Rating: 
Summary: Order, order, order
Review: OK, maybe I'm missing something, or maybe my episode guide is incorrect, but it seems to me, these fantastic DVDs are not in episode order. Was "exposed" really the 5th episode, as the DVD lineup would indicate, or in fact the second, as noted in the Gerry Anderson episode guide. This is my only gripe with this set; but a significant one as wanting a season of episodes in broadcast order is important. (OK, maybe not so much with UFO but just try watching that new Babylon 5 set in November out of order).
As noted in other reviews, the quality is excellent and it the first time since I've been a fan of this series that I could actually make out the wires holding up Derek Meddings excellent work. Such is the sharp picture quality. Lets hope set 2 gets the lineup correct.
Rating: 
Summary: Super to finally have these!!
Review: Okay, this is NOT high brow SCI-FI, but it is bloody good fun. Put out by the Anderson team that brought you Fireball X-15, so what did you expect??So ignore the really bad writing like accusing the Aliens of suffering from 'hereditary sterility', forget there is NO explanation of why the girls on moonbase HAVE to wear purple wigs, forget it is rather sexist view of the future (1980....lol)...yeah, a lot to forget???? Wrong, somehow Ed Bishop as Staker, Michael Billington as Paul Foster, and Gabrielle Drake in her purple wig - make it work. This is fast paced, rock em, shoot em up absolutely fun from beginning to end. You have Bishop and Billington for the girls to drool over, Drake and various other purple headed big chest beauties for the guys to oogle....I mean what more can you ask for.... Well, I can ask for UFO set 2 - NOW PLEASE!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: American Audiences can now enjoy uncut and clear UFO
Review: Previously available in the UK and Europe, this remastered edition of UFO contains a few niceties to complement the episodes. Purchasers of this set are probably already fans of the show which has re-emerged occasionally in the 30+ years since the original run. The bulk of the episodic content is well known for its speculation of future life in a '60's vein.
The biggest plus for this set is the clean video and the inclusion of scenes which have been "chopped" by broadcasters.
The outtakes are reasonable but lack an explanation of why they are important. The "Exposed" scenes could have benefited greatly by written explanations of the differences versus the final episode.
The physical product is packaged oddly. Little is provided in text form(No booklet), relying primarily on the sleeve for such info.
Excepting minor details, this DVD offering is an excellent revisit of the SHADO world. Definately worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: memory lane
Review: Reminds me of when I was a kid. Better than its siblings Thunderbirds and Space 1999.
Rating:
Summary: UFO Set 1
Review: Series that kept me on edge in the early 70's. Interesting story line about the response to an invasion by UFOs and the extent that the governments of the world would go to keep the information from the public. Only last one season, but still a show that bears remembering.
Rating:
Summary: BACK WHEN TV WAS GOOD
Review: Shows like this and SPACE 199 is what TV was. Not what it is now. Mostly junk. I loved this show as a young adult in high school when it was on TV.
It was a prelude to the X FILES. Although the sets where as bad as some of the STAR TREK sets. It was still good.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Anderson series
Review: The four Gerry/Sylvia Anderson series with which I am familiar ("Thunderbirds", "Captain Scarlet", "UFO", and "Space 1999") all have much in common. At their best, they have high-spirited adventure, good character situations, campy humor, and gee-wiz sets, costumes, and gadgetry. At their worst, they have jaw dropping logical flaws, stock footage overused to the point of obvious inconsistency, and excruciatingly painful sci-babble. "UFO" is my personal favorite of the four series. The stories lean toward character situations, at times to the point of soapiness, but overall they tend to be quite intelligent, mature, and engaging. Such well-written episodes as "Computer Affair", "Survival", and "Confetti Check A-O.K." deal with fairly lofty concepts, albeit at the expense of some of the eye candy that keeps most viewers interested. It is the worst series of the four in terms of unbelievable costumes and glaring stock footage bloopers, and every now and then some god-awful sci-babble wings by. Fortunately, these are only minor irritants in an otherwise excellent series. I can hardly wait for the next set.
Rating:
Summary: Unique vision, well realized
Review: The rating is for the show; I'm excited about the raves this set is getting for visual quality, since I've been watching it on ancient Betamax tapes for years now! This is the best of the Gerry Anderson productions in my opinion, although if you don't like other Anderson shows you will probably not care for this either (I even liked Space Precinct!). It contains several themes that were ahead of its time (for television anyway): A secret planetary defense organization, mysterious alien invaders with unclear motives, X-file type paranoia, and Ed Straker's wig! The art direction and costuming are excellent, a classic 60's vision of a shiny future- reminds me of the Donald Fagan song I.G.Y.: "Just machines that make big decisions, programmed by fellas with compassion and vision", along with plenty of "Top Gun" characters and situations for that action we crave. Hey, if the only accurate depiction of the future here is the moon babes in purple wigs and silver mini-dresses, I'm there!
