Usher Video:

		List Price: $19.99		Label: Vci Video Salesrank: 15477 Released: September 19, 2000
		Our Price: $10.86
		Used Price: $11.64
		MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Preserved in a state of suspended animation for 500 years by the Nirvano gas in the gondola of their dirigible wrecked in the arctic ice wastes Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and Buddy (Jackie Moran) are rescued by scientists in the year 2500 to find the world under the despotic rule of Killer Kane (Anthony Warde) and his super gangsters. Using an arsenal of fantastic weapons created in Dr. Huer's (C. Montague Shaw) clandestine laboratory the group attempts to seek aid from the planet Saturn to oust the tyrannical ruler only to find that his henchmen have already taken over control of the Prince of Saturn. After several harrowing adventures with the Zugg men Buck and Buddy return to Earth only to be shot down imprisoned and finally rescued to participate in a spectacular air battle to wrest control of the Universe from the sinister intergalactic despot.System Requirements:Running Time: 241 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC Rating: NR UPC: 089859824821 Manufacturer No: 8248

Description of Buck Rogers:
While it lacks the baroque, fantastical quality of the previous Flash Gordon serials (which also starred Buster Crabbe), the Buck Rogers serial still exemplifies the freewheeling spirit of pulp-magazine space opera of the 1930s. Crash-landing in the Arctic in the 20th century, Buck Rogers and his sidekick Buddy Wade (Jackie Moran) use a special gas to induce suspended animation, only to be awakened 500 years later when the world is ruled by the evil Killer Kane. We are told that Kane's ascendancy is a direct result of the 20th century's failure to solve the problem of crime. But luckily, Buck Rogers is here to fight Kane's evil domination of mankind, which involves making obedient robots out of folks by strapping an "amnesia helmet" on their heads. (The helmet looks like the sawed-off end of a cheesy rocket ship, complete with fins.) Most of the episodes deal with invasion forces from the planet Saturn and whose side they're going to take, Killer Kane's or Buck's, affording plenty of opportunity for spaceships to zip back and forth, propelled by sparks and rising smoke. All the trappings and tropes of space opera abound: ray guns, space travel, villainous political figures, alien civilizations. In a way, the flaws seem quaint--the wooden acting, the cheesy costumes and sets, the flimsy space crafts, the similarity between the surface of Saturn and certain California deserts, and the way Buck needs no learning curve after traveling 500 years into the future. It's great adolescent fun. --Jim Gay

Buck Rogers Reviews:
This goes great with the Flash Gordon serial box set
2008-06-16 - Back in the late seventies I was first exposed to Buck Rogers via the television show with Gil Gerard. I later discovered the old serials with Buster Crabbe. Without the benefit of having read the old comic strip I have no idea which one is more consistent with the original comic strip but I like them both for different reasons. Although I liked Buster Crabbe better in Flash Gordon he does a great job here as well. He looks the part and can sell the character regardless of how outlandish the plot was. One of the things I didn't like was the use of a kid sidekick that was frozen along with him. I've never liked that concept even with Batman. Plus having a second person frozen for 500 years with him makes him seem less unique. Also, Killer Kane didn't seem ruthless enough to me. There is plenty of action though as he goes from one tough spot to another. One of the things that I really enjoyed were the extras. They had some great bios on the different cast members that really made this set a great value.

Unlearning can be fun too
2007-09-20 - Perhaps the most difficult part of securing an education is unlearning a ton of misinformation. If that is the case, youngsters who saw this serial when it was first screened had a formidable task ahead of them, because the misinformation about space travel filled every episode. Consider the following few examples:

(1) Weightlessness in inter-stellar space did not exist. Buck and friends walk around inside their spacecraft with no problem.

(2) It took no time at all to go from the earth to Saturn, in a space ship that puffed smoke and exuded sparks. At one point we are led to believe that the spacecraft could go 1,000 miles an hour. At that rate it would have taken centuries to go anywhere in space.

(3) Saturn was not a gas giant but was of sedimentary rock that was obviously formed by water over millions of years. In addition, Saturn had the same gravitational pull as earth in this serial.

(4) Cumulous clouds are in the Saturn sky. However, when we see earth from space, there were no clouds at all. It looked like a school globe suspended in the sky.

(5) Humans could breathe on Saturn without any problem at all. Obviously the atmosphere was the same as on earth.

(6) Humans could also breathe in outer space, and it wasn't cold. Buck and his friends don't even wear a jacket. Spaceship doors could be opened, and people could even step from one ship to another, although the vehicles were traveling rather fast.

Oh, the list of absurdities could go on and on. But no matter. This serial and those of Flash Gordon had a significant affect upon the youth of the 1930s. Boys in particular were introduced to space travel, despite all the misinformation in the serials, and dreamed that it could happen--to them. One of the common denominatorss among the original astronauts was their fascination with Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon when they were young. First there has to be the dream, even a silly one, before there can be reality.

The story in this serial is more than a bit thin, clear good vs. clear evil. Buck Rogers goes from piloting a dirigible that crashes to piloting a spaceship, without a hitch, shortly after he awakens in 500 years. At some point he becomes a colonel--we're not told how or why. Buck goes from being amazed at the technological advances to telling people what to do in a matter of hours. The dialogue is stiff. The characters have minimal dimension. People wear strange headgear and cloaks for no reason that I could fathom.

And yet--and yet somehow this works and is important. I enjoyed this despite all the nonsense. I and other viewers of the serial have already unlearned the misinformation, and the effect is not ruined. What will people have to unlearn of our day in 60 years or so?

Buck Rogers, an enjoyable serial
2007-07-08 - Although an enjoyable serial, its special effects didn't quite equal those
of the Lydecker brothers of Republic Pictures.

Awful fun
2006-05-23 - Chances are, if you're here, you've already made up your mind. People don't just stumble across a 1930s serial. So you're probably a fan of this kind of stuff.

Which means we aren't going to judge this like we would a new, slick, Hollywood release with top-notch actors. This is budget sci-fi made for kids of the 1930s. It's not sophisticated, the acting is a little stilted, and the science laughable. But if you wanted that stuff, you'd buy something else, right?

Comparing this to other serials, I think it's one of the best. Like all serials, it tends to bog down a bit after the first half. That's because most of the really new ideas get presented in the first chapters.

However, the inventive approach to effects and matte painting are really enjoyable. The story is just silly fun. The presence of a fairly non-stereotyped Asian actor is interesting (even though his acting's as bad as everyone else's).

If you're adding to your archive, don't miss this one. Cool ray guns, gravity belts, transporters...

DVD's that take you back!
2006-03-20 - I loved this dvd, it took me back to a time when life was simpler, and I remember sitting in my jammies Saturday morning with a snack watching classic Sci-Fi tv shows and cartoons.
I'm from Ohio so some of you may remember TV movie hosts like: Super Host, The Goul, and Big chuck & Little John and the movies they showed.