Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
87 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally out on DVD., September 29, 2006
For those of you who weren't kids during the late 70's Ark II was a live action Saturday Morning show that showed the lighter side of the post-apocalypse. Essentially the show is about a team of scientists who rove around in a high tech RV trying to help rebuild society by offering their assistance wherever needed. All things considered this was a pretty good show. It was one of those "message" shows that had a moral to every story, but unlike other shows of this type like Fat Albert and later on shows like He-Man and GI Joe (because knowing is half the battle) they didn't try to hammer the message home so blatantly. As a kid I could appreciate that, and as an adult I can look back fondly.
The show had a fair amount of cool gadgets for a low budget television program including that awesome RV I mentioned. Other cool tech include a working jet pack, a "futuristic" dune buggy, and a talking chimp among other things. Might not be groundbreaking as Star Trek was, but it's enough to keep a kid's sci-fi imagination moving. You even get some nifty guest stars like Jim Bakus (Gilligan's Island), Helen Hunt, Malachi Throne, and Jonathan Harris from Lost in Space even guest stars as a recurring character. Here's a quick rundown of the 15 episodes on this set:
1. The Flies - The crew find a group of kids lead by an elderly leader (Harris) in danger of cannisters containing a deadly gas.
2. The Rule - The crew find a community that forsakes their sick and elderly members, considering them useless to society.
3. The Tank - The crew have to help stop an old army tank that is causing trouble in the area.
4. The Robot - One of the crew builds a robot (the classic Robby the Robot if I remember correctly) to help the crew, but instead the robot has a mind of its own.
5. The Slaves - Jonah, leader of the crew, gets captured by a community that owns slaves as a way of life.
6. The Baloon - An isolated community is stricken with a mysterious disease and the crew tries to save them.
7. The Mind Group - Crew of the Ark versus a group of kids with mental powers.
8. The Lottery - Crew find a wealthy society that wastes their resources to the point of famine.
9. The Drought - The kids (and Harris) from The Flies return to steal the Ark in order to find a 20th century time capsule that can help make it rain.
10. The Wild Boy - The crew learn about area tribes hunting down a (you guessed it) wild boy like he was an animal.
11. Omega - A crewmember is overpowered by a computer that can control minds.
12. Robin Hood - The crew meet a young boy who runs off with a modern day (or rather post-war day) Robin Hood to settle a score.
13. The Cryogenic Man - a 10th century time capsule opens up to reveal a man out of touch with the current era.
14. Don Quixote - A Don Quixote-type character sees the Ark as a white dragon and sets out to slay it.
15. Orkus - The crew find a veritable paradise in a self contained community, only not everything is as it seems.
To be honest the show hasn't aged all that well. I don't know how well someone new to the show would take to a low budget 70's SciFi-ish kids program, especially in this day and age of high fidelity. Visually the DVDs are about as good as you can expect from a long neglected television series. While it is indeed cleaned up and remastered the source material didn't give them much to work with. The audio is in thin, gorious mono. That's just the way of things for shows back then. This DVD set is definitely for the fans of the show or die-hard sci-fi fans who are cool about the previously mentioned limitations.
You also get a host of extras that were a suprise for me when I found about them. Mainly because most television shows that get the DVD treatment tend to only give you the shows and nothing else. This DVD set gives you a wealth of extras compared:
The Launch of Ark II - a 30 minute documentary that talks about the how the show came from concept to reality and includes details on production and the actors. You mainly hear from the show's producers about not only the joys of making the show but also the headaches (the Ark vehicle had its quirks production-wise).
You also get commentary tracks on two episode featuring the producrs, director, writer and actress Jean Marie Hon (Ruth from the show). The DVD also includes photo galleries including conceptual art for a proposed animated Ark II series and a DVD-ROM section that has the episode scripts and the series bible (sweet). Another little extra that you hardly see on any DVD, movie or television show, is an actual box insert that isn't just advertisement for other products. This insert is practically a mini-book and gives you a quick synopsis of every episode as well as a few bits of trivia to top it off.
