Review by David Paul Hellings
@HellingsOnFilm
“The first live-action television series from the legendary creators of Thunderbirds Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, UFO is to be released in a new HD restoration, courtesy of Network Distributing.
UFO – The Complete Series (12) will feature all 26 episodes and be available to own on Blu-ray from 14 November 2016, RRP £89.99.
The series remains a benchmark sci-fi production, featuring mature storylines and ground-breaking special effects. Long-awaited on Blu-ray in the UK, it is presented here with original mono or 5.1 soundtracks, alongside a wealth of new special features.
After ten years development in top secrecy, “SHADO” – Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation – goes live. Its aim: to combat the threat of an alien invasion from a dying race who abduct humans to repair their own decaying bodies. SHADO’s dedicated operatives fight a secret war against Earth’s terrifying new menace: on land, sea, air – and in space!”
– via Network on TV
Review:
Adjust your Christmas present list to make sure this release is coming your way, from a loving relative or a treat to yourself, because the complete series of UFO is finally here on Blu-ray. The seminal Gerry and Sylvia Anderson creation, and probably the most ground breaking British series of its time, UFO is better than ever in this long-awaited release.
Dark, cynical, and deeply creepy when shown (the night time woods or forest scenes with UFOs was and remains scary viewing for fans of the series), UFO has, like its follow up “Space: 1999”, gladly survived the test of the time and is as cool today and it was back then.
Sylvia Anderson’s excellent costumes (Ed Bishop never looked better as the deeply troubled SHADO boss Ed Straker) add to the chic that has found favour with retro afficianados ever since and there’s a general design chic that was surprisingly well put together for a sci-fi drama at the time. The cars were sleek and cool (when they weren’t running over young relatives), so were the rest of the machines: Skydiver especially and the string vest on board uniforms.
The alien mission: harvest human organs, is about as nasty as it gets in terms of reasons to be here; plus the green liquid in the helmet and weird eyes; these were aliens that were us simply adjusted physically by their captors in UFOs that made that eerie, unpleasant noise. As the thirst for all things space following NASA’s successful moon landing grew, it was typical of the Andersons to opt for the darker take on the possibilities of the universe we were only just discovering.
The new restoration of the complete series, as you might expect following the success of Network’s “The Prisoner” and “Space: 1999” releases, is excellent and everything fans have been hoping for. This is one for the collection and easily the release this classic British series deserved.
An excellent Blu-Ray and already on Santa’s list.
Special features include:
- From Earth to the Moon brand new feature-length documentary with interviews, archive video, audio and stills – many of which have never been seen or heard before.
- The Women of UFO – new documentary discussing the improving sexual equality depicted in UFO and the role of science fiction in striving for that change
- Identified: SHADO New Recruits Briefing – a newly created SHADO briefing film narrated by Matt Zimmerman
- Exclusive 600 page book on the making of UFO by archive television historian Andrew Pixley
- Dolby 5.1 audio mix as well as existing as-transmitted mono audio
- Film material, including textless episode title backgrounds, textless end titles, stock footage, TV spots, extra footage for Identified and Exposed, unused footage from Timelash and The Long Sleep, Italian trailers
- Audio commentaries: Identified with Gerry Anderson and Sub-Smash with Ed Bishop
- S.I.D. Computer Voice Session and audio outtakes for these sessions and Kill Straker!
- Archive Ed Bishop audio interview from 1996
- Tomorrow Today: Future Fashions with Sylvia Anderson
- Extensive image galleries – including previously unseen images
UFO – The Complete Series (12)
Release Date: 14 November 2016
RRP: £89.99
No. of Discs: 7
Screen Ratio: 1.33:1
Catalogue no. 7958059
Running Time: 1,300 mins (approx.)
For further information visit:
www.networkonair.com
#UFOseries
facebook.com/GerryAndersonOfficial
