Customer Reviews

Space 1999, Set 7

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great show this was and is. Set 7 includes Bringers Of Wonder in which really gross and goopy aliens take over the base by appearing to be the loved ones of the people on the base, but Koenig can see them for the slimy creatures they really are. Landau gives a wonderful performance of reacting to their true disgusting forms. This is not serious science fiction, but Landau is excellent, and the other cast members give it their best too. The goopy monsters are amusing and also pretty darn disgusting and creepy. The glops of slime oozing down the eyes of the aliens is a great touch.

Gerry Anderson's two seasons of Space:1999, and the prequel series UFO, seem to me to be three separate eras in one long story, rather like the eras of three different Dr.Whos, or perhaps different spin offs of Star Trek.
If that's the case, UFO is the equivalent of the Tom Baker era or the original Star Trek, it's the one that gets all the respect. Season 1 of 1999 is like the Davison era or perhaps Next Generation of Trek. Season Two of Space:1999 is like the Colin Baker era of Who, or Deep Space Nine in Trek. Yes, it is the one no one wants to admit they like, but if given closer examination with an open mind, it actually has much to offer and much to enjoy. This little lot contains some superb contributions by great writers. Terrance Feely (UFO, The Prisoner) delivers the goods in the excellent Bringers of Wonder, while Pip and Jane Baker (Dr.Who) write the low key but good A Matter of Balance. And then there's the superb Seed of Destruction, a compelling doppelganger story with an evil Koenig taking his place on Alpha. Space Warp, on the other hand, is written by Fred Freiberger and unlike the fun Beta Cloud, it sucks. Not to worry, though, the rest of the series is so much fun and so well produced that it is still totally entertaining and enjoyable. These characters are not as dark as the ones from the previous seasons, but they are fun and likeable enough to care about and enjoy their adventures. An underrated gem of a series!

My favorate episode then and now. Maya saves the day . After Alpha is threatened by a huge monster bent on stealing the life support , its up to Maya to stop it. This is such a fun episode, particularly the chase scenes. Seed of Destruction and Space Warp are fun too. The Bringers of Wonder can finaly be seen after all these years. We can forget about that horrible patched together movie version. I almost bought the Columbia House videos , but when I heard that they were coming out on dvd, i waited for over a year. The wait was worth it. Not only is the quality better than videos, you get all the bonuses videos lack. Set 7 has a huge gallery of behind the scenes photos and artwork. Its fun, fun, fun to watch the behind the scenes trailer. I hear there is an effort to revive this classic show... Lets have a season 3...

In my opinion, the second season of SPACE:1999 was the very best and in Set 7 it contains more action then ever before. No more just talking about dangers as in Season 1 just plain action and the characters are more comfortable with each other. They are all there to fight a common goal. The second season also contains humor as well reminds me of the orginal Star Trek cast with the Kirk-Spock and Spock-McCoy duo.

I recommend this to everyone that enjoys a good science fiction story with a moral to it.

Okay, for an old Space:1999 fan that isn't the best news I've ever heard (Series 2 Lives!), but it is the best news since I heard that Series 1 was out. For those of you wondering, Space:1999 lasted for two seasons in the mid to late 1970's. Each season was a distinctly different approach to the same series, with many characters returning for Series 2, but new faces abound. And despite the fact that writing did not abound in Series 2, the quality of the acting by stars like Martin Landau make me wish that somehow, there was a Series 3 waiting for release somewhere. But, alas, this is it. The show was cancelled when it failed to sell well enough in American syndication. Just watch Landau in 'The Rules of Luton,' arguably the worst 1999 episode and you'll see what a pro he is!.

Don't expect much in the way of extras here (there are some, but nothing exceptional), but the video remastering is very good, worthy of a DVD in and of itself. And, with the eight DVD box sets released since last year, you get all of Series 1 and Series 2! Not a bad deal! And, heck, Series 2 may be "Space:1999 Lite," but the elements that made this a high quality, underated, landmark television series are still present.

Lastly, you might be impressed with the quality of the sets, costumes, special effects and music if you keep it in mind that this is a 1976 production!

The second season of Space 1999 was very different from season one. Monsters and humor abound in season two. Most of the episodes are ridiculous, but filled with guilty pleasures.
Every episode in set 7 is a real hoot!

"Seed of Destruction" is about an evil mirror image of Koenig who takes over Alpha. Evil Koenig is a mean S.O.B.! The only thing better than an evil Koenig is when Koenig freaks-out in "Bringers of Wonder". Classic!

