Buck Rogers [Serial]

Rating:
Summary: Original Buck Rogers
Review: Although not as good as Flash Gordon series which also starred Buster Crabbe this is still an enjoyable SCI-Fi classic. Long before Star Trek and Starwars were Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. I used to enjoy each episode back in the 50's when I was alot younger. There was only one Buck Rogers serial made and it followed the success of the first two Flash Gordon serials. Buck Rogers never had the popularity Flash Gordon, probably because it was an imitation. The charectors were never developed as well. Killer Kane was no where near as intimidating as Charles Middleton's great performance as Ming the Mercilous. Wilma Deering is just there and doesn't stand out as much as Jean Rogers does as Dale Arden in the Flash Gordon series.Charectors aside there is still plenty of adventure,space battles and unique effects to make this a worth while video for any one interested in early sci-fi. A classic and until recently very hard to find.

Rating:
Summary: VCI edition just fine
Review: As I've been trying to collect some classic serials, I've been frustrated by the lack of specific information on the various editions. So let me first say that while the print is far from pristine, for the price this VCI edition is hard to beat.

Second, let me say that I am astonished--to the point of feeling like my 10-year old self was had--how much of "Star Wars" Lucas lifted almost whole-cloth from this serial. Even the prologue as a steeply pitched crawl comes from Buck Rogers, not to mention countless scenes in the Millennium Falcon as the ship is chased by an evil-empire-like force of villains.

So here's the advice I would have been happiest to have had a few days ago when I was trying to decide whether to buy this disc: if you love science fiction on film, or are interested in the popular culture of the late 30's and early 40's, BUY THIS DISC.

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile follow-up to the FLASH GORDON serials
Review: Buck Rogers was the earlier space hero, first appearing in two featured novellas in Hugo Gernsbach's AMAZING STORIES, the earliest science-fiction pulp magazine. Then of course, he became a comic strip hero who was quite popular until the FLASH GORDON comic strip with superior illustrative art started competing.

Universal did well with Buck, though the serial didn't have the appeal of the Flash Gordon serials. It's not as imaginative, but it is a good action serial. Buster Crabbe shows a little of the calmer nature of the hero, compared to Flash Gordon's impetuousness.

If you don't have any of them, get especially FLASH GORDON: SPACE SOLDIERS and FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE first, but then be sure to get BUCK ROGERS.

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile follow-up to the FLASH GORDON serials
Review: Buck Rogers was the earlier space hero, first appearing in two featured novellas in Hugo Gernsbach's AMAZING STORIES, the earliest science-fiction pulp magazine. Then of course, he became a comic strip hero who was quite popular until the FLASH GORDON comic strip with superior illustrative art started competing.

Universal did well with Buck, though the serial didn't have the appeal of the Flash Gordon serials. It's not as imaginative, but it is a good action serial. Buster Crabbe shows a little of the calmer nature of the hero, compared to Flash Gordon's impetuousness.

If you don't have any of them, get especially FLASH GORDON: SPACE SOLDIERS and FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE first, but then be sure to get BUCK ROGERS.

Rating:
Summary: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Review: I think the whole sereise should come out on DvD do you have any ideas westher they are trying tro get permission to bring out the whole sereis please write me back at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Review: I think the whole sereise should come out on DvD do you have any ideas westher they are trying tro get permission to bring out the whole sereis please write me back at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Flash Rogers or Buck Gordon?
Review: It's difficult to know what to think of Buck Rogers. In the comics he was the original space-hero whose popularity diminished with the arrival of Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon. The 1936 serial starring Buster Crabbe became the prototype for many science fiction films and solidified Flash Gordon as the King of the Universe. It must have seemed odd when fans of Flash saw Buster Crabbe portraying Buck Rogers. In retrospect this was a clever move on the part of Universal Pictures. Using much of the visual and musical aspects of the two previous Flash Gordon serials there really was no other choice to play Buck. At least with Buster Crabbe there was a frame of reference for the younger audience that these serials were designed for. They accepted Buster and his space hopping heroics. Another actor may not have been. The story, set in the 25th Century, of the 'Hidden City' rebels fight against the world dominating 'Super Gangsters' certainly had potential but tailoring it for younger audiences hurt the production. Buster Crabbe's Buck Rogers is no different than his Flash Gordon. He's still the hero. But there is no character development. Even Buck's attraction to Wilma Deering is played down. Did anyone notice that not since the first Flash Gordon serial did Buster Crabbe kiss his female costars? No real time is spent on Buck surviving in suspended animation for 500 years along with his sidekick, Buddy. Both adapt to their new surrounding all too quickly and the action begins. Most of the cliffhangers are predictable and certainly done before in other serials. The villain of the piece, Killer Kane, never really comes across as a threat. He's played as a mob boss, much like the A-pictures of that era. Again the potential was there. Anthony Warde has the right villainous tone, but the script gives Killer Kane nothing more to do than scream and shout. Still there are a few interesting things to see in Buck Rogers. The strong first chapter is never matched in content as the series continues. The setup and script work well and really gets the adventure off to a good start. An early transporter system is used to great effect in the Hidden City. Constance Moore has a strong role as Wilma Deering. As a 25th Century Woman, Wilma leads squadrons of fighters, and can defend herself against Killer Kane's henchmen. The film source material is average with several wear-and-tear marks throughout. Sound quality is good. VCI's menu screens are amusing but the extra material is poor when comparing it to their Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe edition. The biggest complaint here is that there is NO BOOKLET. Give Buck Rogers a chance if you're a fan of early science fiction serials. If not, stick with the first Flash Gordon.

