Home :: DVD :: Television :: General  

A&E Home Video
BBC
Classic TV
Discovery Channel
Fox TV
General

HBO
History Channel
Miniseries
MTV
National Geographic
Nickelodeon
PBS
Star Trek
TV Series
WGBH Boston
Gunsmoke - Return to Dodge

Gunsmoke - Return to Dodge

List Price: $14.99
Your Price: $13.49
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: They look older - but
Review: Anyone that is a true Gunsmoke fan will like this movie. Matt and Kitty look older but the film makes you wonder did they finally get together?

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Best of the return to GUNSMOKE movies
Review: As only a casual fan of the original series I may not be able to compare and contrast this movie as well as some others but the producers of this tv film seem to have covered all their bases.

First of all the story was very well done. By basing the movie on one of the original tv shows the viewers were given a sense of continuity that some movies that are based on previous tv shows don't have. Also, the story itself, while not all that original, was well written and suspenseful. Out of the 5 GUNSMOKE movies that were made I felt that this one was the best.

Secondly, this movie did a fine job of bringing back the original cast members. Amanda Blake as "Kitty" and Buck Taylor as "Newly O'brien" helped to give this movie an authentic feel. Having said that it would have been nice if Dennis Weaver as "Chester" and or Ken Curtis as "Festus", both served as deputy under Marshall Dillon, had made an appearance in the movie.

Lastly, while the movie overall was a good one it seemed to me that James Arness portrayed Matt Dillon less like the character in the original series and more like the mountain man character of "Zeb Macahon" in his other western series HOW THE WEST WAS WON. Still this movie is a good view and those who like James Arness or GUNSMOKE will appreciate it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gunsmoke reunion movie
Review: Gunsmoke - Return to Dodge -- The links between two TV series (Gunsmoke and How The West Was Won) are many: actor - James Arness, music - Jerald Immel, producer - John Mantley, writer - Jim Byrnes, director - Vincent McEveety. Indeed, as this story begins, Matt Dillon is a retired marshall and mountain trapper. Mannon, a former foe of Matt Dillon (played by Steve Forrest), returns to Dodge to seek revenge on Matt. Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell also returns. Other subplots are woven into this story that contains breathtaking scenes of the great outdoors. Beautiful scenery, a rich story -- this TV movie is totally entertaining. It deserves a rating higher than five stars. Color. First aired on CBS in 1987 as a two-hour reunion movie for Gunsmoke.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Good Start........
Review: I applaud the release of any Gunsmoke-related production on DVD, including this 1987 made-for-TV reunion movie. Gunsmoke, the longest running western, or drama for that matter, in TV history, was complex and textured and dealt with mature themes with unforgettable characters that became part of our culture. I grew up watching the series, which debuted as a half-hour black and white show, then progressed to one hour and eventually was filmed in color.

Gunsmoke richly deserves a serious DVD release of its episodes, not merely a release of a TV movie here or there.

Few need to be told what his western depicted, it's the story of Marshall Matt Dillon (played to perfection by James Arness), who tamed the lawless Dodge City, Kansas, not only with his gun but with his courage, sense of honor, justice and irreproachable integrity behind the badge.

Along the way, we meet Matt's friends, Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake), owner of the Longbranch Saloon and Matt's long-time love, Doc Adams (Milburn Stone, and Deputy Chester Goode (Dennis Weaver) and later Deputies Festus Hagen (Ken Curtis) and Newly O'Brien (Buck Taylor.) Weekly guest stars represented the cream of the acting crop for decades!

While this TV-Movie reunites Arness, Blake and Taylor, much of the familiar Dodge landscape has changed: Matt has retired and lives as a mountaineer and O'Brien is Marshall. The plot centers around a continuation of a much earlier TV episode, with guest star Steve Forrest reprising his role as the villianous Will Mannon, whom Dillon had previously stopped and arrested.

Now released from prison, Mannon has returned to Dodge for revenge. He holds Miss Kitty hostage to lure the retired lawman back into town to die.

