Rating: 
Summary: Underrated Sci-Fi TV Series With Purple Wigs & Go-Go Boots!
Review: "U.F.O." was a short-lived sci-fi TV series created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson. The premise of the show was simple: following the discovery that an extraterrestrial civilization has been paying clandestine visits to Earth to kidnap & kill humans to harvest their body parts, the United Nations funds a highly secretive international organization nicknamed SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) to combat the alien threat. SHADO's commander, Colonel Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) is assisted by Col. Alec Freeman (George Sewell), Col. Paul Foster (Michael Billington) and Col. Virgina Lake (Wanda Ventham).SHADO utilizes various resources to combat the aliens:
1. A sophisticated, underground headquarters pretending to be a major film studio in London.
2. A manned lunar base (Moonbase) armed with three fighters (Interceptors) to attack UFOs before they reach Earth, and usually commanded by Lt. Gay Ellis (Gabrielle Drake) or Lt. Nina Barry (Dolores Mantez).
3. A sophisticated control & radar tracking satellite called SID (Space Intruder Detector) orbiting the Earth to detect incoming UFOs.
4. A fleet of submarine fighter carriers (Skydivers) called upon to attack UFOs in Earth's atmosphere should the Moonbase Interceptors 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 (Mobiles) to seek out and destroy UFOs that land.
6. Other support craft including moon rovers and the Lunar Module (used to shuttle personnel between the Earth & moon). Recurring themes in the 26 total episodes include:
1. SHADO's continual attempts to avert the alien's plans & attacks.
2. The aliens' various attempts to destroy SHADO, Straker or both.
3. The effect that being a SHADO operative has on personal lives (usually Straker's or Foster's life).
4. SHADO's attempts to obtain more information about the aliens.
5. Security threats to SHADO's secrecy.
6. Ongoing funding issues for SHADO's very costly expenses. With the infamous purple wigs that female Moonbase personnel wear, hippies, exuberant usage of bright colors and go-go boots, "U.F.O." has the look and feel of the late 1960's, especially since when it was filmed between 1969 and 1970. However, none of that takes away from the quality of the writing. Dialog wasn't always great, but plot consistency and the revisiting of previous storylines made for a very engaging and 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 another season of "U.F.O.", never achieved the same level of character development or consistency, though its special effects were improved. I rate the 13 episodes contained in this 4-DVD set as follows: * "The Responsibility Seat" 5+/5. A beautiful reporter interviews Straker and leaves her purse with a running tape recorder in Straker's office. With Straker busy, Freeman is in charge of SHADO and contends with multiple issues including a runaway Russian moon mobile on a colision course with Moonbase. * "E.S.P." 4.5/5. A man, John Cruxley (John Stratton), is going mad because he can read other people's thoughts and foresees his wife killed when a UFO crashes into their house. What threat does Cruxley pose to SHADO? * "Kill Straker!" 4.5/5. A UFO takes over the minds of Foster and another pilot on the moon with a single purpose: to kill Straker. Will they succeed? Will Straker keep confidence in Foster? * "Sub Smash" 4/5. Straker and Nina Barry go on board Skydiver to hunt down a rogue UFO, but it disables Skydiver, forcing Straker to contend with claustrophobia. Will they get out alive? * "The Sound of Silence" 4.5/5. Avoiding interception, a UFO lands near the home of champion horse trainers. After one person disappears, will Foster be able to find and destroy the UFO, and what will be found inside of an alien-made cylinder? * "The Cat With Ten Lives" 4/5. When on leave, SHADO Interceptor pilot James Regan (Alexis Kanner) and his wife are ambushed by a UFO after stopping their car to avoid hitting a cat. Regan's wife disappears, but Regan keeps the cat, which is under alien control. * "Destruction" 5/5. After a naval ship destroys a UFO, SHADO and the Navy argue over each other's secrecy; but has someone's security been undermined by the aliens? * "The Man Who Came Back" 4/5. Weeks after SID is disabled by a UFO attack and a spaceship disappears, the pilot of the missing spaceship mysteriously reappears. Can the reappeared pilot repair SID or does he have other intentions? * "The Psychobombs" 5+/5. A landed UFO hypnotically controls 3 nearby people and gives them seemingly superhuman strength. Can SHADO stop them before they destroy SHADO? * "Reflections in the Water" 4/5. A large underwater dome is found by Skydiver. What will Foster and Straker find inside? * "Timelash" 5++/5. Straker and Lake are trapped within a moment of time. Will they be able to stop a UFO from attacking SHADO headquarters that gained assistance from a crazed SHADO traitor? * "Mindbender" 5/5. After a UFO mysteriously self-destructs near Moonbase, a few SHADO operatives begin to hallucinate with deadly results, including Straker. * "The Long Sleep" 5+/5. A comatose woman awakens after 10 years to waiting SHADO personnel. She saw a UFO and two aliens plotting something. Can she remember where she dropped a critical alien component? People more accustomed to modern computerized special effects may not enjoy "U.F.O." as much because its special effects aren't as expensive or sophisticated; but don't let lack of funds or lack of technology spoil your enjoyment of this underrated TV series that I rate with 5 out of 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: I'm a kid....all over again!!!
