Rating: 
Summary: Superb Plot, Great Consistency & Character Development
Review: "U.F.O." was a short-lived sci-fi fantasy TV series created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson. The premise of the show was that the governments of the nations of the Earth discover that a dying, extraterrestrial civlization has been paying clandestine visits to Earth with the sole purpose of kidnapping & killing humans to harvest their body parts. The United Nations authorizes and funds a highly secretive international organization nicknamed SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organiztion) to combat the alien threat.Under the command of Colonel Ed Straker (played by Ed Bishop), SHADO creates several different means of protecting Earth from the aliens:
1. A sosphistaced underground computerized headquarters pretending to be a major film studio in the heart of London.
2. A manned base on the moon (called Moonbase) armed with three fighters to attack UFOs before they reach Earth.
3. A sophisticated control & radar tracking satellite called SID (Space Intruder Detector) orbitting the Earth to detect incoming UFOs.
4. A fleet of submarine fighter carriers (called Skydivers) called upon to attack UFOs in Earth's atmosphere should the Moonbase fighters fail to destroy UFOs in space. Each Skydiver is capable of launching a single fighter called Sky One (or using some other numbered designation).
5. A fleet of sophisticated armored personnel carriers called Mobiles to seek out and destroy UFOs that manage to land.
6. Other support craft like moon rovers, the Lunar Module (used to shuttle Moonbase personnel between the Earth & moon), and other support aircraft. The 26 episodes of the series focus on several recurring themes:
1. SHADO's continual attempts to avert the alien's plans & attacks.
2. The various ways in which the aliens attempt to destroy SHADO or its commander, Colonel Ed Straker.
3. The effect that being a SHADO operative has on one's personal life, often focusing on Straker's personal life, but also Colonel Paul Foster's (played by Michael Billington).
4. SHADO's attempts to obtain more information about the aliens.
5. Security threats to the secrecy of SHADO.
6. Ongoing funding issues for very costly SHADO expenses (usually battles between Straker and General Henderson, played by Grant Taylor). "U.F.O." very much has the look, music and feel of the 1960's, since that is when it was filmed: the infamous purple wigs that female Moonbase personnel wear, the occassional hippy party, the exuberant use of bright colors in homes and go-go boots. None of that takes away from the quality of the writing. The dialog may not have always been top notch, but the consistency with the plot as well as the revisiting of previous storylines made for a very engaging, character-driven series. In comparison with the Anderson's later TV series "Space 1999", "U.F.O." was far more consistent and interesting. "Space 1999", which was originally set to be a the second season of "U.F.O.", never achieved the same level of character development or consistency, though its special effects were improved. As for the episodes in the first set, I rate them as follows: * "Identified" 4/5. Ten years after the alien threat to humanity is discovered in a confirmed UFO incident, SHADO becomes fully operational and an alien is captured. * "Computer Affair" 4/5. Lieutenant Ellis' (played by Gabrielle Drake) position of Moonbase commander is questioned after an Interceptor pilot is killed with whom she had an emotional attachment. Colonel Alec Freeman (played by George Sewell) has Lt. Ellis participate in destoying the landed UFO in a Mobile. * "Flight Path" 4/5. A shadow operative is blackmailed by an alien to force him to make Moonbase vulnerable to attack. He volunteers to defend Moonbase himself. * "Exposed" 5/5. A test pilot accidentally witnesses Sky One shooting down a UFO. He can't convince anyone of what he saw, but is finally brought before Straker. Will be killed or allowed to join SHADO himself? * "Conflict" 4/5. An alien device is causing havoc for Lunar Modules, even commanded by Colonel Foster himself. Will the device be discovered in time, as well as the real alien target? * "Survival" 5/5. Colonel Foster is assumed dead after having to fight a UFO on the lunar surface on foot. He is assisted by an alien to survive. Will the SHADO rescuers find him? * "The Dalotek Affair" 5/5. The Dalotek company is operating a base of its own on the moon near Moonbase to the chagrin of SHADO * "A Question of Priorities" 5/5. Straker is faced with the dilemna of getting life-saving medication to his son, or to searching for a crashed UFO. Will his son survive? * "Ordeal" 5/5. Colonel Foster is sent to SHADO's health farm. While in the sauna, he hears a fight and is captured by an alien force. He is taken on board a UFO and placed inside of an alien liquid-filled space suit for travel to their planet. Will Foster be rescued, or does he really need to be? * "The Square Triangle" 3/5. Two lovers plot the murder of the woman's husband, but an alien from a crashed UFO shows up instead and is killed. Will the husband survive the plot in the end? One of the only UFO episode that uses a different ending scene. * "Court Martial" 5/5. Colonel Foster is accused of leaking secret SHADO information to the press. Would Foster really commit treason?