Rating:
Summary: Review from a New Fan
Review: The show was originally only a mystery to me since I was a product of the 70's rather than getting to witness the great action and hardware with "Thunderbirds" and the other Supermarionation shows from earlier. For the New Fan, the show is a visual treat. Those who like futuristic hardware and model work will be delighted, though
the stories sometimes drag. Those who like music will also
delight in the funky retro sounds and variations on the main
theme heard throughout the episodes. Okay, sorry, retro to me, maybe, but still snappy regardless! The DVD set is a different story. The case is a bit hard to manhandle, and I was frightened at how hard is was to pull the discs out, having waiting so long to see them! Also, the episodes
seem to be out of order, according to several sources I checked
into. However, don't let that dissuade you from giving them a try. The show is great fun, especially to those like me who will
see them for the first time. I was raised on Sci-Fi without
CGI, and I still yearn for it from time to time. Do you? -KS
Rating: 
Summary: Saving the earth in miniskirts and go-go boots!!
Review: The time is 1980, a scant ten years from the show's inception. Technology has leapfrogged. There is now a base on the moon. It's unclear from the show whose base it is, since the commander of all the SHADO forces is American, yet all the personnel are British. Maybe it's a joint effort. Space travel is relatively effortless--people trek from the earth to the moon the same way they go out to the store for groceries, or at least the military types do. The head of SHADO is a crusty chain-smoking military type named Ed Straker, though we are not sure exactly which government he works for. Maybe he's an Independent Contractor. Anyway, Eddie has never smiled in his life. He has so many personality disorders that it's amazing he's trusted with billions of dollars of equipment that can destroy the world. I mean, don't high-ranking military types have to pass some sort of psychological test before they let them play with H-bombs? One thing's for sure: he sure has a lot of toys at his disposal: there's Skydiver, which is a submarine fitted with an airplane that blasts off. Considering Newton's Second Law, I don't know how the rocket doesn't blow the submarine backwards into the continental shelf, but somehow it doesn't. I also don't know how the heck it links back up again later--they never show you that part. But back to Ed's toys: he has three interceptors in outer space that hunt for UFOs on the moon. Each interceptor is equipped with exactly *one* missile. I know the Carter Administration cut back the military in the 70s, but this is ridiculous! The aliens are always considerate, however, and rarely send more than three ships at a time, so as not to overwhelm the human defenses. They wouldn't be unsporting and send, maybe, 100 UFOs and wipe us out. Finally in the artillary collection there are the "mobiles," which are giant trucks with radar and lots of flashing lights. All the action is monitored by SID, a forerunner of HAL, a giant orbiting observatory that apparently has Sir Ian McKellen locked inside. ("Eeeuu-eff-ooh heading for earth at four-decimal-threee...") You expect SID to launch into a soliloquy from Hamlet, but he never does.
Now, the world at large doesn't know earth is being attacked by aliens, who want to, alternately, steal our organs, cohabitate with us, or make us breathe green liquid. The world thinks Ed Straker is a movie producer (!!) who goes to work in a studio in London every morning in his cool aerodynamic car. Actually he does, and then he locks himself in his office, announces his name, and *the whole office* lowers itself underground, to his secret SHADO base. Once he forgot his lunch, and his secretary had to go to the empty elevator shaft and throw it down to him, but it's still not clear if she knows he's leading a double life. His ex-wife certainly didn't know. She thought he was spending too much time at the office and divorced him. In reality he may have been spending too much time with the chicks with purple hair. Eddie is always finding excuses to visit these moon-babes, because, as I said, this is about as easy as running to the store for a quart of milk. No explanation for the purple wigs is given. There's been speculation over the years--was it a code for lesbianism? Just some oh-so-mod 60s fashion thing? Producer Gerry Anderson and his fashion-designer wife Sylvia insist there's no hidding meaning, but that hasn't stopped suspicion, even though the women don't have colored handkerchiefs sticking out of their back pockets. At any rate, the sole purpose of the four chicks on the moon seems to be to walk about in silver go-go boots and micro-minis while the camera lingers at thigh-level. I'm surprised they aren't shown dancing in cages. Judging from the costumes all the women wear and the fact that all female personnel are young and babe-like (and wear more mascara than a hooker at the Nevada Hilton), one would conclude the attitude around SHADO was extremely sexist, and would not be tolerated in these more enlightened times of skin-tight jeans and cropped baby-tees.
The tone of the show is pretty heavy. By that I mean everyone stands around looking at each other grimly saying things like, "The aliens are evading our defenses." "Yes. That must mean they're getting through." "Yes." "And if they're getting through, they must want to come here pretty badly." "Yes." "But why? What do they want?" "I don't know." "Well, d---it! You're supposed to know! Go lock yourself in your office with a miniskirted go-go girl and don't come out until you have an answer for me, Colonel!" Robert Towne it isn't.
Some have said the special effects are cheesy. I think they are actually quite respectable considering the budget, and the fact that this was only a few years after Star Trek (talk about cheesy effects). What's perhaps most effective about the whole show, that I've never seen commented on, is that there are often long sequences where no words are spoken, where the viewer has to put things together or divine the aliens' intentions. I wonder how much of a Kubrick 2001 influence there was when it comes to this, but some of the most memorable bits are when there is no dialogue at all, and it usually involves something the aliens are up to, something ambiguous. (Are they really trying to destroy us or do they want to live peacefully with us?) We never do conclusively find out what they want. Maybe they're being driven to conquer earth by a crusty chain-smoking commander on their planet who says, "Why are they wearing go-go boots on the MOON? I want answers, d---it!"
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