Review: As a 7-year-old, I loved this series! As a 38-year-old, I love it even more! When you find something in life that takes you back to your childhood, grab it with both hands and NEVER let go! ONLY true fans of this series should buy these sets. If you've never heard of it or seen an episode, don't waste your time or money. You probably won't appreciate it as we do. Now if only they would release "Prince Planet" on DVD. Then I would be truly happy.....
Rating:
Summary: UFO Set 2
Review: Awesome set I waited to see these episodes again since it was on TV in the early 70's. The stories are great, I hope someone makes a movie. I higly recommend this set as well as Set 1.
Rating:
Summary: one of the most underated (and coolest )sci-fi series..EVER!
Review: I remebeer watching this show since the early seventees when there was only sci-fi sows like star trek. UFO had what trek lacked, style and flash. whether it's the cool intro theme, the skydiver (half sub half fighter craft) and not to mention the moonbase cuties with the purple wigs i guess it's only to match their silver skirts. ha ha! the stories are ahead of their time and much more sureal than the tv shows during that era.my favourite epidsodesfrom set 2 are:
SUBSMASH were stake confronts his fear of claustaphobia) REFLECTIONS I TH WATER (shado discovers an aien underwater base that mrrors thier own HQ)
MINDBENDER (a mysterius rock with brainwashing efets, this epidsode also gives a inse look behid the sets of UFO)
TIMELASH (te last epidsode of UFO with commentary from actress wanda wentham and sylvia anderson) and The cLAssic epidsde THE LONG SLEEP (this epidode was too contraversial to air on television for awhile mainly due to the subjects :drug abuse and rape. the last minute of THE LONG SLEEP was a tear jerker and is rightfully aired as "the last epidsode" of UFO) unfortunetly it only lasted one bloody season. needless to say, ufo had paved the way for the lame SPACE 1999 series. this is the case of "if it aint broke.." UFO had the coolest gadgets that were believable Even for asci-fi series (electric tothbrushes,cordless phones,text pager ETC.)
as a matter of fact, we have these things today. te andersons had a go idea of what the future would be I remember watching his show as a kid, and with this DVDS i can relive my childhood...
Rating: 
Summary: Go ahead and complete the set!