While this show is obviously a product of the 70's it's still a quality product. If any of you remember this show or the others that came from this studio (Jason of Star Command, Space Academy, Isis) then you should be dancing for joy on the treatment this DVD is getting, and be even happier to know those other shows are getting the same attention done on their releases. It looks like the entire Filmmation catalog is on DVD.
|
|
|
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Raiders of Jonah's Lost Ark, November 12, 2006
Discovering this DVD is like finding the lost Ark of the Covenant with my priceless childhood still perfectly preserved inside. The Saturday mornings of yesteryear never looked so good... and so dated. It's amazing how the passage of time has really dated this show, an inevitable by-product of the 1970's but I remember vividly when it was fresh and new and watching it through the innocent eyes of your 5-year-old former self will help you relive those fond Saturday morning memories once again. I always thought Jonah's jet pack was the coolest part of the show. Those gaudy polyester costumes looked like they had been "borrowed" from another of my favorite 70's sci-fi shows, Space:1999. The Ark II is a mobile storehouse of scientific knowledge patrolling the post-apocalyptic wastelands of 25th century Earth ravaged by ecological disasters, with scientists Jonah, Ruth, Samuel and the intelligent talking chimp Adam offering their generous assistance to help the surivors rebuild their communities and civilization in socially progressive ways. What is not explained, however, is how Jonah and his crew came into the possession of such technologically advanced vehicles and gadgets and became the dutiful inheiritors of humanity's legacy while the rest of humankind suffers from the adversities of being thrust back to a pre-industrial state and has to make-do with whatever remnants of former civilization has remained like the scavengers of a Mad Max apocalypse. Just what organization or governing entity do they represent and what kind of assumingly environmentally-safe fuels propel the Ark on its never-ending trek across the planet? Nevermind. It's best not to think about any kind of sensible plot logic and just go along for the ride.
This four disc DVD set is nicely packaged in retro seventies-style artwork and includes a complete episode guide booklet. The half-hour documentary "The Launch of Ark II" is a fascinating retrospective of the show but gets a little redundant as the interviews reiterate a lot of the same information but you can tell that everyone who worked on this show still cherish it as a highlight of their careers. There are commenatries with Filmation producer Lou Scheimer and several writers and directors of the series as well as extensive art galleries featuring promotional photos and concept art for the proposed animated series as well as DVD-ROM content including scripts of every episode and the series Bible. Ark II was the first live-action Saturday morning show that paved the way for subsequent Filmation live-action shows Isis, Space Academy and Jason of Star Command which are also being released on DVD from BCI Eclipse.
"Ark II log entry #1: I, Jonah, Ruth, Samuel and Adam are fully aware of the dangers we face as we venture into unknown, maybe even hostile areas, but we're determined to bring the promise of a new civilization to our people and our planet."
|
|
|
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eu-Eco-tastrophe: Or The Superfund on Wheels, February 17, 2007
Although I just have vague 30-year-old memories of "Robin Hood"'s nail-biting near-miss, I was surprised how well this series stood up. The episodes were small morality plays geared toward teen and pre-teens. However, as a five year old, I just remember the excitement.
Of course the production values are dated--antique special effects, reel magnetic tapes, red LEDs--but the nostalgic charm is there, as it is for Classic Star Trek. For a kid's show, the writing was superb. It is as good as anything on TV right now, and a bit more intelligent. But what made this series stand out from the hazy crowd was the setting.
Indeed, "Ark II" is a wonderful blending of setting and theme, specifically "scientific redemption." It is set in an post-ecotastophe world, with the science of Ark II renewing the 25th century. For TCM aficionados, it reminds of the organization Wings Over the World in movie "Things to Come." Both rely upon "the freemasonry of efficiency-the brotherhood of science." Actually, it is not just science, but scientism: all problems solved by reason. The keystone is "Scientific optimism."
The series' one quirk was the Aesopian moralizing. I was not bothered by this, since a story without a moral component is not worth seeing. And Filmation never afraid to sermonize, as with other series: "Shazam!," "He-Man," and "Ghostbusters." Unlike the "GI Joe" cartoon where the moral was random sage advice, Filmation's morals flowed from the plot. This forced them to write better, which makes us better too.
