Actors & Directors
- Ralph Senensky
- John Erman
- Leonard Nimoy
- William Shatner
- Herb Wallerstein
Run time: 144 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £9.61
Review Star Trek : The Original Series - Vol. 3.3 - Is There In Truth No Beauty? / The Empath / The Tholian Web / Paramount Home Entertainment:One of the most popular and influential shows in the history of television for many viewers the original Star Trek (1966-9) defines good science fiction: however much it tries to be about the future, it cannot help but reflect the values of its own time, and Star Trek's vision was very much a product of creator Gene Roddenberry's 1960s liberal-humanist idealism. Conceived at the height of the Cold War and during the escalation of the Vietnam conflict, his was a radical vision of a world where national and racial differences have been put aside and all people work together. With a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of other civilisations and violence only as a last resort, Star Trek embodied a lost dream, a fantasy of what America could have been had John F Kennedy not been assassinated in 1963. Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) had the middle name of a Roman emperor but otherwise shared his initials with the late president, and both were young, good looking, womanising, charismatic popular heroes. If Kirk didn't uphold truth, justice and the American way from the White House, a big white starship was the next best thing. There was even a Russian, Mr Chekov (Walter Koenig), on the bridge and the show delivered network TV's first inter-racial kiss between Kirk and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). Even though there was a white American male in control, it was still all a bit much for 1960s' mainstream TV, hence the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, boldly going on its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, only lasted three seasons and 72 episodes before being cancelled in 1969, the year Man first walked on the moon. While the once-groundbreaking special effects now look routine, and the then-radical politics have now become part of the Politically Correct global mainstream, Star Trek retains an enduring popularity due to its strong storytelling-the show employed such top science fiction writers as Robert Bloch, Harlan Elllison, Richard Matheson, Norman Spinrad and Theodore Sturgeon-and admirable characters. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), McCoy (DeForest Kelley) and Scotty (James Doohan), Sulu (George Takei), Kirk, Chekov and Uhura remain icons for a world short of real heroes: loyal to the end, honest and utterly dedicated, these were the friends and colleagues who week after week trusted each other with their lives. Devoid of cynicism and self-interest the crew of the USS Enterprise never let anyone down and ultimately that is a very big reason for Star Trek's enduring popularity. [+]-Gary S Dalkin.
![Review Mosaic Movies / Komodo [1999]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P599WKHYL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Billy Burke
- Jill Hennessy
- Michael Lantieri
- Kevin Zegars
- Michael Edward-Stevens
- Paul Gleeson
Run time: 86 min.
Price: £5.99
Review Komodo [1999] / Mosaic Movies:
Actors & Directors
- Paul Anderson (III)|Laurence Fishburne|Sam Neill|Kathleen Quinlan
Run time: 92 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £0.88
Review Event Horizon [1997] / Paramount Home Entertainment:Drawing from Andrei Tarkovsky's heady science fiction meditation Solaris by way of Alien and Hellraiser, this visually splendid but pulpy piece of science fiction schlock concerns a mission in the year 2047 to investigate the experimental American spaceship Event Horizon, which disappeared seven years previously and suddenly, out of nowhere, reappeared in the orbit of Neptune. Laurence Fishburne stars as mission commander Captain Miller and Sam Neill is Dr. Weir, the scientist who designed the mystery ship. Miller's T-shirt- and army-green-clad crew of smart-talking pros finds a ship dead and deserted but further investigations turn up blood, corpses, dismembered body parts and a decidedly unearthly presence. It turns out that the ship is really a space-age haunted house where spooky (and obviously impossible) visions lure each of the crew members into situations they should know better than to enter. The ship is gorgeously designed, borrowing from the dark, organic look of Alien and adding the menacing touch of teeth sprouting from bulwark doors and claw-like spikes inexplicably shooting out of the engine room floor. Unfortunately the film is not nearly as inventive as the production design-it turns into a woefully inconsistent psychic monster movie that sacrifices mood for tepid shocks-but the special effects are top-notch and ultimately the movie has a trashy B-movie charm about it. -Sean Axmaker.