* "Close Up" 5/5, SHADO begins one of its most ambitious projects--to get pictures of the aliens' home planet. Will the information they receive answer their questions or add to them? * "Confetti Check A.O.K." 5/5. Straker revisits his marriage ten years earlier and the impact that his leadership of SHADO has on it. No UFO action in this episode, but excellent character development. People more accustomed to expensive, computerized special effects of today may not enjoy "U.F.O." as much because its special effects are far less sophisticated; but don't let the lack of funds and lack of technology spoil your enjoyment of this well made TV series. I very much look forward to the release of the second DVD set containing the remaining 13 "U.F.O." episodes.
Rating:
Summary: Got cheese?
Review: As a kid I watched Battlestar Galactica and Space:1999 with religious zeal. Somehow I missed UFO. Now I'm glad that I did, because I get to see it for the first time, and somehow it takes me back a bunch of years. The plot is really pretty thin, and I'm sure you can almost guess the premise: earth is being attacked by flying saucers, and a super-secret agency is mandated with the protection of the planet. In the manner of the time, each of the episodes is pretty much self-contained, so the characters really never get anywhere. We never really see much of the aliens, except for a body every now and again, to know that they are humanoid, and we really don't find out if they have feelings, families or fears. Somehow this intergalactic war missed public scrutiny (like somehow no one ever notices that flying saucers are blowing up everything), so we never see the impact of the conflict on the outside world. Oh, by the way, the special effects are cheesy, even for TV. BUT - even beyond these flaws (plot, character development, production) the series is great fun to watch. Kind of like a Saturday morning cartoon on steroids - the comparison with Thunderbirds is pretty obvious. My kids enjoy them, and indeed, they are great family fun. Even the T&A is understated enough for the Sunday school teacher. So heat up some Jiffy Pop, open a Tab and have a good time with the family on Friday night.
Rating: 
Summary: Invasion Earth 1980!
Review: As you sit down to watch this set of DVDs, prepare yourself for cheesy special effects, outlandish costumes, horribly dated 70?s music, corny dialog, and exceptionally wooden acting. If you can get past these, however, you will find that UFO is a real sci fi sleeper. Gerry Anderson is best known for his puppet shows, most popular of which was Thunderbirds, and the mid-70?s cult classic Space: 1999. UFO was the first television series Anderson did with live actors (he did a movie with live actors in 1969 called Journey to the Far Side of the Sun). It only lasted one season and had a limited life in syndication, so many science fiction fans (including me) will be rediscovering this for the first time. When UFO first aired in 1970, I vaguely recall watching a few episodes. I do remember that they seemed surreal and very difficult to follow. So when the series resurfaced on DVD this last year, I jumped at the chance to revisit the show. I struggled with the first episode because of the reasons mentioned above, but I really liked the story. In fact, that is the strongest point of all the episodes. The stories are aimed at a more adult audience than the ones who watched Anderson?s puppet shows such as Thunderbirds and Stingray. And the writers were not striving for the same profundity that plagued the Space: 1999 scripts. These are good, well written science fiction stories often with a twist at the end. The basic premise of the show centers around a secret organization known as SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) that is carrying on a clandestine war against an alien race bent on invading the Earth because its planet is dying. These aliens come to Earth in a fleet of UFOs (pronounced yu-fo for some inexplicable reason) and launch attacks against various targets or abduct humans to use as organ donors. SHADO?s main base is set up beneath a London movie studio (because it is a good cover for all of the strange equipment that will be coming and going) and from there they command a moon base, a fleet of submarines, and a reconnaissance satellite in orbit around the Earth. In charge of this organization is Commander Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) with Colonel Alec Freeman (George Sewell) as his second in command. This premise could have resulted in a repetitiveness in which the heroes each week thwart another attempt by the aliens to take over. And while there were stories to this affect, the writers were successful at branching out with different ideas. The scripts made attempts to explore how this covert war affected the lives of the SHADO officers as well as the innocent bystanders caught up in the events. As outlandish as the series was, the writers often tried to focus on the realistic consequences of the stories and often the episodes had downbeat endings. A few of the episodes of particular note from this set: ?A Question Of Priorities?: Commander Straker must make a decision over whether to redirect an air transport carrying medicine vital to his son?s survival to deal with a UFO landing. His decision is not what you would expect. ?The Square Triangle?: Straker and his officers become aware of a murder plot when the must erase the memories of two people who had an alien encounter. Straker knows that the two will likely carry out the murder if they are released and he wrestles with the decision he must make. But it is imperative that SHADO does not get involved. ?Close Up?: SHADO sends a space craft to follow a UFO back to its home planet. But because of a malfunction and an oversight by the SHADO directors, the pictures it sends are worthless. Set 1 contains 13 of the series? 26 episodes. There is a commentary by Gerry Anderson available for the first episode ?Identified? along with a few other minor DVD extras. The episodes are not in the order of airdate which has proved to be a minor annoyance to some of the hardcore fans of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Invasion Earth 1980!
