Thursday, August 19, 2010

Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct Coming to DVD Soon...

From TV Shows on DVD:

"From sci-fi legend Gerry Anderson (Space 1999, Thunderbirds, UFO), this special-effects-filled series chronicles the adventures of two cops from Earth battling a rogue's gallery of alien criminals in the year 2040. Transferred from the mean-streets of New York City to a teeming alien planet halfway across the galaxy, veteran police detective Patrick Brogan (Ted Shackelford, Dallas) and his rookie partner (Rob Youngblood, NYPD Blue, Sliders) struggle to adapt to their exotic new beat. Tangling with otherworldly outlaws in one deadly close encounter after another, the officers fight to bring intergalactic law and order to a mind-bending realm where the bad guy's aren't just bad...they aren't even human!

Cast: Ted Shackelford, Rob Youngblood, Simone Bendix, Nancy Paul. Episodes: Protect and Survive, Enforcer, Body and Soul, Double Duty, The Snake, Time to Kill, Deadline, Seek and Destroy, The Power, Illegal, Divided We Stand, Two against the Rock, Takeover, Predator and Prey, The Witness, Hate Street, Friends, Smelter Skelter, Flash, The Fire Within: Part 1, The Fire Within: Part 2, The Forever Beetle, Deathwatch: Part 1, Deathwatch: Part 2."


No cover art yet, but the set is due shortly before Thanksgiving. Stay tuned (and thanks for the heads-up, Fred...).

8 comments:

  1. *blinks eyes*

    Um...what? Haha. I never have heard of this and I am debating whether this is totally awesome or totally terrible. It must be awesome if you're spending the time to talk about it. . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Will,

    I only saw two or three episodes of Space Precinct back in 1994, and I wasn't impressed.

    But, Space Precinct spearheaded the approach later used by Farscape, featuring muppet-styled aliens and such.

    Also - 1994 was a long time ago; I was a different person; and I'm hoping a re-evaluation is worthwhile and valuable. So I'm definitely going to check the show out and report about it here on the blog!

    best,
    John

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  3. Anonymous10:57 PM

    heard of this, but never actually watched it
    Dreaded Dreams
    Petunia Scareum

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous4:26 AM

    This is very exciting news to me. I first stumbled onto this show late at night (that's when it was originally aired - after midnight) with a friend many, many years ago. Space Precinct was a very odd show. On the one hand, the creature make-up was incredible, and still holds up very well. Far more intricate than the usual "bumpy-foreheads" that usually pass as aliens on tv. The model work and effects were awesome. Obviously a lot of effort went into miniatures. If you're a fan of Gerry Anderson's style of effects in Thunderbirds, Space:1999, etc, you will probably enjoy this show at least for the miniatures and effects.

    On the other hand, most of the episodes were very juvenile, with not-so-clever dialog. The acting was rather poor, especially by the guy who played the younger cop - his line delivery was just plain awful. There were certainly no thought-provoking messages being explored - just straight-up action. The funny thing is, Gerry Anderson said he believed that this show was aimed directly at adults, but it's hard to believe that based on the childish action and plotting.

    Still, I have been hoping this show would someday find its way onto dvd, and I will surely pick this up (if the price is reasonable). If you've never seen this, and are an Anderson fan, it's worth checking out for the effects alone. Just don't expect a lot of depth, because you will be very disappointed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hmmm, not so sure about this one. I would excite over Season Two of Space:1999 Blu-Ray. I have my caution lights on for this one.

    Given the review by Anonymous above, I wouldn't call it a rousing endorsement. It's certainly not on my wish list at the moment.

    Keep us posted John. Thank you. Been away, loads to catch up on I see.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sci-Fi Fanatic:

    I think you have the right instincts. I enjoyed the special effects and make-up of Space Precinct, but I recall the acting was not good; and the stories seemed juvenile. That assessment is based on a 16-year old memory. I hope I'm wrong, and I look to re-evaluate. We'll see.

    But no, this isn't as exciting as Year 2 1999 Blu-Rays would be...I agree wholeheartedly!

    best,
    JKM

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  7. By these have taken there time to come out on DVD in the US, they were released in the UK back in 2001 on DVD, I have all 12 discs !! Fun show !

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  8. Anonymous12:19 PM

    Will - You say that like those things are mutually exclusive! Space Precinct is a perfect marriage of AWESOME and UTTERLY GODAWFUL that is hard to find outside of 1980s action movies.

    I loved it so much as a teenager that I have a lot of the UK DVDs. It is completely stupid, I can't argue with that, but it also manages to perfectly hit every emotional note I still love in cop/detective cheesefests of the 70s and 80s. (Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, etc.)

    It's certainly aimed at adults, just ones with a high tolerance for camp or a sincere appreciation of the ouvre of Dolph Lundgren.

    Watch The Fire Within first if you're leery: it's much better than the pilot (which is my second least favorite episode, if I recall correctly).

    ReplyDelete

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