Buck Rogers in the 25th Century [VHS]

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Average Customer Rating:	4.0
Actors:	Gil Gerard; Pamela Hensley; Erin Gray; Henry Silva; Tim O'Connor
Audience rating:	PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format:	PAL

Product Categories

Cadiente, David; Duran, Larry; Gerard, Gil; Gray, Erin; Hensley, Pamela; Silva, Henry; Haller, Daniel; VHS; PG; Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Product description

With its campy combination of lightweight adventure and Spandex disco chic, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is a nostalgic throwback to post-Star Wars opportunism. Series co-creator Glen A. Larson was incapable of originality, and former soap star Gil Gerard (in the title role) was a bland incarnation of the comic-strip hero, so the much-anticipated series premiered on September 20, 1979, with serious disadvantages. Although the two-hour pilot "Awakening" had tested successfully as a theatrical release, Gerard and the show's producers could never agree on a stable tone for the series, which presents Capt. William "Buck" Rogers as a jovial space cowboy who is accidentally time-warped from 1987 to 2491. Earth is engaged in interplanetary war following a global holocaust, and Buck's piloting skills make him an ideal starfighter recruit for the Earth Defense Directorate, where his closest colleagues are Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor), squadron leader Col. Wilma Deering (former model Erin Gray, looking oh-so-foxy), the wisecracking robot Twiki (voiced by cartoon legend Mel Blanc), and a portable computer-brain named Dr. Theopolis, who's carried by Twiki like oversized bling-bling.

The series struggled through an awkward first season, with routine plots elevated by decent special effects and noteworthy guest stars including Jamie Lee Curtis, ill-fated Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten (appearing, with her voice dubbed over, less than a year before her tragic murder), Batman alumnus Julie Newmar, Buster Crabbe (veteran of vintage Buck Rogers movie serials), and several others in a show that favored vamps and vixens over credible science fiction. A full-scale overhaul resulted in a disastrous second season, but devoted fans still gravitate to Hawk (Thom Christopher), the charismatic alien "birdman" who was introduced with new characters and a new, space-faring search for lost tribes from Earth (with echoes of Larson's own Battlestar Galactica). Behind-the-scenes squabbles continued, and by mid-season of 1981, NBC pulled the plug on a breezy, still-engaging series that suffered from uneasy chemistry and never realized its full potential. Existing somewhere between Galactica and Lost in Space in the TV sci-fi food chain, this Buck--with a dearth of DVD extras--now functions as a cheesy stroll down memory lane. --Jeff Shannon

Customer reviews

« Come on guys! It's Buck Rogers!! »

***This review is a copy from my old account, which had to be cancelled for reasons of someone hacking it--so no plagiarism here:)***

When I saw this listed, I was thrilled. First the old Galactica, now Buck Rogers...when I saw the price, I ordered it immediately:)

It was really great to sit down and pop these into the DVD player and (ironically) go back in time with Buck Rogers. This was one of my absolute favorites from my preteen years, and when we were all out on the playground and everyone else was Han Solo or Luke Skywalker, I wanted to be Buck Rogers! He was cool, he was funny, and he had all the pretty girls!!!

Watching this as an adult, I see that it really WAS a good show---granted, the plots were pretty standard, die-cut fare, but with the star power that they managed and the delivery from the principal actors, it was still always a pleasure to watch. Buck wasn't your typical hero for the day; he was very Indiana Jones-ish, often finding himself in a bind he had to work his way out of, but always with a cool confidence and a failure-is-not-an-option attitude. I appreciated that then, and still do now. (Plus, the pretty girls are STILL there...Erin Grey in those costumes that someone obviously spray-painted on her before each episode was absolutely gorgeous...but she was also a strong, commanding character...very nice to see).

The first season was better and longer than the second, as a format change seemed to draw some of the steam out of the earlier storyline...it was still enjoyable, but just not quite the same.

The picture and sound are outstanding (although I agree with other reviewers that some extras would have been nice; cast interviews or commentaries would have been very awesome here), and if you never saw the theatrical cut (which I had not) of the pilot, be prepared for the most ludicrous and positively hilarious opening credits you have ever seen!

If you're an old school sci-fi hound like me, you can't miss this. If you're a nostalgia buff and into older shows from the 70s and 80s, you can't go wrong with this one for the money.

I recommend it highly regardless; it's great family entertainment and a whole lot of fun sci-fi adventure goodness:)

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2010-09-09

« Buck's a Blast from the Past! »

Great DVD set. You're gonna want this if you really liked Flash Gordon or the older Buck Rogers serials. Updated in the 80's and VERY 80's at that but still fun to watch! Great packaging and the set looks great!

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2010-07-16

« What Happened to this show? »

When we watched it in the 1970s, I recall all the episode from the (supposed) first season. But when the second season starts, the entire show changes and becomes something I would not watch.

Overall the product is good for the first 3 or 4 discs then it goes down hill afterwards.

Rating: (4 out of 5) @ 2010-07-05

« Buck Rogers a fit for any sci-fi fan! »

This complete epic series was ahead of it's time for story lines and special effects . Compared to todays CGI/CGA it may seem a little dated, but in the time of production, this series was ahead of the curve, and doing a great job of portraying the future as it may still someday become .
I recommend this collection for any sci-fi buffs and collectors, as it is well done, and quite enjoyable ! I give it 5 out of 5 stars for quality of program, and 2 out of 5 stars in quality of the packaging it is contained in , I hope someday those who design packaging for DVD collections find an easy, and well maintainable system, as none of them so far has been done in an excellent fashion !

Rating: (5 out of 5) @ 2010-07-04

« Good memories »

I received this set as a Father's Day present and I am very happy with it so far. It brings back good memories of when I was growing up in the 80s. My wife and I actually watched the pilot episode last night together and it had us both laughing at Twiggy and his comments...and the episode was really good too. I am just getting into rewatching the shows and hopefully they are all as good as the pilot. So far so good.

Rating: (4 out of 5) @ 2010-06-22

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