![Review Warner Home Video / Babylon 5 - Vol. 26 - Point Of No Return / Severed Dreams [1994]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41B4T8RHMZL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Jim Johnston
- Jason Carter
- David J. Eagle
- Claudia Christian
- Bruce Boxleitner
- Mira Furlan
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £0.67
Review Babylon 5 - Vol. 26 - Point Of No Return / Severed Dreams [1994] / Warner Home Video:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek Voyager, Live fast and prosper & Muse - Vol. 6.11 [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F6WWTSQ3L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Ethan Phillips
- Michael Vejar
- Robert Beltran
- Roxann Dawson
- Kate Mulgrew
- LeVar Burton
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £2.95
Review Star Trek Voyager, Live fast and prosper & Muse - Vol. 6.11 [2000] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
Release date: 2002-03-11
Run time: 132 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £3.99
Review PSI Factor - Chronicles Of The Paranormal - Season 3 - Vol. 3.7 / Clear Vision Ltd:
![Review MGM Entertainment / Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Vol. 3 - Episodes 5 and 6 [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51RXQQSW44L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Christopher Judge
- Don Davis
- Martin Wood
- Amanda Tapping
- Michael Shanks
- Peter DeLuise
- Richard Dean Anderson
Run time: 84 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £0.97
Review Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Vol. 3 - Episodes 5 and 6 [1998] / MGM Entertainment:The 1994 film Stargate was originally intended as the start of a franchise, but creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin were distracted celebrating their Independence Day. Episodic TV treatment was the natural next step. In the roles of Colonel Jack O'Neill and Dr Daniel Jackson respectively are Richard Dean Anderson and Michael Shanks. They're joined by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) and guilt-stricken former alien baddie Teal'c (Christopher Judge) to form the teacher's pet primary unit SG-1. With a seemingly endless network of Stargates found to exist on planets all across the known universe, their mission is to make first contact with as many friendly races as possible. Chasing their heels at almost every turn are the "overlord" Goa'uld-the ancient Egyptian Gods who are none too chummy after the events of the original film. The welcome notion of a continued plot thread sees offshoots that follow the reincarnation of Daniel's wife, Sam's father literally joining a renegade faction of the Goa'uld, and Jack in an unending quest to out-sarcasm everyone. There's something of The Time Tunnel to the show's premise, but amid a dearth of derivative look-a-likes, Stargate has held its own with stories that put the science fiction back into TV sci-fi. On this Tape On planet Orban, Daniel Jackson is intrigued by a population's scientific advances over only a few years. An exchange of knowledge is agreed and the precise "Learning Curve" of their children is revealed. [+]Still recalling the original film, O'Neill is concerned for the siblings because of the loss of his son. Some more continuity tests the memory back to the episode "There But For the Grace of God", when Jackson discovered a dimensional mirror. Here, in "Point of View", it allows the Sam Carter and Major Kawalsky from an alternate reality to shelter from their Goa'uld threat. The problem being that Sam's married to Jack in her reality, and Kawalsky's dead in ours. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Mark L. Lester
- Patrick Kilpatrick
- Bradley Gregg
- Stacy Keach
- Traci Lind
- Malcolm McDowell
Price: £5.99
Review Class of 1999 / Cinema Club:Even though this violent indie film has "exploitation" stamped all over it-with its gratuitous car chases, shootouts, and anarchistic characters-it is a guilty pleasure. Unfolding in the future-well, at least at the time of its release it was a decade ahead of schedule-this movie shows how US urban schools have deteriorated to the point that gangs run the classroom and the police, scared to even go near these educational wastelands, use hired goons to keep law and order there. (In fact, the US government now has a Department of Educational Defence. ) In Class of 1999, a corporate representative (Stacy Keach), eager to rake in potential billions in government contracts, convinces a Seattle-area school principal (Malcolm McDowell) to test out three lifelike android teachers (including Pam Grier). This technological trio possesses intelligence and superhuman strength, which offer to both educate and discipline the bad apples at school. Unfortunately, the androids quickly move from harsh discipline such as spankings and beatings to murder, and Keach's corporate scumbag convinces McDowell's educator that despite this, the program needs to stay its course. Thus it is up to a newly paroled ex-gang member (Bradley Gregg) and the principal's daughter (Traci Lind) to uncover the teachers' identities and alert students and rival gangs to the impending danger. Despite its formulaic approach and some plot implausibilities, Mark Lester's film is entertaining to watch, especially with such exchanges as this: "So they've been waging war with my students. " "Well, isn't that what all teachers do?" -Bryan Reesman, Amazon. com.
![Review Cinema Club / Highlander - Endgame [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4172KYXR3SL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Adrian Paul
- Douglas Aarniokoski
- Christopher Lambert
- Bruce Payne
- Donnie Yen
- Peter Wingfield
Run time: 96 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £4.95
Review Highlander - Endgame [2000] / Cinema Club:Never has a franchise been more surprisingly prolific or brain-bogglingly convoluted than Highlander. In case you were wondering why, Endgame will give you an answer of sorts. It's always great to see folks hacking away at each other with swords, especially when they are imaginatively choreographed action-actors like Adrian Paul and Christopher Lambert. But it's all complicated by the fact that they shouldn't be together at all. Ever since the first film, no writer has been able (or bothered) to follow the continuity it established. The second film (The Quickening) is considered forgettably apocryphal, with only the third (The Sorcerer) making some sort of vague chronological sense. Then the TV series began in 1992 (starring Paul) and created its own rules and timeline. Skip over a further TV spin-off and even an animated series, and we now have Endgame, which flips between present-day New York, 16th-century Scotland and various times in-between, with none of it even attempting to tie-in with anything that has gone before. But if you can get past its basic inconsistencies, it's fun to see an aging Lambert in a kilt, still wielding that sword. The new baddies are pretty cool too, though, more importantly, the film proves conclusively that the original legend "There can be only one" was a complete lie. [+]Heads will roll again. -Paul Tonks.
