RRP: £13.99
Price: £1.98
Review Original Return of the Jedi - Special Edition Widescreen:
![Review Marquee Pictures / Yesterday's Target [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P9T4NZJWL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Barry Samson|Daniel Baldwin|Stacy Haiduk|T.K. Carter
Run time: 76 min.
Price: £4.99
Review Yesterday's Target [1995] / Marquee Pictures:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek 1 : The Motion Picture [1979]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41R8G24MCML._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- James Doohan
- Leonard Nimoy
- George Takei
- DeForest Kelley
- William Shatner
- Robert Wise
Run time: 138 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £2.32
Review Star Trek 1 : The Motion Picture [1979] / Paramount Home Entertainment:Back when the first Star Trek feature was released in December 1979, the Trek franchise was still relatively modest, consisting of the original TV series, an animated cartoon series from 1973-74, and a burgeoning fan network around the world. Series creator Gene Roddenberry had conceived a second TV series, but after the success of Star Wars the project was upgraded into this lavish feature film, which reunited the original series cast aboard a beautifully redesigned starship U. S. S. Enterprise. Under the direction of Robert Wise (best known for West Side Story), the film proved to be a mixed blessing for Trek fans, who heatedly debated its merits; but it was, of course, a phenomenal hit. Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) leads his crew into the vast structures surrounding V'Ger, an all-powerful being that is cutting a destructive course through Starfleet space. With his new First Officer (Stephen Collins), the bald and beautiful Lieutenant Ilia (played by the late Persis Khambatta) and his returning veteran crew, Kirk must decipher the secret of V'Ger's true purpose and restore the safety of the galaxy. The story is rather overblown and derivative of plots from the original series, and avid Trekkies greeted the film's bland costumes with derisive laughter. [+]But as a feast for the eyes, this is an adventure worthy of big-screen trekkin'. Douglas Trumbull's visual effects are astonishing, and Jerry Goldmith's score is regarded as one of the prolific composer's very best (with its main theme later used for Star Trek: The Next Generation). And, fortunately for Star Trek fans, the expanded 143-minute version (originally shown for the film's network TV premiere) is generally considered an improvement over the original theatrical release. -Jeff Shannon.
Actors & Directors
- Julia Fletcher
- Andrea Carvajal
- Paul Raci
- Peter Chung
- Jack Fletcher (III)
- Howard E. Baker
- Mark Mars
Run time: 65 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.99
Review Aeon Flux : Mission Infinite / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review Warner Home Video / Blade Runner [1982]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YZNS5GE9L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Harrison Ford
- M. Emmet Walsh
- Edward James Olmos
- Ridley Scott
- Sean Young
- Rutger Hauer
Run time: 112 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £0.98
Review Blade Runner [1982] / Warner Home Video:When Ridley Scott's cut of Blade Runner was finally released in 1993, one had to wonder why the studio hadn't done it right the first time-11 years earlier. This version is so much better, mostly because of what's been eliminated (the ludicrous and redundant voice-over narration and the phoney happy ending) rather than what's been added (a bit more character development and a brief unicorn dream). Star Harrison Ford originally recorded the narration under duress at the insistence of Warner Bros. executives who thought the story needed further "explanation"; he later confessed that he thought if he did it badly they wouldn't use it. (Moral: Never overestimate the taste of movie executives. ) The movie's spectacular futuristic vision of Los Angeles-a perpetually dark and rainy metropolis that's the nightmare antithesis of "Sunny Southern California"-is still its most seductive feature, another worldly atmosphere in which you can immerse yourself. The movie's shadowy visual style, along with its classic private-detective/murder-mystery plot line (with Ford on the trail of a murderous android, or "replicant"), makes Blade Runner one of the few science fiction pictures to legitimately claim a place in the film noir tradition. And, as in the best noir, the sleuth discovers a whole lot more (about himself and the people he encounters) than he anticipates. The cast also includes Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah Rutger Hauer and M. Emmet Walsh. [+]-Jim Emerson.
![Review Playback / Earth: The Final Conflict - Vol. 3 - Float Like A Butterfly / Resurrection / Horizon Hero [1997]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VFG21VYDL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Maia Sethna
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda
- Kitu Gidwani
- Babby Singh
- Deepa Mehta
- Nandita Das
Run time: 120 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £8.50
Review Earth: The Final Conflict - Vol. 3 - Float Like A Butterfly / Resurrection / Horizon Hero [1997] / Playback:
Actors & Directors
- Maia Sethna
- Nandita Das
- Babby Singh
- Deepa Mehta
- Kitu Gidwani
- Kulbhushan Kharbanda
Run time: 120 min.
