Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a dream come true, September 17, 2005
While these shows originally aired on Saturday mornings, I never knew about them showing at that time slot - I grew up seeing them re-run after school and during the summers in the afternoons. Of all the shows on television, this was my all time favorite and one of my most fondly remembered.
One thing I really appreciated about these shows even at age 6 when they first aired, was how deep, engaging and non-patronizing they were. These were not simply "kid" shows. This was real in-your-face science fiction at full throttle - where kids were treated with respect. I never felt talked down to as an audience member or as a child watching these shows. They were mentally engaging and it was easy to overlook some of the less-than-stellar effects which were still pretty advanced for their time.
At age 6 I knew that the dinosaurs were claymation. Heck, Grumpy the T-Rex didn't even have a throat and he had a mouth more like Kermit the Frog than a menacing dino - but I didn't care. The sound effects, the music, the eyes - all gave me the creeps.
The show's premise is utterly brilliant: a family is on a camping expedition and has all their camping gear above their raft as they paddle "high on the rapids." An earthquake hits and they plummet down a waterfall to certain death only to find they have somehow entered a time-door of sorts to another time and dimension where even the weather and gravity are artifically controlled, dinosaurs run amok and the veggies are freakin' huge.
Rick Marshall, his son Will and daughter Holly are alone in this utter wilderness with no telephone, no TV, no toilets... somehow they manage to survive for years without threadbare or stained/ripped clothes and even find time make friends with the natives and learn the Pakuni language.
It's not just a 1970s Jurassic Park, either - there are all sorts of weird things going on - the half-insect/half-lizard "men" known as the Sleestak are second only to the Tiki god in "Trilogy of Terror" on the fear meter. Their eerie hisses made my heart go a flutter. There are exploding crystals, astronauts parachuting in, all sorts of interestingly whacky sci-fi stuff.
The acting of Spencer Milligan, Kathy Coleman and Wesley Eure cannot be overstated. Their unique abilities to be believable made the show believable. Were there cheesy scenes? You bet! A bit over acting here & there? Yes! BUT - this was a believable family doing the best to stay sane in an insane environment.
The DVD has commentaries from the stars that will have you holding your gut laughing. An interview with the now adult Kathy Coleman and Wesley Eure is awesome. They loved working on the show and cherish the memories as much as those of us who grew up watching the series. The back stories on what went on behind the scenes as well as their take on certain themes and characters is utterly priceless.
For decades, I have pined for this show and whenever I've run into 30-somethings and the topic of this show would come up, I have always heard the comments of either "I LOVED THAT SHOW!" or "Those Sleestak scared the pee out of me!" or both.
The show was so well thought out. Professional voice talent went into the masked/make-uped characters. A linguist from UCLA invented the Pakuni language to make it grammatical and believable. Basketball stars of the 70s played the Sleestak... and the best sci-fi writers of the era wrote for the show, including D.C. Fontana and Walter Koenig.
The commentaries are a hoot, and priceless in my own estimation. I love this DVD set! I had gotten the VHS version of the shows, but quickly replaced them when this DVD set came out with the commentaries and interviews with the cast. The only thing I'd like to see would be out-takes, home movies and period photos of the cast out of make up, etc. Other than that, flawless - a fantastic job by Rhino - God bless them one and all. I cannot say enough how much joy and nostalgia these shows have brought into my home.
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Land of Sleestaks in tribute to George Pal., July 1, 2004
Wah Chang and Gene Warren were two VERY famous OSCAR winners for special effects in the original George Pal production of "The Time Machine" in 1960. They also did work on "The Outer Limits" for those that remember that sci-fi show. These legends were called upon once again to work in this landmark television series for kids that was a part of Saturday morning programs meant to stimulate the imagination and entertain. There were also quality writers gathered from Science fiction to write some of the plots that you will see here in this first season of shows. In describing the show it is much like a children's version of a Doctor Who adventure. Short on budget but excellent in imaginative designs and well written plots. So, like Doctor Who, you have to ignore the low budget stage pieces and let your imagination along with the dialog rule how you will judge it. The most interesting and innovative idea are a race of "silurians" known as "The Sleestak". One intelligent version of the Sleestak controls travel through time and we see experiments using "crystals" (ala' George Pal) as a means of power to alter the time universe. As the series progressed the plots became thicker and if you are a fan willing to look beyond the constraints of the program you will find it fascinating. Well recommended for kids and older "kids" too!
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49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To the Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand of the Lost Lost Lost!!!, May 13, 2004
Alright, everybody sing along now:Marshal, Will and Holly
on a routine expedition,
met the greatest earthquake
ever known... High on a rapid,
it struck their tiny raft (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!)
and plunged them down a thousand feet below... To the Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand of the Lost Lost Lost... I have been waiting for this DVD for almost 30 years and now I will get to relive my ritual Saturday mornings as a kid!!! Live-Action Saturday morning shows in the 70's ruled!!! Now we just need to get the Filmation shows on DVD like Ark II, Shazaam! and Mighty Isis, Space Academy and Jason of Star Command!!! Get out your sleeping bags and a box of Quisp cereal and throw a big Saturday Morning slumber party because the ultimate Saturday Mornings are back once again!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!
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