Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your father's Supermarionation, thank heavens!, May 23, 2002
This review is from: UFO, Set 1 (DVD)
As an early adolecent I loved UFO, or "you-foe" as the Brits called it. Aliens, futuristic cars, spaceships that didn't have visible strings, women in purple wigs... the whole works. But there were two things working aginst me: 1) I only had a black &white TV and; 2) once I got a color TV the reruns were coming from copies of copies of copies of tapes that looked pretty tired. GOOD NEWS! This is an amazing set of DVDs (I own the UK PAL-format version which is suppose to be the same source as the US NTSC set). The colors are rich, the prints are practically pristine, the sound is amazing, there are a fair amount of extras, and the purple wigs are so vivid and clear that you can see individual hairs. Even the menus are great! The story lines are pure Gerry Anderson ("father" of Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Fireball XL-5, and even Space 1999) meaning that these are complete, well written stories but sometimes you just want to cringe at the dialog. But this is about the best television SciFi ever produced in Great Britain. It isn't campy, the special effects (even though you can catch them reusing certain explosions, etc.) are well produced, the sets are solid, the acting is good, and the production values are very high. The model work is very good - great for its time - but younger audiences may not compare it well to the CGI effects of today. From a purely historical point of view, this is perfect. I really can't see how they could have improved on the quality of the DVD, and so good that you might not believe that the source materials are more than 30 years old. I suggest that you go to www.amazon.co.uk and look up "UFO - Series 1" to read more about the set. I want to hit one point again and that is the stunning visual quality. The four DVDs in set one contain the best quality images I have ever seen from a television-based source. And, this is just the first of two sets with 13 episodes each. I've already got Series 2 on order.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Quality!, August 14, 2002
This review is from: UFO, Set 1 (DVD)
The video & audio quality on this release is excellent, as the whole series was recently digitally remastered from the original elements. There is another comment here about poor sound quality and varying sound levels, but I have noticed no such thing -- instead, I blown away by the clarity of the sound, as the series has never sounded this good before! Unfortunately, the extras come up a little short when compared to the UK release, which had HUNDREDS of behind-the-scenes photos and script excerpts from deleted scenes, none of which appear here. (the advertised "production photos" is actually false advertising, as they've really just used episode frame captures). However, A&E has included what I think are the most important extras from the UK set -- the Gerry Anderson commentary and the expanded/deleted scenes from IDENTIFIED and EXPOSED. And it even includes an extra not found on the UK set -- studio session recordings for SID's voice! There is also a negative comment here about the episode order. The DVD episode order is actually quite close to the production order, and is MUCH better than the original broadcast order, which was downright confusing (and probably help lead to the show's cancellation). I thought the packaging was a bit too cheap as well, with a poorly designed plastic case and minimal printed materials. However, in spite of the above flaws, this set succeeds where it counts the most, presenting the original episodes uncut and with stunning video and audio quality! A&E states that UFO Set 2 is coming out "sometime in 2003".
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic quality DVD - well worth the mullah, June 12, 2002
This review is from: UFO, Set 1 (DVD)
Gerry Anderson's commentary is amiable, if a tad dated in it's retro sexism. "Alec Freeman has an eye for the ladies, and looking at that Shado operative, PWHOAR! Who can blame him?" and "I couldn't stop telling everyone how much I fancied Gay Ellis. Well, I didn't tell my wife!" Then he goes off at a tangent about how he can't dance at parties. Top man, Gerry Anderson. Fans of beefcake Colonel Foster are well served here. Women want him. Men want to be him. They especially want to be him while simultaneously blowing up UFO's. After watching him sweating away in a sauna in 'Ordeal', I rather wanted to kiss him myself. This is a great if inevitably uneven series like all television productions with tight shooting schedules. Corners are cut with recycled footage, some unwisely chosen. Anyone else notice the interceptors had no missiles despite being ordered back to base before firing in 'The Square Triangle'? Some of the science is equally sloppy. Isn't it impossible to go the speed of light let alone faster than it? Spaceships that are strong enough to withstand interstellar travel but disintegrate when exposed to fresh air? Granted they are forced to decelerate but do they need to be sitting ducks for missiles? No guidance systems with said missiles? A space probe tracking the spaceships back to their home planet to take pictures going about 30 m.p.h.? You do notice these things even when you're five. DVD quality is exemplary. Taken from master and colour re-graded. Absolutely boss, trust me. Packaging a little less user friendly, if neat-o. (Actually, anyone who says 'neat-o' deserves to be abducted by aliens forthwith.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