Review: If you're a fan of the series or you bought the first set and liked what you saw, and you are now considering whether or not to spring for the second, the quick answer is yes. It should be said that the series changed as it went along. The original premise--that the aliens were harvesting transplant organs from humans--gave way to a new concept, that the aliens reprogram the minds of humans for use as zombie servants. This resulted in a radical shift in the series, from a space operatic, us-against-them concept, a la "Star Trek" or "Star Wars", to a psychological horror, us-against-ourselves concept, a la "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "X-Files." Whether or not this is an improvement depends on your tastes. Sadly, Alec Freeman, Gay Ellis, and Peter Carlin faded away as the series progressed. On the plus side, Nina Barry gets more to do, and Virginia Lake, whom we met in the pilot episode, becomes a regular. Even if these changes are not to your taste, you should buy the set, as it contains three memorable episodes, and one absolute, not-to-be-missed corker: "The Resonsibility Seat": An uncharacteristic lapse in judgment on Ed Straker's part leads to a security problem. Ed decides to go out into the field to deal with it himself, leaving Alec Freeman in command at SHADO. As Ed's adventure veers between security problem and romantic entanglement, Alec struggles to cope with a series of crises, some of which prove to be trivial, and some serious, without succumbing to the temptation to phone the boss and ask for advice. An unusual episode that veers from funny to tense to romantic and back again. "Sub Smash": A compelling episode depicting Ed Straker, Paul Foster, Nina Barry, and two other crew members trapped on the seabed inside a Skydiver that's been disabled by a UFO. "Mindbender": The aliens plant a hallucinogenic booby trap on the Moon which causes SHADO personnel to imagine first, that Mexican bandits have taken over Moonbase, then, that aliens have taken over SHADO HQ. When it finds its way into Ed Straker's hands, he hallucinates that he is an actor in a television series. Guess what it's about. "Timelash": The gem of this set. The aliens manage to freeze SHADO HQ (and the movie studio above it) in time, with the assistance of a traitor named Turner. Only Ed Straker and Virginia Lake are unaffected. They must find a way to stop the aliens and save their colleagues, but first they must beat Turner at his own game of cat and mouse, complicated by the fact that Turner has the ability to slip forward or backward in time. The movie studio above SHADO was always a bit surreal, but it was never used to such good effect as in this episode, where the eerieness is compounded by the time freeze. Studio hands are frozen in the act of tossing a stool, a bird hangs motionless in midair, so does cigar smoke. Great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Quality - Again!
Review: Like the first A&E UFO DVD set, this set features 13 digitally remastered episodes from Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's British science fiction series "UFO". And again, the video & audio quality is superb throughout, looking as good (or better!) than most current television shows! The episodes here are the last half of the series. In my opinion, these episodes are better than the ones in the first half, as the plots move faster and the acting is better. The last few episodes are rather bizarre, but these are also my favorite episodes! This set features 3 commentary tracks. Ed Bishop does a solo commentary on SUB-SMASH. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot to say, and there are long gaps of silence between his remarks. Also unfortunate is that the recording is slowed down, because it was taken from a recording for the British DVDs which run 4% fast (due to the PAL video format). So the pitch of his voice is lower than natural, and his speech sounds unusually slow. Fortunately the other 2 commentary tracks were recorded specifically for the A&E releases, and are running at the correct speed. The 2nd commentary track is for KILL STRAKER, and features director Alan Perry and actor Mike Billington. Each of them tries to be clever/funny, and it works! I laughed out loud several times during this commentary. There is also a lots of good information, and not many gaps of silence. The 3rd commentary track is my favorite -- Sylvia Anderson and Wanda Ventham on TIMELASH. They remember all sorts of details about the filming, and seemingly have nice things to say about everyone and everything. Sylvia explains what her day-to-day duties were on UFO, and Wanda tells of how she got into acting and got the part for UFO. The chemistry between the two is wonderful, and there are virtually no gaps of silence. In addition to the commentary tracks, there are some interesting "video/audio outtakes", including original stage audio during the filming of KILL STRAKER (featuring Mike Billington, Ed Bishop, and George Sewell), outtakes of the SID satellite singing "Home on the range" (!), and a demonstration of how the night scenes in TIMELASH were filmed in broad daylight. Plus a few more. The "photo gallery" is a disappointment -- these are simply frame captures from the episodes, which is a shame, since the British UFO DVDs had hundreds of interesting behind-the-scenes photos. The packaging & DVD menus in the same style as the first UFO set --- that is, cheap but functional. There are 6 chapter stops per episode, which makes it easier to jump to your favorite part of each episode.
Rating:
Summary: BEST HALF OF A BRILLIANT SERIES
Review: Once upon a time I was so into this show that I would have called all the episodes great on their own level. In fact, truth be told there are only a few really brilliant episodes in the first half of the series, the rest vary between good and rather dull and ordinary. However...THIS is the second and best half of the series where the whole production team really do seem to hit their stride in a big way.
Great episodes follow in rapid succession in this half of UFO, Subsmash, Mindbender, Cat With Ten Lives, Destruction, Reflections in the Water, Psychobombs, Long Sleep and the startlingly good Timelash. They also achieve a unique style and favour of TV Science Fiction, reminiscent of both Thunderbirds and Patrick McGoohan's cult series The Prisoner, but focused on a very serious and very human hero, Straker, played to perfection by the charismatic and energetic Ed Bishop. Its an edgey, surrealistic series, reminiscent of Twilight Zone or The Invaders, at times, with its possessed humans and mind-bending, time-twisting plots.