Review: As you sit down to watch this set of DVDs, prepare yourself for cheesy special effects, outlandish costumes, horribly dated 70?s music, corny dialog, and exceptionally wooden acting. If you can get past these, however, you will find that UFO is a real sci fi sleeper. Gerry Anderson is best known for his puppet shows, most popular of which was Thunderbirds, and the mid-70?s cult classic Space: 1999. UFO was the first television series Anderson did with live actors (he did a movie with live actors in 1969 called Journey to the Far Side of the Sun). It only lasted one season and had a limited life in syndication, so many science fiction fans (including me) will be rediscovering this for the first time. When UFO first aired in 1970, I vaguely recall watching a few episodes. I do remember that they seemed surreal and very difficult to follow. So when the series resurfaced on DVD this last year, I jumped at the chance to revisit the show. I struggled with the first episode because of the reasons mentioned above, but I really liked the story. In fact, that is the strongest point of all the episodes. The stories are aimed at a more adult audience than the ones who watched Anderson?s puppet shows such as Thunderbirds and Stingray. And the writers were not striving for the same profundity that plagued the Space: 1999 scripts. These are good, well written science fiction stories often with a twist at the end. The basic premise of the show centers around a secret organization known as SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) that is carrying on a clandestine war against an alien race bent on invading the Earth because its planet is dying. These aliens come to Earth in a fleet of UFOs (pronounced yu-fo for some inexplicable reason) and launch attacks against various targets or abduct humans to use as organ donors. SHADO?s main base is set up beneath a London movie studio (because it is a good cover for all of the strange equipment that will be coming and going) and from there they command a moon base, a fleet of submarines, and a reconnaissance satellite in orbit around the Earth. In charge of this organization is Commander Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) with Colonel Alec Freeman (George Sewell) as his second in command. This premise could have resulted in a repetitiveness in which the heroes each week thwart another attempt by the aliens to take over. And while there were stories to this affect, the writers were successful at branching out with different ideas. The scripts made attempts to explore how this covert war affected the lives of the SHADO officers as well as the innocent bystanders caught up in the events. As outlandish as the series was, the writers often tried to focus on the realistic consequences of the stories and often the episodes had downbeat endings. A few of the episodes of particular note from this set: ?A Question Of Priorities?: Commander Straker must make a decision over whether to redirect an air transport carrying medicine vital to his son?s survival to deal with a UFO landing. His decision is not what you would expect. ?The Square Triangle?: Straker and his officers become aware of a murder plot when the must erase the memories of two people who had an alien encounter. Straker knows that the two will likely carry out the murder if they are released and he wrestles with the decision he must make. But it is imperative that SHADO does not get involved. ?Close Up?: SHADO sends a space craft to follow a UFO back to its home planet. But because of a malfunction and an oversight by the SHADO directors, the pictures it sends are worthless. Set 1 contains 13 of the series? 26 episodes. There is a commentary by Gerry Anderson available for the first episode ?Identified? along with a few other minor DVD extras. The episodes are not in the order of airdate which has proved to be a minor annoyance to some of the hardcore fans of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Eagerly awaiting the second edition.
Review: Bravo! A job well done, and should not be missed by any serious
fans of the "UFO" series, or fans of the sci-fi genre in general.
The picture quality, as you would expect with DVD, is exceptional, ditto for the sound. The series, in particular, the
special effects, seems very dated now, but still a lot of fun to
watch. It seems unavoidable that comparisons between "Space:1999"
and "UFO" will crop up, since Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were the
driving force behind both shows. There are those who place "UFO"
far ahead of "Space:1999" in quality and content, but I do not
agree. "Space:1999" was, in hardware and special effects, vastly
superior to "UFO". Both series have their strengths and weak
spots. But it's obvious from having watched them both, that "UFO"
was the foundation on which "Space:1999" was built. My thanks
to A&E for bringing this series back to life. I hope they will
release "UFO", SET 2 very soon.
