Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - The Complete Epic Series |  | Director: Daniel Haller
Actors: Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Felix Silla, Mel Blanc, Tim O'Connor
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $10.00
as of 3/22/2010 10:21 EDT details
You Save: $16.98 (63%)
New (40) Used (19) from $9.97
Seller: pieceofmindmedia
Rating:  189 reviews
Sales Rank: 1431
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 1799 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.6 x 1.3
MPN: D25182D
ISBN: 1417007214
UPC: 025192518225
EAN: 9781417007219
ASIN: B0002MHDW4
Theatrical Release Date: September 20, 1979
Release Date: November 16, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Movie DVD
Amazon.com
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
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 189
 Better than I remembered March 17, 2010
Samuel B. White (Lawton, OK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found this set for cheap here on Amazon and took a chance, remembering that I had loved the show as a junior high kid back in the late 70s. I was expecting it to be cheesy and silly. It is, but not as much as I would have thought. The clothing is wildly disco era, but at least it's colorful.
The stories are better than I remember. Back before the days of "story arcs" in sci-fi, these are just fun shows--comic books come to life.
And Erin Gray is still one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the small screen.
One additional note: when I first received my shipment, it was missing disc 5. I contacted Amazon and they had a complete set in my hands in less than a week. Great job, Amazon!
They sure don't make'em like they used to... March 6, 2010
L Gontzes (Athens, Greece)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had been waiting for years to get my hands on the complete Buck Rogers series and there are no words to describe the anticipation I felt once I ordered it and even more so when it arrived in mail. The pilot episode is amazing and Buck's quote "It's gotta be the Russians" steals the show for me. The episodes that followed were laden with amazingly sexy outfits and racy lines, while the "futuristic" attitudes portrayed are actually closer to ours in the present as opposed to those of the late 70's, which quite frankly are rather alien today.
Gil Gerard, Erin Gray (who is simply GORGEOUS!), and Tim O'Connor, are amazing in their respective roles, while guest appearances by rising stars of the time such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Gary Coleman (from Different Strokes) were wonderful. On the other hand one gets an overdose of disco music, bad acting from most of the extras, and plots (like the one with the space rockers), which are just way silly and outrageous. At the end of the day, however, it's Buck Rogers and you gotta love him!
Season Two was a big surprise with the way it suddenly went off in a totally different direction and with no explanation given whatsoever. Buck's hair and sideburns were longer, Wilma's hair got darker, and Dr. Theopolis and Dr. Huer were gone without a trace. Even Twiki's voice was different in a bad way. Admiral Asimov was weak and totally unconvincing in his role as were the ancient Dr. Goodfellow and his annoying robot Crichton, both of whom competed in outmatching one another in foolishness with terrible lines and humor (or complete lack of). On the other hand, Hawk, who was someone out of Flash Gordon, blended in great, while I was pleasantly surprised to see a guest appearance by Marc Lenard (from Trek) and a recurring role by (a young and rough around the edges) Dennis Haysbert (from 24) as the Searcher's helmsman. In short, season two is more of a cross between Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek (and a failed attempt at that). The disco and the hot girls are all but gone and so is the volume of episodes, as it is shorter than season one. Subsequently, the first season is a lot better than the second season.
In conclusion, both seasons have episodes which have been influenced by Ancient Greece, such as the space Olympics, the satyrs, and the last episode with the Dorians to mention a few, which I found refreshing. All in all Buck Rogers is Buck Rogers and no matter how many years go by, he will still be groovy! 4.5 Stars
 Fun blast from the past March 3, 2010
Lhornbk (DARROUZETT, TX, US)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" is a nice dvd collection of the tv series from the late 70s/early 80s. While the tv show could have been much better (and after watching it again, Glen Larson obviously borrowed some of the same props and even vehicles from his "Battlestar Galactic" series-such as the joystick used in the fighters, which has the exact same 3 button configuration and the shuttle that Buck uses in season 2), it was still fun to watch. It would be nice if they had added the tv pilot as well as the theatrical movie that started the series, and it would have also been nice if it had a few extras, but I'm still happy with it overall.
Cracking February 14, 2010
Brendan Grehan (Dublin Ireland)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This series takes me back to the early 80's when i watched it first. i had forgotten the frequent sexual references. it's more like a sci-fi detective series. at 15 it's good value.
Come on guys! It's Buck Rogers!!! February 9, 2010
Jake Kincaid (Intellectually Underrated Deep South, USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
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:)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 189
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