"The Beta Cloud" involves a nasty cloud that sends a wild bug-eyed monster to steal the entire life support system of Alpha. The creature runs amok on the moon base for the entire episode
while the cloud tries to persuade the Alphans that it's a non-violent cloud and they should just give up the life support system and die, but the Alphan's just wont listen. They are a stubborn lot.

"A Matter of Balance" features the lovely Lynn Frederick! There's also a bald translucent anti-matter spirit, a bug-eyed samurai creature, and Maya turns into a monkey! Tony makes more bad beer in this one too, and he makes Lynn drink it and then makes her cry! Who in their right mind would make the lovely Lynn cry?! Damn that Tony! First he get's Maya and now this!

"Space Warp" is about Maya going bananas and transforming into various dangerous forms that attack the base, but the absolute best is that she turns into the bug-eyed monster from the "Beta Cloud"! It's back and running amok and attacking Alpha again, BUT this time it's wearing a wild wig that looks like dread-locks! Plus, Barabara Bain and Nick Tate chase it around the moon's surface in a moon buggy! Keep plenty of oxygen on hand for this one!

"Bringers of Wonder" is a two part episode with slimy aliens that only Koenig can see. There's nothing like a talented actor freaking-out with slimy aliens. This one includes the classic Koenig line: "I haven't had this much fun since I burned grand ma's wig"! Nobody freaks-out like Koenig!

Set 7 is filled with addictive gems such as these. Ed Wood would be proud of these episodes. This is one of the best DVD purchases I've ever made.

SPACE 1999: Set Number 7 is the second to last in a series of the episodes for the second season. I must admit these episodes are interesting but the overall acting needs a little to be desired. Catherine Schell and Tony Anholt really are trying, but with all the fake monster outfits and bad one-liners - its almost funny.

Technically again the show looks good. The costumes got colorful and they try and shoot lasers almost every episode. Its is interesting how the try to FORCE the humor in the show and it doesn't come naturally with the characters.

The comlocks, eagles and Stun Guns are still cool. See my reviews of the other 6 sets and the one to follow. I really did love the first season - and fell out of love in the second. You decide.

The best of Space 1999 is finaly out! Towards the end of season 2 there was a dramatic improvement in story and script quality. And the dvd quality has also improved with double the amount of bonuses of previouse volumes.
Seed of Destruction: Commander Koenig is held prisoner on an asteroid made of crystal while his doppleganger orders Alpha to use a giant laser to destroy the asteroid. In order to do this all power from Alpha will be drained.
The Beta Cloud: I have waited 22 years to see this great episode again, it was worth the wait! The Beta Cloud is like being on a rollercoaster ride its so fast paced.An alien creature tries to steal the life support system for power. Nothing can stop it,lasers,chloroform,electricity, even lack of air. Its unstoppable! Its Darth Vader! Before relocating to a farther away galaxy, David Prowse made a brief visit to Moonbasealpha.
This episode seems to be everyones favorate, I have to agree. The sets are amazing and the film techniques make this episode resemble Dario Argentoes' classic film Suspiria. From the primary and secondary hues that seem to bleed off the screen to the camera angles, this is a homage to the "Italien Hitchcock".
A Matter of Balance: An alien race, hoping to escape de-evolution, try to enter our dimension. The only problem is that they need people to exchange with.
Space Warp: A space warp causes Maya to become ill and to lose control of her shape-shifting powers.Changing from one life-form to the next, each is more hostile than the one before. At one point she morphs into a really cool Psychon warrior in gold armor. You also get to see more of the underground hangers beneath the launch pad. A very elaborate set with great explosions that are very realistic, loads of hardware.
The Bringers of Wonder: The only 2 part episode. Evil aliens arrive on Alpha and use mind control so that the Alphans think they are being rescued.The alphans are living in a world of virtual reality and Koenig is the only one to see through the deception. Back in the 70's virtual reality was a very new idea ,long before the Matrix came along.
And now the bonuses! We get to finally see pre-production artwork. Tons of blue prints for sets and space ships. Drawings for Maya and other aliens. There are 2 theater trailers for the 2 movies they made from the episodes, War Games and Breakaway, and The Bringers of Wonder. There is a photo gallery with behind the scenes photos, not stills from the episodes.
Then there is the BBC Behind the Scenes of Space 1999. You get to see the setting up and filming of an eagle coming up from the launch pad. Brian Johnson is shown setting up the Moonbasealpha model.
This is the dvd to own this summer, don't leave Earth without it!