Price: £12.99
Review Earth: The Final Conflict - Vol. 4 - Live Free Or Die / Sandoval's Run / The Scarecrow Returns / Playback:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 7.1 - Image In The Sand / Shadows And Symbols [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516NDHKS6RL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Colm Meaney
- Les Landau
- Michael Dorn
- Rene Auberjonois
- Cirroc Lofton
- Allan Kroeker
- Avery Brooks
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £9.99
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 7.1 - Image In The Sand / Shadows And Symbols [1995] / Paramount Home Entertainment:From the outset, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was about conflict. Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller challenged the utopian ideals of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek universe to create something totally different from its predecessors. That meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy, or beige décor. Instead they wanted inter-personal friction, ruthless enemies (Gamma Quadrant Imperialists-The Dominion) and rebellion at every turn. The DS9 concept was originally facilitated by introducing the Cardassian/Bajoran war during The Next Generation's final days. After a muted first reception fans gradually came to accept the new look, but no-one liked Star Trek without a starship and eventually the producers capitulated to viewers' wishes by introducing the USS Defiant (an apt name) in Season 3. Relying far less on technobabble than TNG, DS9 was unafraid to focus on matters of the spirit instead, demonstrating a gutsy independence from its parent shows. Taking up the gauntlet thrown down by Babylon 5, improved CGI space battles also became a fan favourite. Throughout the increasingly serialised story arc there were rebellious factions within the different establishments: Kira had belonged to the Shakaar resistance cell; The Maquis was Starfleet vs Cardassians; Section 31 was a secret Starfleet group; The True Way was a Bajoran group opposed to peace; the Cardassians had their Obsidian Order and the Romulans their Gestapo-like Tal Shiar. Yet for all its constant bickering and espionage (even Bashir got to be James Bond!), there was always some contemporary social commentary lurking: the Ferengi were used as a comedic foil to frown on materialistic greed; drugs were looked at via the Jem'Hadar foot soldiers' addiction to Ketracel White. [+]Perhaps Sisko summed up the real heart of things: "Bajor doesn't need a man, it needs a legend". A future vision that retains a place for religion and spirituality turned out to be Deep Space Nine's first best destiny. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Paul Raci
- Mark Mars
- Andrea Carvajal
- Howard E. Baker
- Peter Chung
- Jack Fletcher (III)
- Julia Fletcher
Run time: 71 min.
Price: £5.99
Review Aeon Flux : Operative Terminus / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek Voyager Vol 5.9 [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51N7PFD5VNL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Robert Duncan McNeill
- Robert Beltran
- Anson Williams
- Kate Mulgrew
- David Livingston
- Ethan Phillips
- Roxann Dawson
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £1.45
Review Star Trek Voyager Vol 5.9 [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review 4 Front Video / Stargate [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518RZTTG04L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Roland Emmerich|Kurt Russell|James Spader|Viveca Lindfors
Run time: 116 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.75
Review Stargate [1995] / 4 Front Video:A self-consciously epic sci-fi adventure of Cecil B DeMille-sized proportions, Stargate refreshes and combines several well-worn sci-fi and sword 'n' sandal genre conventions with some Erich von Daniken-style Biblical Egyptology. The directing-writing-producing team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin had previously collaborated on B-movies Moon 44 (1990) and Universal Soldier (1992), but handed a significantly bigger budget they were able to give their Steven Spielberg pretensions free reign here ("Indiana Jones and his Close Encounters with the Chariots of the Gods" might be a suitable subtitle). James Spader is endearingly dithery as the fish-out-of-water academic who finds himself teamed with taciturn tough guy Kurt Russell: the two excellent leads are largely responsible for imparting what depth there is to otherwise two-dimensional characters. British composer David Arnold makes his major studio debut in the grandest fashion with an outstanding score that pays suitable homage to epic film music (John Williams' CE3K and Maurice Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia in particular). It's all done with such unabashed enthusiasm that viewers will happily forgive the film's derivative elements and even overlook the high-camp theatricality of Jaye Davidson's bizarre bad guy. Despite subsequent huge box-office hits (Independence Day, Godzilla, The Patriot), Stargate remains Emmerich and Devlin's freshest, most satisfying film. On the DVD: This special edition version adds approximately seven minutes of additional footage, much of which is in the form of slightly extended scenes, but does also include an opening sequence in Ancient Egypt, a scene with Kurt Russell and the fossilised Horus guards, and Ra's bath scene. These are also collected in a bonus "Promo Reel". The anamorphic widescreen presentation of the 2. 35:1 Panavision picture looks sharp and clear, although some of the additional footage is degraded; the sound is suitably spectacular 5. [+]1 or DTS. Devlin and Emmerich provide a relaxed, chatty commentary ("We have nothing to do with the TV series"!), although you have to access this from the Set Up menu not the Special Features menu. There's a photo gallery and trailer, but sadly no "making-of" documentary. -Mark Walker.
