Customers say
Customers find the TV show’s pacing engaging, with one noting it provides a nostalgic look at the 1980s. The plot complexity receives positive feedback for its sophistication. The acting receives mixed reviews, with some customers finding it iffy in places.
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Product description and reviews will appear below if available.
Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.5 x 1.75 inches; 9.92 ounces
Media Format : Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Run time : 11 hours and 16 minutes
Actors : Dolores Mantez, Ed Bishop, George Sewell, Mel Oxley, Michael Billington
Language : English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Studio : A&E Home Video
ASIN : B00007GZYE
Writers : Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson
Number of discs : 4
Best Sellers Rank: #135,217 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV) #96,960 in DVD
Customer Reviews: 3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 116 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Reviewer: M. Hart
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Underrated Sci-Fi TV Series With Purple Wigs & Go-Go Boots!
Review: “U.F.O.” was a short-lived sci-fi TV series created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson. The premise of the show was simple: following the discovery that an extraterrestrial civilization has been paying clandestine visits to Earth to kidnap & kill humans to harvest their body parts, the United Nations funds a highly secretive international organization nicknamed SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) to combat the alien threat. SHADO’s commander, Colonel Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) is assisted by Col. Alec Freeman (George Sewell), Col. Paul Foster (Michael Billington) and Col. Virgina Lake (Wanda Ventham).SHADO utilizes various resources to combat the aliens:1. A sophisticated, underground headquarters pretending to be a major film studio in London.2. A manned lunar base (Moonbase) armed with three fighters (Interceptors) to attack UFOs before they reach Earth, and usually commanded by Lt. Gay Ellis (Gabrielle Drake) or Lt. Nina Barry (Dolores Mantez).3. A sophisticated control & radar tracking satellite called SID (Space Intruder Detector) orbiting the Earth to detect incoming UFOs.4. A fleet of submarine fighter carriers (Skydivers) called upon to attack UFOs in Earth’s atmosphere should the Moonbase Interceptors fail to destroy UFOs in space. Each Skydiver is capable of launching a single fighter called Sky One (or using some other numbered designation).5. A fleet of sophisticated armored personnel carriers (Mobiles) to seek out and destroy UFOs that land.6. Other support craft including moon rovers and the Lunar Module (used to shuttle personnel between the Earth & moon).Recurring themes in the 26 total episodes include:1. SHADO’s continual attempts to avert the alien’s plans & attacks.2. The aliens’ various attempts to destroy SHADO, Straker or both.3. The effect that being a SHADO operative has on personal lives (usually Straker’s or Foster’s life).4. SHADO’s attempts to obtain more information about the aliens.5. Security threats to SHADO’s secrecy.6. Ongoing funding issues for SHADO’s very costly expenses.With the infamous purple wigs that female Moonbase personnel wear, hippies, exuberant usage of bright colors and go-go boots, “U.F.O.” has the look and feel of the late 1960’s, especially since when it was filmed between 1969 and 1970. However, none of that takes away from the quality of the writing. Dialog wasn’t always great, but plot consistency and the revisiting of previous storylines made for a very engaging and character-driven series. In comparison with the Anderson’s later TV series “Space 1999”, “U.F.O.” was far more consistent and interesting. “Space 1999”, which was originally set to be another season of “U.F.O.”, never achieved the same level of character development or consistency, though its special effects were improved.I rate the 13 episodes contained in this 4-DVD set as follows:* “The Responsibility Seat” 5+/5. A beautiful reporter interviews Straker and leaves her purse with a running tape recorder in Straker’s office. With Straker busy, Freeman is in charge of SHADO and contends with multiple issues including a runaway Russian moon mobile on a colision course with Moonbase.* “E.S.P.” 4.5/5. A man, John Cruxley (John Stratton), is going mad because he can read other people’s thoughts and foresees his wife killed when a UFO crashes into their house. What threat does Cruxley pose to SHADO?* “Kill Straker!” 4.5/5. A UFO takes over the minds of Foster and another pilot on the moon with a single purpose: to kill Straker. Will they succeed? Will Straker keep confidence in Foster?* “Sub Smash” 4/5. Straker and Nina Barry go on board Skydiver to hunt down a rogue UFO, but it disables Skydiver, forcing Straker to contend with claustrophobia. Will they get out alive?* “The Sound of Silence” 4.5/5. Avoiding interception, a UFO lands near the home of champion horse trainers. After one person disappears, will Foster be able to find and destroy the UFO, and what will be found inside of an alien-made cylinder?* “The Cat With Ten Lives” 4/5. When on leave, SHADO Interceptor pilot James Regan (Alexis Kanner) and his wife are ambushed by a UFO after stopping their car to avoid hitting a cat. Regan’s wife disappears, but Regan keeps the cat, which is under alien control.* “Destruction” 5/5. After a naval ship destroys a UFO, SHADO and the Navy argue over each other’s secrecy; but has someone’s security been undermined by the aliens?* “The Man Who Came Back” 4/5. Weeks after SID is disabled by a UFO attack and a spaceship disappears, the pilot of the missing spaceship mysteriously reappears. Can the reappeared pilot repair SID or does he have other intentions?* “The Psychobombs” 5+/5. A landed UFO hypnotically controls 3 nearby people and gives them seemingly superhuman strength. Can SHADO stop them before they destroy SHADO?* “Reflections in the Water” 4/5. A large underwater dome is found by Skydiver. What will Foster and Straker find inside?* “Timelash” 5++/5. Straker and Lake are trapped within a moment of time. Will they be able to stop a UFO from attacking SHADO headquarters that gained assistance from a crazed SHADO traitor?* “Mindbender” 5/5. After a UFO mysteriously self-destructs near Moonbase, a few SHADO operatives begin to hallucinate with deadly results, including Straker.* “The Long Sleep” 5+/5. A comatose woman awakens after 10 years to waiting SHADO personnel. She saw a UFO and two aliens plotting something. Can she remember where she dropped a critical alien component?People more accustomed to modern computerized special effects may not enjoy “U.F.O.” as much because its special effects aren’t as expensive or sophisticated; but don’t let lack of funds or lack of technology spoil your enjoyment of this underrated TV series that I rate with 5 out of 5 stars!
