Customer Reviews

Misfits of Science [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This show had it all...adventure, excitement, humor, passion, and love.

Every month I do a search on all websites to find out if it has been released on DVD, either the very first episode which is lovingly offered here for in VHS form for us Misfit o'Si fans who have watched our old TV video copies till they've either been destroyed by over watching or eaten up by the video machine, or even worse ruthlessly taped over by family members... (I on the other hand have over watched my original vhs tapes and found that I accidentally taped over the last half of the shows with Max Headroom <whoops!> I was inconsolable for months after that since they had already canceled the show with out warning and there was no hope for re-runs that summer)... or the box set perhaps with all the remaining episodes, I am sure there are some Courtney Cox fans out there who are just dying to get their hands on these babies.

I mean Courtney Cox was very cute in the episodes and not nearly as annoying and neurotic as she was in Friends. But as any female fan could confess, Mark Thomas Miller had our hearts <sigh> I still have my clippings from certain teen magazines of that year with him and the cast... ahh the memories.

Anyhow, this show was the epitome of what was to come in the future. I mean this was the 80's versions of the Hulk, the X-men, Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman...and any other TV version of superheroes that were out there then (in TV format in the 70's) and are coming to a movie theater near you now or with in the near future.

I beg of you give us what we need to relive our youth! A brand-spanking-new DVD collection of the Misfits of Science, I mean who can forget the episode where Johnny-B reroutes the missile, or the episode where Link follows Johnny-B around, or the one where they help the Russian Guy and his family, or even better the one where El finally makes a basket with out Gloria's help??? Or even better where the future writer of Independence Day (Dean Devlin) plays Angel the punk/gangmember-wanna-be/grafiti artist kid who channels the Mayan leader and reads Mayan too?

There are so many people just sitting on pins and needles waiting for this show. I beg of you all to speak out here and let the world, if not amazon.com, if not the producers or people who hold the licence to this show see how many of us want to see this out on DVD ASAP!

SAY IT HERE, SAY IT LOUD
I'M A MISFITS OF SCIENCE FAN AND I'M PROUD!

The Misfits of Science are true sci-fi fun.

This show tells the story of a gang of misfits who partly through mutation and partly through research have got superpowers of some sort. While being real and caring 'normal' everyday people with problems like you and me, the misfits can move stuff through telekinesis (young Courtney Cox) or shoot flashes out of their hands (Mark Thomas Miller), shrink to a fraction of body size (Kevin Peter Hall) or simply talk a load of rubbish (Dean Paul Martin, scientist and leader of the pack). They found together through a research facility supervised by hilarious comic-relief Max Wright (of ALF-fame among others), where some of them work and some of them are researched. Together they don't try to save the world from apocalypse, but friends who are in trouble or more often than not themselves.

This show doesn't take sci-fi over-seriously but as a means of storytelling, and it has a lot of humor. Providing truely enjoyable tv, this is (for me at least) one of the great 80s shows along Knight Rider, A-Team, Streethawk and AirWolf.

I hope that one day Universal (or whoever owns the show now) is going to release a DVD-Box--I'd buy it without hesitation. (preferably including the german dubbed version that I watched in the 90s as well)

This videotape contains the pilot for a 17 episode show. The show was never a success in the US, but it was huge in Germany (partly thanks to the hilarious and lovingly made German dub). A sequel was considered for the european market, but unfortunately the main character had died in a planecrash, so this never happened.

This is for the german speaking customers:
Die Spezialisten Unterwegs - es gab von diesem Pilotfilm eine Verleih-Videokassette mit dem Titel "Die Superhelden". Gelegentlich findet man diese noch gebraucht, allerdings ist die Kassette anders als die TV-Serie synchronisiert (andere Stimmen, nicht so lustig - vergleichbar mit den alten Star Trek TNG-Folgen auf Video)!

At a time when the networks seemed to take more of a gamble on the comedy inspired science-fiction television series, "Misfits of Science" was one of those series that was cut from the line-up too soon. This series could have the viewers laughing one moment, shedding a tear the next, followed by a heart-pumping action scene that would bring the episode to it's closing.

And it all began with this, the pilot for the series...

I was truly moved. My expectations were surpassed by a cast of terrific actors. I especialy was drawn to the talents of Mark Thomas Miller. His scene at the beach tore my heart out. Also the action was riviting. The scene with Mark throwing lightning and singing at the same time gave me goose bumps. Anyone who wants to see an actor with great looks and alot of talent should watch Mark in this movie. Brad Pitt is a wimp next to this hunk. Where is he now? I wish I could see him in more movies. Courtney Cox is in the movie too.Also Kevin Peter Hall and Dean Paul Martin are cute, but I heard they died. Also the director was James Parriot.

I really loved the humour in this show. It made for entertaining sci-fi, that does not take itself too seriously lik a lot of other sci-fi TV shows. I was extremely sad when Dean Paul (Dino) Martin was killed in 1985 as I had been a fan of his since the 60's.
For interested German viewers: The series is currently re-running on Sci-Fi channel. That last line again in German: Für alle deutschen Fans der Serie, sie wird gerade auf Sci-Fi wiederholt (Premiere plus/Digital Pay-TV).

Gotta say it - 'Misfits of Science' was hillarious and needs to be released on DVD (The Entire Series - 1 Season)
The greatest thing about it was that it did not take itself seriously and wasn't above making fun of itself. One of the greatest lines in the series was when Dean Paul Martin stops at the receptionist's desk and asks: "Have you seen the Invisible Man today?" and with a perfectly straight face she responds "No."

Trivia: Tim Kring, creator of 'Heroes' was a writer on this show.

I think this is one of the best shows that television had to offer. Being a sci-fi fan it disappointed me to see this show cancelled.

Gibt es den Film auch in deutsch?

This is one of those ones I recently found online because I had been thinking about it after not seeing it since it first aired back in the 80's.

It brought back a lot of memories, but seeing it again now, made me wonder why it stuck in my memory all these years. The plot is about a couple of scientists who work on weird things, and when they get fired from there jobs, they seek out a few freaks who have in human abilities to help stop the General of the army from using a ray gun capable of destroying small islands and mountains. All while looking after a frozen guy who is controlled by a candy bar.

Like I said, when I was a kid I loved this show for some reason, but seeing it now. It was pretty lame. Go on, you die hard fans of Courtney Cox and that Johnny B goof are going to give me unhelpful votes 'cause you have crushes on them, but I'm just being honest here. The acting was terrible on most actors parts, the plot was pretty stupid, the boom mic was in the shots so much I thought it should have been the star of the thing as it seemed to get more on screen time then anyone else.

I'm not going to put down the visual SFX, as it was a TV show from the 80's and was probably state of the art at the time, but the acting to make the effect work like Courtney Cox just crying and brushing her fingers through her hair, or just staring at something was pretty damn lame. And the scene with Johnny B taking on the army while singing Johnny B Goode.... come on, how can anyone not either find that the lamest thing in this movie, or just burst out laughing at how terrible an idea it was?

It's a no wonder the show didn't last, with Captain Brains, Mr 7'4 Midget, The Flash/Electric Jimmy Dean, Carrie White and a frozen Zues as the team of the Justice League. Think of this as a really lame version of Men In Black, or Hellboy. Maybe they drew inspiration from this series, as many others may have too, but it still doesn't make it worth anywhere between 3 to 5 stars.

This series was loosely based or, or ripped-off from Buckaroo Banzai. It was an off beat TV series about oddball superheroes, along the line of Mystery Men. Good clean fun that paved the way for Max Headroom in the US.