I noted two flaws. First, there is the false assumption that science breeds peace. Pre-war Germany was one of the most scientifically advanced civilization, but also one of the most brutal.. Science not only gives us Newtons but also Dr. Germs and Chemical Aliis.
The second flaw (which "Star Trek: Enterprise" also made) is the motto: "Use your wits; not your six-shooter." The series started without weapons, just flash-mirrors. Later, the lasers were added, which added credibility to the series. You cannot hug a charging rhinoceros to submission.
Additionally, I would have liked to see more background, the subtle things that add to a series setting. For example, in Star Trek, we see other ships, star bases, and Kirk is frequently checking in with Star Fleet Command. Ark II is adrift in shallow waters; we never see her in contact with the scientocracy--although "The Robot" implies that there is only one Ark.. This breeches MST3K's admonition to not worry about these thing, but it would have rounded things out and added fodder for new episodes.
Overall, the best episode is "The Tank." Thematically, it is man against society, man against machine, war against peace, and the under-girding forbidden love story. Having a teenager as the center makes it more poignant.
I disagree with the shows politics, which means I disagree with their metaphysics. However, you cannot question the courage of Jonah and his crew. Compared to some of the missing links I have had to work with, they are people I would love to work with, support, and even die for.
*
Since the episodes are compact, I recommend watching one full disc in a sitting. Recommended episodes:
"The Slaves" Jonah becomes a slave, and therefore becomes a Christic figure. "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant." (Philippians 2:5 - 9). It also focuses on the tension between science and superstition, with science winning.
"Omega" has a image that has stayed with me for three decades--the man playing chess with the black monolith that keeps zapping him. In one sense, the story is a rewrite of Star Trek:TOS's "And the Children Shall Lead," with the Angel being replaced by the computer from "Return of the Archons," and being given the attitude of Nomad. It also has a touch of "Logan's Run," to boot. However the end-credit sermonizing did not mesh with the story.
(PS-look for a 13 year old Helen Hunt in this episode!)
"Robin Hood" is not only a good example of a general Ark II episode, it is also an example of quintessential Filmation writing. Slapstick humor mixes with the moral choices of the lead and supporting charters, and the ensuing chaos of evil slowly going out of control.
In fact, it is the varied ethical choices define this episode. On one hand Lord Leslie uses stolen grain as fuel. Then you have Robin, who steals the grain back, because the townsfolk eat it. But is Robin Hood justified in stealing back? And is Alan moral when he leaves Jonah to join Robin? Sadly, this subtle ethical choice gets overshadowed by the next few minutes of drama.. This has another memory that has haunted me these three decades--the Ark II being driven by Adam, and it stopping inches from Jonah's face.
"Orkus" (Not Orko). This was almost a ST:TOS episode because Jonah develops a Kirk-like swagger, and the conflict revolves around Malevolent power that promises a boon in exchange for slavery. A great way to end the series.
Mixed-feeling episodes:
"The Lottery," harkens back to the eerie play of the same name. When Ruth entered the Forbidden Zone, I genuinely felt both concern for her, and that I was watching New Testament Descensus literature. The condensed sermonizing was more shouting than solid logos (rational thought and discussion), akin to teenage girl putting everyone in their place.
"The Robot." I liked the crew getting R&R, but this episode has the most plot holes: Where did Robby come from? Where did Samuel's skills come from? Are there more robots? The religious townsfolk are cut out of the same flat cardboard used in "Bloom County" and "Inherit the Wind." Scientism again!
"The Cryogenic Man." A retelling of "Connecticut Yankee." However, the businessmen are burlesques of Burns and Smithers. The ending worked, but I would have preferred Jim Backus saving Jonah, thereby returning the life-debt.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
DVD ~ Brian Tochi
DVD ~ Craig Littler
DVD ~ JoAnna Cameron
DVD ~ Keir Dullea
the Internet Movie Database, which is visited by millions of movie and tv lovers each month.