UFO is perhaps one of the ultimate cult series, and a precursor to the underrated but more famous Space:1999. It belongs in the DVD collection of any true SF fan. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A weaker set
Review: The sleeve notes explain that Anderson was pressuried into taking on more experienced directors for the 'after-break' episodes which may explain the sudden quality drop towards the end of UFO's run. 'Timelash' was particularly dire, which makes you wonder if it's a good idea revisiting childhood memories and viewing previously unseen episodes. The 'Cat' episode revelations about the aliens were not to my liking, either. Debonair Alec Freeman goes AWOL to be replaced uncomfortably with 'Colonel' Virginia Lake, sounding like a brand Alec Freeman used to smoke. Does Dr Jackson cash in his chips in 'The Man Who Came Back'? I think we should be told.
Why do the Americans get a load of extra commentary tracks? It was a British production, after all.
Despite being a mixed bag, this collection has one of my favourite episodes set on a farm. It has a cheeky subtext about class warfare. There's always someone tougher and nastier than you, however, with larger real estate elsewhere. The alien rejects the working class character as weaker stock and goes for the well bread upper class stock who had themselves rejected the working class stock. The episode ends with the reactionary forces restored, which is why I've always had a soft spot for this series. It's cold eye. There's some warmer aspects, though. I didn't recognise Ed Bishop's voice at all on the commentary. He let's us know that there were a lot of great guys in the cast and later on he lets us know that, er, there were also some great guys in the cast. Also, the set was tilted so they were all standing crookedly all the time. This didn't stop them all from being great guys to work with, though. Thrill also to Alexis Korner's pretentious performance as a renegade Interceptor pilot. Ladies man Col Paul Foster is still doing some performing of his own. First, he gets up close and personal with Stephanie Beacham. Then he sits on a fence and tells Susan Jameson that he's interested in some 'riding lessons'. She invites him up to her house. And knowing Col Foster, straight up the stairs. He then manages to seduce Deborah Grant within a half hour of their meeting, resulting in a hilarious game of tag in the local park. The suggestion of extra-terrestrial intervention in the speed of this trist will be taken with a pinch of salt by seasoned Foster watchers. The only female he fails to hit on is incapacitated in a hospital bed and involved in a strictly paternal relationship with Straker. So he goes and duffs up the girl's ex-boyfriend instead until he's a bag of bones. That's our Paul! Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: ITS A MOD, MOD, MOD WORLD!
Review: This is the science fiction series the Andersons made before Space 1999, and an early prototype to the X-Files. Its visually stunning and well photographed,and the stories are very series and grim- alien conspiracies, zombies, mind altering weapons and all sorts of wild crazy things happening. There are purple wigs and silver mini-skirts and really cool mod fashions. If youre a fan of the X-files check this show out.
Rating:
Summary: The Girls in the Purple Wigs are back!
Review: This is volumes 5-8 and these are actually better than 4-8. This series has some really strange problems, the Moonbase girls had to work in purple wigs (never explained), this is supposed to be futuristic (1980s! hehehe) and yet everyone looks like a overaged refugees from Carnaby Street after a discount swinging 60's sale, you have aliens suffering from 'hereditary sterility', aliens breathing blue liquid and stealing body parts from the earthlings, and the only hope for mankind is English military branch under Shepperton Studios, and to top it off created by the team that brought you Fireball XL5, Stingray and Captain Scarlet - PUPPETS! Okies, that off my chest, somehow this series not only works, it is sheer fun. So put the SCI-FI critique, and maybe a little of logic, on hold and enjoy Straker (Ed Bishop), Foster (Michael Billington) and Lt. Ellis (Gabrielle Drake) saving the Earth. The girls are pretty - even in purple wigs - the guy properly macho, the effects surprisingly neat for small time UK telly show. The transfer is wonderful, though the special effects section is not much more than the first one. A Gallery of Stills, a commentary by Ed Bishop and one from Michael Billington on Kill Straker episode. So for all you UFOers who sat up at odd hows of the morn hoping to catch a stray episode - power to the DVD remote - watch and enjoy them when you wish!! It's sheer FUN.
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