Starring:
Gil Gerard as Capt. William ‘Buck’ Rogers
Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering
Tim O’Connor as Dr. Huer
Pamela Hensley as Princess Ardala
Henry Silva as Kane
Felix Silla as Twiki (body)
Duke Butler as Tigerman
Joseph Wiseman as Draco
Eric Lawrence as Officer
H.B. Haggerty as Tigerman
Colleen Kelly as Wrather
Mel Blanc as Twiki (voice)
Howard F. Flynn as Dr. Theophilis (voice)
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Full Frame (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Spanish and French Subtitles
Running Time: 29 Hours 59 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is the text from the DVD cover:
“Blast off with every groundbreaking episode of the action-packed sci-fi adventure, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century! Join legendary intergalactic crimefighters William ‘Buck’ Rogers (Gil Gerard) and Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) as they lead the crew of the starship Searcher against a galaxy of evil from the past, present and faraway future. This must-own five-disc collection presents the entire Buck Rogers series and original theatrical pilot on DVD for the first time ever. Thrill to the epic sci-fi hit that the Associated Press called ‘razzle-dazzle good fun.'”
This DVD is not rated.
The Movie:
Being a member of the Star Wars Generation, I absolutely loved Buck Rogers as a kid. I had the action figures, watched the show religiously, and even went so far as to record the show on audio tape. So it is quite a treat to be able to throw away those old cassettes and watch Buck Rogers on DVD. Going into this I knew full well that not every bit of it would stand the test of time, but for the sake of nostalgia I was ready to dive in.
I started out by re-watching the pilot episode. I had forgotten a lot about it, so it was a good place to start. Imagine my surprise to realize that the Buck Rogers theme song actually has lyrics! I didn’t remember that at all. As Buck sits in cryogenic sleep, the theme song plays and he dreams of women. Lots of women. Any why not! The intro to the movie (which I believe had a theatrical release) is a lot like the James Bond films. Erin Gray, Pamela Hensley, and other women from the show strike poses on a giant lit up sign that says “Buck Rogers”. It’s even cheesier than I remembered, but nothing after that point seems quite as silly. Except for the dance routine and Buck Rogers “getting’ down”. And Gary Coleman guest starring.
The campy aspects aside, a number of things were still cool. The ships still look impressive. A number of the costumes are imaginative. Some of the dialogue is pretty funny, too. Buck spouts one-liners through the entire series, some better than others. In fact, some of the dialogue was a bit more risqué than I remembered. And who could resist Erin Gray back then? I’m sure every young boy that watched the series had a crush on her (though she still rates below Princess Leia in a gold bikini).
If you were a fan or Buck Rogers or are a fan of sci-fi in general, you’ll definitely want to take a trip through time and revisit this series. I’ve said before that I thought Buck Rogers was a perfect TV series to undergo a modern theatrical revamping, and seeing it again reinforces that. I’d love to see a new Buck Rogers movie. Until then you’ll have to settle for this.
The Extras:
There are no extras included on this DVD. What a rip!
The Bottom Line:
If you’ve ever said, “Bee-dee, bee-dee, bee-dee” or you know what that means, then Buck Rogers is a required addition to your collection.