![Review 4 Front Video / First Men In The Moon [1964]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HDN6S5MNL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Norman Bird
- Martha Hyer
- Edward Judd
- Lionel Jeffries
- Miles Malleson
- Nathan Juran
Run time: 99 min.
Price: £5.99
Review First Men In The Moon [1964] / 4 Front Video:
Actors & Directors
- Masahiro Otani
- Naoto Hashimoto
Run time: 25 min.
Price: £5.99
Review The Guyver - Data 12 - Reactivation / Manga Entertainment:
Actors & Directors
- Peter Chung
- Paul Raci
- Mark Mars
- Howard E. Baker
- Jack Fletcher (III)
- Andrea Carvajal
- Julia Fletcher
Run time: 118 min.
Price: £5.99
Review Aeon Flux / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review Contender Entertainment Group / Timescape [1991] (Tv-Film)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZJESKJKBL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Ariana Richards
- Jim Haynie
- Marilyn Lightstone
- Emilia Crow
- David Twohy
- Jeff Daniels
Run time: 90 min.
Price: £10.99
Review Timescape [1991] (Tv-Film) / Contender Entertainment Group:
Actors & Directors
- Jerry Doyle
- Ian McShane
- Tracy Scoggins
- Richard Biggs
- Jeff Conaway
- Janet Greek
Run time: 90 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £0.98
Review Babylon 5 - River Of Souls / Warner Home Video:At the core of the Babylon 5 series there ran a genuinely intriguing theme concerning the nature of the soul. Ultimately many viewers came to realise it was both the strength and weakness of the show. During the first three seasons a mystery unfolded linking past with present to hint at a universal destination for the soul beyond death. When this became all-but forgotten, the sensation of having been cheated lasted until the end. There were scattered references, but the biggest allusion back to the spiritual philosophising was this third TV movie. In the second episode of Season 1 ("Soul Hunter"), we were introduced to a race who collected the worthiest of souls for preservation. Five years later, that race gets showcased again in a story involving the theft of something belonging to them. Martin Sheen guest stars as the Hunter trying to retrieve it from Ian (Lovejoy) McShane's archaeological thief. Chronologically, this is after the main timeline of the station's story. There is no Sheridan, Delenn, Londo, or G'Kar to provide dramatic support. [+]Instead there's a risqué sub-plot about an illegal holo-brothel, which is really just an excuse to see Tracy Scoggins as Captain Lochley in lingerie and using a "lovebat"(!) It's not as coherent a movie as either In the Beginning or Thirdspace, and almost seems like an apology for forgetting what made things fascinating to begin with. At the very least The River of Souls may be appreciated for not taking itself too seriously. -Paul Tonks.
![Review Entertainment in Video / Lost In Space [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512K1363N4L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Mimi Rogers
- Heather Graham
- Stephen Hopkins
- Jack Johnson (II)
- Lacey Chabert
- William Hurt
Run time: 130 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £0.01
Review Lost In Space [1998] / Entertainment in Video:Packed with more than 750 dazzling visual effects, this US$70 million adventure does more (and less) than give the 1965-68 TV series a state-of-the-art face-lift. Aimed at an audience that wasn't born when the series originally aired, the sci-fi extravaganza doesn't even require familiarity, despite cameo appearances by several of the TV show's original cast members. Instead, Lost in Space is a high-tech hybrid of the original premise with enough sensory overload to qualify as a spectacular big-screen video game, supported by a time-travel premise that's adequately clever but hardly original. It's certainly never boring, and visually it's an occasionally awesome demonstration of special effects technology. But, in its attempt to be all things to all demographics, the movie's more of a marketing ploy than a satisfying adventure, thankfully dispensing with the TV show's cheesy camp but otherwise squandering a promising cast in favour of eye-candy and ephemeral storytelling. -Jeff Shannon.
Release date: 1995-01-09
Run time: 26 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.49
Review The Guyver - Data 10 - Haunted Village / Manga Entertainment:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek Voyager - Seven of Nine [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41QAYCGEGAL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Cliff Bole
- Robert Beltran
- Kate Mulgrew
- David Livingston
- Roxann Dawson
Run time: 352 min.