A suspenseful story, Arness' portrayal of Dillon in this TV movie was much less familiar than the TV version, giving Dillon a driven, haunted, almost tragic appearance of a man who had left -- or lost -- everything he had ever cared about. THis is definitely a different Matt Dillon.

The TV movie weaves clips from the episode on which it is based throughout the production.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's great to have these on DVD
Review: I'm so glad these Gunsmoke movies are being released on DVD. But, can someone tell me why this wasn't released as a 3 DVD set and not indivdidual DVD's. Like the "Sarah Plain and Tall" 3 movie saga. It was released with all 3 movies together in one case. I'm pretty sure most people are going to purchase all 3 movies of gunsmoke. I'm thinking "SPACE", "ROOM" to keep all these DVD's that are being released or have been released. Not everyone has all the space in there home for so many shows being released on DVD. To the manufactures of these movies: Next time do a survey to find out what people would like. I sure would of liked all 3 Gunsmoke movies in one case (jacket).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Glad it's released....but
Review: I'm so glad these Gunsmoke movies are being released on DVD. But, can someone tell me why this wasn't released as a 3 DVD set and not indivdidual DVD's. Like the "Sarah Plain and Tall" 3 movie saga. It was released with all 3 movies together in one case. I'm pretty sure most people are going to purchase all 3 movies of gunsmoke. I'm thinking "SPACE", "ROOM" to keep all these DVD's that are being released or have been released. Not everyone has all the space in there home for so many shows being released on DVD. To the manufactures of these movies: Next time do a survey to find out what people would like. I sure would of liked all 3 Gunsmoke movies in one case (jacket).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's great to have these on DVD
Review: Just watched the Gunsmoke movie collection and all three movies are excellent. Return To Dodge is my favorite, but Last Apache is damn good too. All three movies hit the mark. Arness had seen better days, but his performance is top notch in all of these. He looks older than the mountains he rides past, but I liked him more as Matt in these movies than on the Gunsmoke show. The show was classic, but Arness' personality and character got better with age. Too bad all five Gunsmoke movies aren't in this set, but Return and Last Apache are the must haves for my collection. I agree with the critic who wished these were all in one box, but I'm glad to have 'em on DVD. This is a fantastic set.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Critical error in the plot
Review: Personally, I thought they should have let everyone age a little in this film...after all, it was later in their lives. There is a critical error in the plot: The writers have confused past history; Kitty left Dodge City because Matt was shot down (again) in the street (The Badge) but returned at the end of the episode. The movie shows the shooting as a flashback and links it incorrectly to the film's story line. I love Gunsmoke. These errors matter.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A GOOD SAMPLE OF A 20-YEAR INSTITUTION
Review: The "reunion" film only featured a handful of the actors who made "Gunsmoke" a staple for two decades: James Arness as stalwart hero "Matt Dillon," Amanda Blake as enigmatic and beautiful "Miss Kitty," and Buck Taylor as dependable deputy "Newly O'Brian. Flashback sequences feature Milburn Stone as cantankerous "Doc" and Ken Curtis as the always-amusing "Festus."

A rousing good entertainment, the movie also stars Steve Forrest as Will Mannon, a totally conscience-free villain seeking revenge on Dillon and a sexual dalliance with "Red," as her refers to Blake's character.

With exteriors filmed in Canada and a great score, "Return to Dodge" will make one pine for the days when the inhabitants of Dodge City ruled the television screens of America.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A GOOD SAMPLE OF A 20-YEAR INSTITUTION
Review: The "reunion" film only featured a handful of the actors who made "Gunsmoke" a staple for two decades: James Arness as stalwart hero "Matt Dillon," Amanda Blake as enigmatic and beautiful "Miss Kitty," and Buck Taylor as dependable deputy "Newly O'Brian. Flashback sequences feature Milburn Stone as cantankerous "Doc" and Ken Curtis as the always-amusing "Festus."

A rousing good entertainment, the movie also stars Steve Forrest as Will Mannon, a totally conscience-free villain seeking revenge on Dillon and a sexual dalliance with "Red," as her refers to Blake's character.

With exteriors filmed in Canada and a great score, "Return to Dodge" will make one pine for the days when the inhabitants of Dodge City ruled the television screens of America.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates