Customer Reviews

Filmation Sci-Fi Box Set (Ark II / Space Academy / Jason of Star Command)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just received this in the mail. Wasn't sure what I'd get as there weren't any reviews up. Rest assured, this set delivers all that the individual sets have. Ark II is in a double DVD slimline case with two double sided disks. Space Academy is the same. Jason of Star Command is in two slimline cases with the first being Season 1 on a single sided disk. Season 2 is in a double DVD slimline case with two single sided disks. Of course, I don't have the individual sets that came out before, but from what I've researched on the internet, these disks have all the special features. And if you purchase from one of the sellers listed you can get it even cheaper. Great bargain!

Watch the first few episodes of Space Academy and then the final 2 or 3 episodes. 3 things you will notice: Gampu gets waaaay gayer & far less lucid, Adriane's pants disappear and are replaced with the shortest skirt I have ever seen, and Loki's face gets greasier and his eyebrows more bizarre.

Ark 2 is absolutely phenomenal and has a talking monkey - 'nuf said. Jason of Star Command has some decent Harryhausen-style animation mixed in with some of the most melodramatic acting you will ever witness. Transfer quality is better than I expected and looks decent on a big TV. I cannot endorse this set any higher.

I often purchase movies and tv shows I remember from my childhood and end up disappointed at how terrible they are.

With 1970s Saturday morning live action sci-fi, you wouldn't expect much...lots of (very bad) blue-screen effects and cheaply shot model space ships. But, this set of DVDs was a genuine surprise.

Almost everything about these shows satisfies. There is better than average acting (if you can forgive Jonathan Harris' hamminess) though you wouldn't cast a lot of these people in Hamlet. The models and sets aren't bad and the effects are pretty good (with the exception of Jason of Star Command's reliance on stop-motion Herryhausen stuff).

Of course there is the ever-present morality lesson, and that can get annoying if you can't chalk it up to the campy appeal of the shows.

As to the shows specifically:

Ark II is especially interesting in that regard, since it deals with a post-environmental disaster Earth (and hey, who doesn't want a mobile labratory/RV?) It's surprisingly well-acted. The "speaking" chimp is requisite "annoying little character." (Orko, Snarf, etc).

Space Academy deals with young adults learning the ropes at Star Command. Unlike many shows of this genre, there isn't a baddie-of-the-week. Several plots involve the consequences of the actions of the main characters themselves. Loki is an orphaned alien child and while the acting is OK, there is an interesting amount of characterization in the fact that he doesn't know where he's from. Peepbo, a small robot, is the show's highly annoying little character.

Jason of Star Command is two seasons long - the first of which is in serial format with shorter episodes. There are major cast changes between seasons. This show is much more action/adventure oriented than either of the other two. Peepbo is in this series as well (a shame), as is W1K1 (pronounced Wi-kee), a very small flying robot that resembles (and probably was) a wind-up toy.

From my point of view this is a great set that comes together for a price far cheaper than the shows were when they came out originally on DVD. This set is for the kid in us who still likes the cheesy science fiction as one would expect of Saturday Morning Cartoon shows of the time. Each show has many extras, photos and commentary that most will find enjoyable. They looked very good if not better than I remembered them, maybe seeing them on a TV bigger than 12" might also have something to do with it. The shows were of a period where we look back on and think fondly of mornings, playing with friends and watching a good show done by good people. They were not preachy or on a level of todays money infused blockbusters but, they were made with love and caring of many of the cast and crew, which is probably why they stay with many of us. I have only praise for the box set of Ark II, Space Academy, and Jason of Star Command. Go get this set and turn on the way back machine in your brain and just enjoy these classics from our past....pop some popcorn for me!

I picked up this boxed set at a used book store and absolutely loved it! I vaguely remembered watching one or two of the shows in each series as a kid, so I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a fun trip down memory lane reliving the episodes I remembered and enjoying the episodes I didn't. With all the animation crap out there posing as Saturday morning television, this boxed set is a great reminder of why kids used to get up on Saturday mornings!

I'm very pleased with my recent addition to my Filmation catalogue. These classic live action sci-fi shows remind me of being a kid. Good times, wobbly sets, cheesy dialogue, decent FX, James Doohan, Jonathan Harris, Tamra Dobson, Sid Haig... you can't go wrong! The 70's & 80's were when saturday mornings were fun. Kids today just don't know what they're missing.

I did not see these as kid but as an adult I can appreciate them. The shows are all done well and it was a treat to see James Doohan and Jonathan Harris in these other shows. This is a nice set to get if you can get it for a good price. This was fun to watch with my sons.

Where do I start? I remembered these shows, of course, but I had no idea the sights and sounds would throw me back so harshly! The nostalgia... killing me...

Oh, and the interviews are VERY informative!

As I watched it I was able to remember bits and pieces of the shows. I would think to myself oh this is when such and such happened. Now I can go back and be a kid any time I want too.

The best live-action Saturday morning kid shows ever made. The most expensive kid shows ever produced. Ark II will be talked about for decades. Space Academy is still competitive in special effects. Jason of Star Command is cheesy but with good effects as well. The "monsters" are the only things that look outdated. Power Rangers was never this good! Kamen Rider is about even. Live-action that the whole family can enjoy(Jean Han-Trager on Ark II and Maggie Cooper on Space Academy were/are WAY HOT with skin-tight outfits). Good morals taught as well from common courtesy to environmentalism, especially Ark II. No other live action kid shows come close. NONE.