Rating:
Summary: Eagerly awaiting the second edition.
Review: Bravo! A job well done, and should not be missed by any serious
fans of the "UFO" series, or fans of the sci-fi genre in general.
The picture quality, as you would expect with DVD, is exceptional, ditto for the sound. The series, in particular, the
special effects, seems very dated now, but still a lot of fun to
watch. It seems unavoidable that comparisons between "Space:1999"
and "UFO" will crop up, since Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were the
driving force behind both shows. There are those who place "UFO"
far ahead of "Space:1999" in quality and content, but I do not
agree. "Space:1999" was, in hardware and special effects, vastly
superior to "UFO". Both series have their strengths and weak
spots. But it's obvious from having watched them both, that "UFO"
was the foundation on which "Space:1999" was built. My thanks
to A&E for bringing this series back to life. I hope they will
release "UFO", SET 2 very soon.
Rating:
Summary: Good DVD, but sloppy production
Review: Excellent to have this show out on DVD, but they lose one star for really quite poor production values. Typical of many DVD products, the "team" that produced the DVD are likely four guys using a PowerMac or some such thing. Besides the overall production being unimaginative and dull, the sound quality is very poor on these discs. The special effects and music tracks are cranked all the way up, but if you try to save your ears by turning it down you will find the dialogue impossible to hear at times. What is worse is that several times the sound is completely out of synch for 30 or 40 minutes at a time. It is doubtfull if the media team producing this product even checked their work afterwards. Five stars for Gerry Anderson and minus one for the sloppy, sloppy transfer to DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Set - Terrible Packaging!
Review: Finally, the long awaited UFO set no.1! remastering is fabulous, a must have for any sci-fi or Gerry Anderson collector. I am thrilled to have it! HOWEVER...the packaging is cheap and horrible. I expected the packaging to be on par with the other fine Gerry Anderson re-issues, and I am VERY DISSAPOINTED in the cheap cheap cheap packaging. All disks in a single multi page dvd case, with episode guide and technical info slipped in behind the disks, behind frosty plastic. Perhaps meant to be "Lunar", but a huge let down after the nice "book - slipcase" design of the other Anderson sets. I would gladly have paid more for nice packaging! 5+ STARS for UFO - 1 star for cheap packaging.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic quality DVD - well worth the mullah
Review: Gerry Anderson's commentary is amiable, if a tad dated in it's retro sexism. "Alec Freeman has an eye for the ladies, and looking at that Shado operative, PWHOAR! Who can blame him?" and "I couldn't stop telling everyone how much I fancied Gay Ellis. Well, I didn't tell my wife!" Then he goes off at a tangent about how he can't dance at parties. Top man, Gerry Anderson.
Fans of beefcake Colonel Foster are well served here. Women want him. Men want to be him. They especially want to be him while simultaneously blowing up UFO's. After watching him sweating away in a sauna in 'Ordeal', I rather wanted to kiss him myself.
This is a great if inevitably uneven series like all television productions with tight shooting schedules. Corners are cut with recycled footage, some unwisely chosen. Anyone else notice the interceptors had no missiles despite being ordered back to base before firing in 'The Square Triangle'?
Some of the science is equally sloppy. Isn't it impossible to go the speed of light let alone faster than it? Spaceships that are strong enough to withstand interstellar travel but disintegrate when exposed to fresh air? Granted they are forced to decelerate but do they need to be sitting ducks for missiles? No guidance systems with said missiles? A space probe tracking the spaceships back to their home planet to take pictures going about 30 m.p.h.? You do notice these things even when you're five.
DVD quality is exemplary. Taken from master and colour re-graded. Absolutely boss, trust me. Packaging a little less user friendly, if neat-o. (Actually, anyone who says 'neat-o' deserves to be abducted by aliens forthwith.)
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I recently bought the aformentioned box set and it brought back memories as a kid getting up early on a saturday morning to watch the cool show. That Lt. Ellis was a real Hottie great costumes. made u wish you were on the moon too. However, one thing this set lacked but apparently its on the british set is a booklet on the tv series and three postcards. I would have loved some more commentary and some other stuff but alas we all should be happy this finally came on DVD.. Looking forward to Vol 2 coming in 2003
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