You can almost hear Spock saying a line such as that one. There are many lines and ideas and storylines Fred Friedberger continued to rip-off from Star Trek and shove into Space:1999. There are many ridiculous concepts and explanations in this series, but Season 2 adds more reasons why the general public never caught onto the program. There also seems to be a lack of creativity in monsters and alien races. The same ludicrous and dated alien/monster appears in three consecutive stories, only slightly altered so the viewer won't be able to tell the difference. And not to improve on imperfection, the teleplays(script editing) and acting can be really embarassing at times. Though the production values still look good as with the model effects. If there was one thing Friedburger achieved for Season 2, was that the characters are little more likable. Season 1 featured too many wooden performances and not enough character interaction. Now, some of the interaction between characters in Season 2 is just unbearable at times, it can be amusing. And, this is also the best looking of the DVD releases. The extras have a certain crispness to it. But those theatrical trailers are COD-awful!
Seed of Destruction: Ok, a remake of the last Star Trek serial from Season 3. Landau could've played it a little more hammier.
And the ending couldn't have been more rushed.
The Beta Cloud: A guilty pleasure with Anholt and Schell trying to steal the show with their acting. there are so many unanswered questions and ridiculous concepts in this one, you couldn't count them on repeated viewings. The bug-eyed robot/monster will appear re-dressed in the next 2 adventures. A Friedburger classic.
A Matter of Balance: Would've been tolerable without the ludicrous concept of antimatter. Shouldn't it have been "another dimension"?
Space Warp: Is only good for it's model effects. The Eagle Hangar crash scene is not to be missed. Other than that, you were warned about another Friedburger classic.
The Bringers of Wonder Parts 1 & 2: The best of the lot, and one of the best of the season, but that's not saying much. There are discontinuity problems and of course ridiculous explanations. But Part 1 is great, with Landau completely overacting at the sight of the creatures. he also has some stupid lines at the beginnig: "I haven't had this much fun since I burned Grandma's wig!" and "Big daddy's coming in!! Yaaaaaa!!!!" Part 2 does let down, but there's a great Season 1 line at the end. But of course, all Season 2 serials end with a frozen laugh scene.

This show may be absolutely stupid, but I still enjoy it and get a guilty pleasure from a program I grew up with...

Year Two continues...

Escape into worlds beyond belief with the seminal sci-fi series from producer Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds, UFO, Captain Scarlet) and Freddie Frieberger (Wild Wild West, Star Trek). SPACE: 1999 features thought-provoking stories, exceptional special effects by Oscar® winner Brian Johnson (Alien, The Empire Strikes Back) and a remarkable cast. This DVD set includes 6 original episodes, digitally remastered from the original 35mm film elements, along with a host of bonus features and extra footage. The legendary cast features Oscar®-winner Martin Landau (Ed Wood, Crimes & Misdemeanors), Emmy®-winner Barbara Bain (Mission: Impossible), Catherine Schell (The Return of the Pink Panther) and, as always, a host of international guest stars.

From the Original ITC press releases:

"Seed of Destruction"
An ice-cold replica of Commander Koenig takes control of the Moon - and orders its destruction.

"The Beta Cloud"
A mystery illness strikes the Moon. An eerie cloud utters a sentence of death. And a frightening space creature runs amok [as Maya, Tony, Frasier and Sandra frantically work to stop this seemingly indestructable being].

"Space Warp"
Eagle One gets lost in space and, as if that isn't enough, Moonbase Alpha has problems of its own when Maya's ability to transform herself into any living being goes out of control. [The Eagle hangar f/x sequence remains one of the highpoints of Brian Johnson's directing within this series.]

"A Matter of Balance"
While exploring an apparently lifeless planet a member of Alpha's crew comes under the influence of an "anti-matter" being and suddenly all Alphans are in danger of having their futures swapped for the past.

"The Bringers of Wonder part 1"
Everyone on Moonbase is electrified by the arrival of a spaceship from earth. Everyone, that is, except Commander Koenig. Where the others see long-lost friends and relatives, he sees hideous aliens, bent on taking over the Moonbase.

"The Bringers of Wonder part 2"
People from Earth have landed on Moonbase Alpha, promising to take the Alphans back home. Commander Koenig, however, sees not fellow human beings, but aliens. [Koenig must convince his fellow Alphans of the threat as the aliens initiate their scheme for survival -- and one which will destroy Moonbase Alpha!]

See also: Eagle One Media's and Powys Media's lines of new "Space: 1999" books.