RRP: £24.99
Price: £38.99
Review Star Trek Voyager - Seven of Nine [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:The start of Star Trek: Voyager's fourth season (1997) with the brave Borg storyline "Scorpion Part 2" marked a serious improvement in the show's behind-the-scenes thinking with the appearance of a uniquely strong female character aboard Voyager. The show's sex appeal was upped in an instant. But actress Jeri Lynn Ryan brings more to Seven of Nine than just a curvaceously well-filled jump-suit. Of all the Trek universe regulars to have sought humanity (Spock, Data), Seven's crossover from the enemy gives her a far more complex backstory. Understandably any focus on her usually dips into that history. This attractive box set collects eight stories arcing across Seasons Four and Five, when her burgeoning efforts at fitting-in are both poignant and humorous. "Revulsion" is a sweet case of misinterpretation with Harry Kim's boyish crush starting her on-going exploration of "The Dating Game". "Retrospect" contrasts the comedy sharply with an accusation of technological rape. Four back-to-back episodes then bridge the Seasons, and show how important Seven quickly became. "One" leaves her and the Doctor in charge, "Hope and Fear" deals with the fool's gold of Ray (Twin Peaks) Wise's super-fast ship ride home, "Night" has a little fun with the first appearance of the black and white Dr Chaotica, and "Drone" pits her against an accidentally created Super Borg. [+]The last two episodes in this collection focus on her surrogate Mother role to kid-along-for-the-ride Naomi Wildman. "Infinite Regress" may be Ryan's finest hour; acting out the personalities of those she assimilated. Then she becomes the voice of reason preventing disaster in "Bliss". The real joy of watching the po-faced beauty (after the obvious two!) is seeing how much fun she has stretching the boundaries of the character. These particular episodes demonstrate the actress' ability to do just that perfectly. For more proof, see the Dilbert show where she lends voice to a Seven of Nine alarm clock! -Paul Tonks.
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 7.6 [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QTSA64BEL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Robert Picardo
- Kate Mulgrew
- Jeri Ryan
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £3.27
Review Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 7.6 [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:Star Trek: Voyager, the first Trek spin-off to be made without any input from Gene Roddenberry, made its debut in 1995 and quickly established itself both as markedly different from cosmic cousin Deep Space Nine and as the successor to The Next Generation. Despite a lack of originality in its premise (Lost in Space anyone?), Voyager has nonetheless often been a bigger ratings success than any of its predecessors. Catapulted unwittingly to the far-flung Delta Quadrant, the crew of the Federation vessel Voyager must try somehow to get back home. The ghost of Katherine Hepburn lives on in Kate Mulgrew's forceful Captain Janeway, who has an equivocal relationship with first officer and Native American-lite Chakotay (Robert Beltran). Tim Russ gives possibly the franchises' first fully realistic (yawn) portrayal of a Vulcan and to enhance the alien quotient there's cuddly chef Neelix (Ethan Phillips). Garret Wang must have drawn the short straw for character development, since his Harry Kim is never imbued with any of the drama of rebellious pilot chum Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) who even gets the series' only romance with the seemingly inescapable resident half-breed B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson). Until the fourth season, the fans' favourite was the straight-funnyman role of Robert Picardo's nameless Doctor. Then, with the brave Borg storyline of "Scorpion Part 2", a serious improvement in the show's behind-the-scenes thinking introduced actress Jeri Ryan as 7 of 9, who immediately upped sex appeal and viewing numbers. There have been some oddities and errors along the way, such as the disappearance of cast regular Kes, the appearance of semi-regular Naomi Wildman and various Holodeck obssessions with Leonardo Da Vinci, a smoky bar, and an "Oirish" village. Flashes of brilliance still emerge, while Jerry Goldsmith's graceful theme always opens the show in style. [+]-Paul Tonks.
| Models & Brands:
Original Return of the Jedi - Special Edition Widescreen, Yesterday's Target [1995], Star Trek 1 : The Motion Picture [1979], Aeon Flux : Mission Infinite, Blade Runner [1982], Earth: The Final Conflict - Vol. 3 - Float Like A Butterfly / Resurrection / Horizon Hero [1997], Earth: The Final Conflict - Vol. 4 - Live Free Or Die / Sandoval's Run / The Scarecrow Returns, Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 7.1 - Image In The Sand / Shadows And Symbols [1995], Aeon Flux : Operative Terminus, Star Trek Voyager Vol 5.9 [1996], Stargate [1995], First Men In The Moon [1964], The Guyver - Data 12 - Reactivation, Aeon Flux, Timescape [1991] (Tv-Film), Babylon 5 - River Of Souls, Lost In Space [1998], The Guyver - Data 10 - Haunted Village, Star Trek Voyager - Seven of Nine [1996], Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 7.6 [1996] |
