously the best one to hear as it’s new and improved. Hardcore fans, however, may prefer the Original track which is solid in its own right.

Extras:
* Music only tracks for all but 2 episodes.
* Photo galleries from episodes that contain everything from make-up tests, models, storyboards, behind the scenes snapshots, set footage, gum and cigarette cards, etc.
* Commentary on episodes “Breakaway” and “Dragon’s Domain” by Gerry Anderson. Dry, but informative commentaries.
* Text commentaries for “The Last Sunset” and “Space Brain”.
* Textless generic titles and alternate opening and closing titles. Also included are unfinished opening titles, textless end titles, and textless episode scenes.
* An interview with Sylvia Anderson chats about “Doppelganger,” “UFO,” “Space: 1999,” etc.
* “Concept And Creation Featurette”- Gerry Anderson and others talk about how the series came about as well as the series production.
* “Special Effects And Design Featurette”- A niece about the impressive f/x.

* “Memories Of Space”- Cast and crew members recollect about “Space: 1999”.
* “These Episodes Featurettes”- Cast and crew members talk about various episodes in great depth.
* Ad bumpers and “Alien Attack” and “Journey Through The Black Sun” trailers.
* Martin Landau and Barbara Bain US Premier intro and outro.
* Barry Gray’s Theme Demo.
* “SFX Plates And Deleted SFX Scenes”- A treat for visual effects fans.
* “Guardian Of Piri Remembered”- Catherine Scehll chats about her experience on the show.
* “Clapperboard”- A special on the shows of Gerry Anderson. A must watch for Anderson fans.
* “The Metamorph”- The first episode of season 2 is included on this set.

April 10, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Barbara Bain, Martin Landau, Space: 1999- Season 1 Blu-ray Review