Rating:
Summary: A True THRILL-O-RAMA
Review: The 12 chapter BUCK ROGERS serial, was shot between the Flash Gordon serials "Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars" and "Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe." Audiences seemed indifferent to it, so the plans for a sequel were scrapped in favor of continuing the Flash Gordon series. While the Flash Gordon serials are probably better, I really enjoy the Buck Rogers serial too.

Buck Rogers has STYLE. Not to say that Flash didn't, but the Buck Rogers serial has:

The Art Deco Headquarters of Killer Kane, with it's convenient topiary shrubs for hiding behind.

The swirling mirror pool monitor screens.

The equally Art Deco space ships, with sparklers as exhaust and that sound, something like a microwave oven and a car missing a muffler. These ships were so advanced, all they needed was a simple door with handle.

A future full of wimps. Flash and Buddy easily push away or tackle anyone who they clash with.

The groovy De-Gravity belts and the transporter.

The Saturnian tram system.

The exotic terrain of the planet Saturn, which in no way looked like a California desert.

The Saturnian MUGGS, who should have all been nominated for academy awards.

Okay, I'm being a little sarcastic. But I really do have a great love for this serial, even with all its many flaws. Terrible performances by some of the supporting characters, a few cases of severely bad stunt doubling, and the effects, well......they did their best with what they had to work with. I love the little dolls in the Saturnian tunnel trams.

And Buck himself--Larry "Buster" Crabbe was so handsome. That wavy hair and that killer smile were all he needed. I wonder if the producers ever realized what kind of confusion they would cause in the years that followed, by casting the same actor for both Flash and Buck. It's always interesting to see a VHS version of Buck Rogers with a picture from Flash Gordon on the cover, and vice versa.

Buck Rogers is a true pleasure to watch. It's so much fun, and it's the perfect length. It's over before it has worn out its welcome. And if you want more, then watch the next chapter. The menu screens are fun too, with the ships swinging around on visible wires. If only they would have included a booklet instead of advertising.

This is well worth checking out, especially if you enjoy the Flash serials. Like the cover proclaims, it's a 12 chapter Thrill-O-Rama!

Rating:
Summary: Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon ? Who cares its got Buster Crabbe!
Review: There's something very special about this serial and the Flash Gordon serials. Maybe its nostalgia, maybe Buster Crabbes performance as both Buck and Flash or maybe its just because they incorporated all the basic ingredients of story telling which have sadly been lost today. Special effects do not make a film!

Buck and his buddy "Buddy" crash their Zepplin somewhere remote and freezing on earth in 1938 where they can't be rescued. Unknown to Buck and Buddy the Zepplin is equiped with gas which will put them into suspended animation. Five hundred years later they are discovered by the friendly rebels struggling against the evil Killer Kane. Within minutes of being arrested and taken back to the rebels hidden city they are off on a mission to Saturn to help the rebels form an alliance and defeat Killer Kane...

From there on its puch ups, rocketship dogfights, running, hiding, getting captured, making friends and escaping approximately every ten minutes. Brilliant!

In many reviews I've read Buck Rogers has been considered a rip off of Flash Gordon. This maybe true of the comic strip but I don't consider this serial to be a rip off of the Flash Gordon serials. After all, its made by the same people with mostly the same actors, special effects, costumes and musical scores.

If your a fan of the Flash serials then you'll love this too. I would also recommend that anyone new to the genre watch this before watching the Flash serials. The Flash serials particularly the first one were far more ambitious in terms of special effects and are therefore slightly more comical today. I tried to get a friend to watch Space Soldiers but he kept laughing at the Ape Men and the dragons. This serial is definetly the best to watch to get into the genre.

I've only watched the first five episodes so far because I'm saving the other episodes for a special occasion. Once I've finished this disk thats it forever. If only I had a time machine so I could travel back and insist they made more episodes!

The DVD edition is very good, obviously the picture and sound are not up to much but the special features such as the bios and photo galleries are excellent.

Buy this before it goes out of print again.

Rating:
Summary: Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon ? Who cares its got Buster Crabbe!
Review: There's something very special about this serial and the Flash Gordon serials. Maybe its nostalgia, maybe Buster Crabbes performance as both Buck and Flash or maybe its just because they incorporated all the basic ingredients of story telling which have sadly been lost today. Special effects do not make a film!

Buck and his buddy "Buddy" crash their Zepplin somewhere remote and freezing on earth in 1938 where they can't be rescued. Unknown to Buck and Buddy the Zepplin is equiped with gas which will put them into suspended animation. Five hundred years later they are discovered by the friendly rebels struggling against the evil Killer Kane. Within minutes of being arrested and taken back to the rebels hidden city they are off on a mission to Saturn to help the rebels form an alliance and defeat Killer Kane...

From there on its puch ups, rocketship dogfights, running, hiding, getting captured, making friends and escaping approximately every ten minutes. Brilliant!

In many reviews I've read Buck Rogers has been considered a rip off of Flash Gordon. This maybe true of the comic strip but I don't consider this serial to be a rip off of the Flash Gordon serials. After all, its made by the same people with mostly the same actors, special effects, costumes and musical scores.

If your a fan of the Flash serials then you'll love this too. I would also recommend that anyone new to the genre watch this before watching the Flash serials. The Flash serials particularly the first one were far more ambitious in terms of special effects and are therefore slightly more comical today. I tried to get a friend to watch Space Soldiers but he kept laughing at the Ape Men and the dragons. This serial is definetly the best to watch to get into the genre.

I've only watched the first five episodes so far because I'm saving the other episodes for a special occasion. Once I've finished this disk thats it forever. If only I had a time machine so I could travel back and insist they made more episodes!

The DVD edition is very good, obviously the picture and sound are not up to much but the special features such as the bios and photo galleries are excellent.

Buy this before it goes out of print again.