Usher Video:

		List Price: $19.99		Label: Vci Video Salesrank: 9992 Released: September 19, 2000
		Our Price: $11.52
		Used Price: $10.98
		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.Approximately Released by Universal Pictures. Bonus Features: Animated Menu| Scene Selection| Photo Gallery| Bonus Serial Trailers. Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 241 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1939; SRP - $19.99.

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:
Interesting devices but plot is weak.
2009-09-03 - One of the few good aspects of this serial is the use of of futuristic devices such as transporters and a cloaking device, concepts later seen on the original Star Trek, and high speed tunnel transports, later seen in the movie Logan's Run. The fading marquis that introduces each episode was also copied by the Star Wars movie.

The rest of the serial consists mostly of back and forth travels between planets and places. There are also a large number of physical skirmishes between Buck Rogers and Killer Kane's cronies. Constance Moore is obviously beautiful but the military style pants and cloth helmut largely obscure her feminine beauty.

There is a nice scene at the end but the scene disappoints because the series ends with the backs of the protagonists facing the camera. Due to the weak plot, I only recommend this series if you want to see a historically significant film.

Buck is Ok, Flash still rules
2009-08-31 - For fans of old fashioned science fiction hokum and mumbo-jumbo, this isn't bad. Buster Crabbe (Buck) and his teenage pal Buddy have their blimp lost in the snow for 500 years and are rescued to fight a gangster warlord named Killer Kane (how subtle) who has taken over the earth and wants Saturn to join him.

This is filled with good, hokey fun. Overly hammy acting (with some restraint from Buster Crabbe), chessy special effex, outrageous story (Buck and Buddy wake up 500 years in the future and immediately know how to fly the updated spaceships) and an overall amiable corniness that makes these 1930s-40s serials so much fun if you don't take them too seriosuly. A really interesting aspect is that one of the heroes of this series is played by an actual Asian actor (Philson Ahn as Prince Tallen of Saturn) with no stereotyped dialect and a dignified role. Pretty progressive for 1939 when most Asian characters were played by Whites with stereotyped accents.

The only problem here is that Buck suffers in comparison to the MASTER of sci-fi serials, FLASH GORDON (also starring Buster Crabbe and directed by Ford Beebe). Killer Kane is a dullard compared to FG's delightfully evil Ming the Merciless, and the other villans are no comparison to the ape men, reptiles, and clay people of FG. Nowhere NEARLY as much fun! But for what it is, it's good entertainment for a lazy weekend.

Buster Crabbe's Only Go-Round as Buck Rogers
2009-07-28 - Universal's 1939 adaptation of "Buck Rogers" is no match for the "Flash Gordon" cliffhangers. Buster Crabbe's space heroics are still fun to watch, but this 12-chapter serial suffers from erratic pacing and weak villains. Compared to the ruthless Emperor Ming, dictator Killer Kane (horribly portrayed by Anthony Warde) wouldn't pass muster in a "B" gangster movie. Despite her limited screen time, Constance Moore makes an effective Wilma Deering - while Jackie Moran is a definite plus as Buck's youthful sidekick. A mixed intergalactic bag, "Buck Rogers" proved only a moderate success with Saturday Matinee audiences. Not surprisingly, the studio rejected a follow-up and opted for Crabbe's return in "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940).

The antiquated future
2009-06-09 - The minute this disk starts rolling, any day becomes a rainy Saturday, no matter what the weather, and the smell of tired popcorn fills the air. It starts when Buck and his young sidekick Buddy crash their airship. After 500 years of suspended animation, they awaken in a world ruled by the rapacious Killer Caine. Buck's experience with a 20th-century dirigible makes him a skilled flier, so there's no problem in leaping into one of the 25th century's spacecraft, dodging Caine's blockade, and zipping off to Saturn in search of help.

In many ways this seems almost interchangeable with Flash Gordon, in which Crabbe also starred. This has the same wobbly spaceships (pointy this time, not tubby) seemingly driven by flatulent sparklers, lab with bubbling this'n'that, and opponents dumb enough to fall for just about anything - repeatedly. Fight scenes look more like puppies wrestling than actual combat, and sets seem unsophisticated even by the standards of the original Star Trek series. One thing stands out, though: Wilma Darling, the sole female character, presents a strong, competent character. Seeing her face danger in a flight suit, rather than being saved from it in an evening gown, added a pleasant and modern touch to this otherwise cheesy period piece.

But I mean "cheesy" in a good way. I first saw this 1939 creation a lot closer to it's creation date than to the current day, and it just keeps getting better - sort of. There's no way I can rank this iconic piece of nostalgia objectively, so I give it the rating that the seven year old in me demands. Buck Rogers forever!

-- wiredweird

buck rogers serial
2008-10-04 - I have wanted this serial for years. My wife and I really enjoyed it. Very campy. We both enjoy old serials and movies and this fit right in. I remember seeing it on TV when I was a kid.