Reviewer: Mark Painter
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Go ahead and complete the set!
Review: If you’re a fan of the series or you bought the first set and liked what you saw, and you are now considering whether or not to spring for the second, the quick answer is yes. It should be said that the series changed as it went along. The original premise–that the aliens were harvesting transplant organs from humans–gave way to a new concept, that the aliens reprogram the minds of humans for use as zombie servants.This resulted in a radical shift in the series, from a space operatic, us-against-them concept, a la “Star Trek” or “Star Wars”, to a psychological horror, us-against-ourselves concept, a la “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” or “X-Files.” Whether or not this is an improvement depends on your tastes.Sadly, Alec Freeman, Gay Ellis, and Peter Carlin faded away as the series progressed. On the plus side, Nina Barry gets more to do, and Virginia Lake, whom we met in the pilot episode, becomes a regular.Even if these changes are not to your taste, you should buy the set, as it contains three memorable episodes, and one absolute, not-to-be-missed corker:”The Resonsibility Seat”: An uncharacteristic lapse in judgment on Ed Straker’s part leads to a security problem. Ed decides to go out into the field to deal with it himself, leaving Alec Freeman in command at SHADO. As Ed’s adventure veers between security problem and romantic entanglement, Alec struggles to cope with a series of crises, some of which prove to be trivial, and some serious, without succumbing to the temptation to phone the boss and ask for advice. An unusual episode that veers from funny to tense to romantic and back again.”Sub Smash”: A compelling episode depicting Ed Straker, Paul Foster, Nina Barry, and two other crew members trapped on the seabed inside a Skydiver that’s been disabled by a UFO.”Mindbender”: The aliens plant a hallucinogenic booby trap on the Moon which causes SHADO personnel to imagine first, that Mexican bandits have taken over Moonbase, then, that aliens have taken over SHADO HQ. When it finds its way into Ed Straker’s hands, he hallucinates that he is an actor in a television series. Guess what it’s about.”Timelash”: The gem of this set. The aliens manage to freeze SHADO HQ (and the movie studio above it) in time, with the assistance of a traitor named Turner. Only Ed Straker and Virginia Lake are unaffected. They must find a way to stop the aliens and save their colleagues, but first they must beat Turner at his own game of cat and mouse, complicated by the fact that Turner has the ability to slip forward or backward in time. The movie studio above SHADO was always a bit surreal, but it was never used to such good effect as in this episode, where the eerieness is compounded by the time freeze. Studio hands are frozen in the act of tossing a stool, a bird hangs motionless in midair, so does cigar smoke. Great stuff.
Reviewer: Alastair G. Stell
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Thank you A&E
Review: UFO was ahead of its time; the real-life counterpart to Captain Scarlet in terms of sophistication of plot and technical excellence. Considering how long ago this series was made the models and special effects were truly superb. I often wonder what might have been if Gerry Anderson and Gene Rodenberry had gotten together.Where UFO set 1 started a little awkwardly with the characters finding their feet, UFO 2 represents more sophisticated plot lines and characterisations. The series kinda ran out of steam in no small part because the entire premise was a little too far fetched to stand the light of scientific scrutiny, but it’s still better than most of the drivel produced today. The Aliens are really a vehicle for stories that revealed human strengths, weaknesses and falibilities.One point. This series was made in an era when smoking was ‘cool’. Hard bitten professionals always smoked because they were “Real Men”. So you’ll need to look beyond this glaring example of Political Incorrectness.UFO deserves to be reborn but I don’t know where they’d find the script writers to do a decent job. Overall this DVD collection is a must-have for sci-fi buffs and I will always feel grateful to Gerry Andersen for his vision, energy and immense talent.
Reviewer: agog
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: was pleased with UFO
Review: i was very pleased with price, quality and delivery time with everything i have ordered except for jerry springer: the opera becausei was ordering the dvd but recieved the cd version instead. i would still would like to recieve the dvd. can you please let me knowhow i can return the cd and order the dvd. thank you very much!
Reviewer: Jim
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I remember watching this Show on TV in 1970, when I was about 10 yrs old. We didn’t have a Colour TV, so i didn’t know about the Purple Wigs, but I thought the show was pretty cool, except the boring scenes on the Studio Set where they always had some god awful antique show going on. As an Adult, I now find some of the characters a little thin, and poorly done, but when you were 10 yrs old, I thought it was a great show
Reviewer: Jumper Col
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good Value
Reviewer: Massimo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Serie che ricordavo con estremo piacere, i dvd si presentano in un cofanetto semplice ma ben fatto, oltre i capitoli degli episodi sono presenti molti extra: interviste,scene inedite o censurate da mamma RAI al tempo della messa in onda, e altro.La qualità delle immagine è più che buona considerando l’età, comunque da avere se piace il fantasy.Piccolo problema con uno dei dvd , saltava un capitolo e poi si bloccava, sostituito immediatamente l’intero cofanetto da Amazon, servizio clienti post vendita come sempre ottimo.
Reviewer: Loris Salati
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Perfetto….Grazie
Reviewer: peter C
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: another Gerry Anderson classic if you like Space:1999 you will enjoy this series.UFO was pre-Pre-Sequel to Space:1999 Alien invasion in year 1980
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