| Fans of Space: 1999 (and there are many of them) are lavish in their praise for British producer Gerry Anderson's mid-'70s sci-fi series. They rhapsodize about provocative, seriously scientific story lines, expensive production values, the presence of star (and future Oscar® winner) Martin Landau, and more. But there are others who look at the series' glacial pace, loopy costumes and makeup, cheesy sets, primitive special effects, stilted dialogue, and self-serious tone and wonder what planet those rabid fans are from. Set 6 of the digitally remastered series, containing six episodes (numbers 31 to 36) on two discs, offers plenty of evidence to support both arguments. On the one hand, there are some intriguing ideas, weighty themes, and good writing here, as in "New Adam, New Eve" (episode 34), in which Koenig (Landau) and company confront the very existence of God himself, or "The Rules of Luton" (episode 31), in which Koenig and Maya (Catherine Schell) find themselves in deep trouble on a planet where plants are the dominant life form. But too often those virtues are hamstrung by poor execution, as in "Luton," where our heroes must battle three absurd-looking and -acting aliens. Smart sensibility, silly look and feel: this is the Space: 1999 paradox. And the truth is that nowadays, when advanced film technology is making even the early Star Wars films look dated, many of these episodes seem positively quaint. DVD bonus features include a three-minute "making of" featurette (on the first disc), a gallery of production stills (on both discs), and interactive menus. Some material that was not seen in the original U.S. broadcasts has been restored. --Sam Graham |