Actors & Directors
- Brian Downey
- Michael McManus
- Nigel Bennett
- Paul Donovan
- Xenia Seeberg
- Ellen Dubin
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £1.80
Review Lexx - 3.06 - The Beach / Heaven And Hell / Contender Entertainment Group:A "Light Universe" and a "Dark Zone" keep good and bad apart for the characters of Lexx, even though it's often hard to tell the difference between the two in this offbeat and unique sci-fi show that delights in its own nastiness. With flashes of nudity and surgical gore, and a collection of extreme hairstyles and accents, the show's overall look is often akin to a sci-fi Eurotrash. Aboard the stolen 10-kilometre-long spaceship Lexx (designed to look like a dragonfly) are the "Dirty Three-and-a-Half": insufferable coward Stanley H. Tweedle (Brian Downey), the Edward Scissorhands clone and 2,000 years-dead Kai (Michael McManus), decapitated and lovestruck robot head 790 (voiced by writer Jeffrey Hirschfield), and the skimpily wardrobed Zev (Eva Habermann), replaced in Season Two by Xev (Xenia Seeberg). A disregard both for genre conventions and good taste makes the show a constant series of surprises: by the time of the third season, the expression "anything goes" had long passed being understatement. On this tape: At last all questions are answered in what might as well be a two-part finale. "The Beach" would for any other series be considered the clips show: on an idyllic yet purgatorial stretch of sand, Stan is forced to account for his life by viewing events of the past. Judged by his harshest critic-himself-he then suffers all that Prince has promised and more as the true meaning of "Heaven and Hell" is revealed. Creator Paul Donovan clearly maintained a strong hand in every aspect of this season, but in directing his own work with these last two episodes we witness a genuinely rare example of personal vision. The narrative has been consistently surprising, but the twist left for last is literally breathtaking. [+]TV sci-fi has never been so sexy and intelligent at the same time. -Paul Tonks.
![Review Mia Video Entertainment Ltd / Guyver - Dark Hero [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FHGVSRJEL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Bruno Giannotta
- Kathy Christopherson
- David Hayter
- Steve Wang
- Christopher Michael
- Stuart Weiss
Run time: 95 min.
RRP: £12.99
Price: £8.99
Review Guyver - Dark Hero [2000] / Mia Video Entertainment Ltd:
Actors & Directors
- Maria Pitillo
- Roland Emmerich
- Matthew Broderick
- Hank Azaria
- Kevin Dunn
- Jean Reno
Run time: 161 min.
Price: £9.99
Review Godzilla - Son Of Godzilla / The Terror Of Mechagodzilla [1998] / Universal Pictures UK:As "gigantic monster reptile attacks New York" movies go, you've got to admit that Godzilla delivers the goods, although its critical drubbing and box-office disappointment were arguably deserved. It's a shameless, uninspired crowd-pleaser that's content to serve up familiar action with the advantage of really fantastic special effects, and if you expect nothing more you'll be one among millions of satisfied customers. There's really no other way to approach it-you just have to accept the fact that Independence Day creators Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are unapologetic plagiarists, incapable of anything more than mindless spectacle that can play in any cinema in the world without dubbing or subtitles. The whole movie plays out like a series of highlights stolen from previous blockbusters of the 1990s; it's little more than a rehash of the Jurassic Park movies. The derivative script is so trivial that it's unworthy of comment, apart from a few choice laughs and the casting of Michael Lerner as New York's mayor, whose name is Ebert and who closely resembles a certain well-known movie critic. Perhaps that's a clever hint that this movie's essentially critic-proof. It's stupid but it's fun, and for most audiences that's a fitting definition of mainstream Hollywood entertainment. -Jeff Shannon Zorro, a pop-fiction creation invented by Johnston McCulley in 1918, is given new blood in this fast-moving and engaging version. Director Martin Campbell wisely instils a measure of frivolity into the deftly choreographed action sequences, while letting a serious tone creep in when appropriate. This covers much ground under the banner of romantic-action-adventure and it does so most excellently. [+]-Rochelle O'Gorman, Amazon. com Godzilla delivers the goods, although its critical drubbing and box-office disappointment were arguably deserved. It's a shameless, uninspired crowd-pleaser that's content to serve up familiar action with the advantage of really fantastic special effects, and if you expect nothing more you'll be one among millions of satisfied customers. The whole movie plays out like a series of highlights stolen from previous blockbusters of the 1990s. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.
Actors & Directors
- Victor Jory
- Douglas Fowley
- Marie Windsor
- Susan Morrow
- Sonny Tufts
- Arthur Hilton
Run time: 63 min.
Price: £9.99
Review Cat Women Of The Moon [1953] / First Class Films:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 4.7 (Waking Moments/Message In A Bottle) [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511CYCC87DL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Roxann Dawson
- Ethan Phillips
- Nancy Malone
- Alexander Singer
- Robert Picardo
- Kate Mulgrew
- Robert Beltran
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £14.94
Review Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 4.7 (Waking Moments/Message In A Bottle) [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review Contender Entertainment Group / Andromeda - Season 1: Volume 2 [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MPFYZ0X8L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 2002-04-29
Run time: 83 min.
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.85
Review Andromeda - Season 1: Volume 2 [2000] / Contender Entertainment Group:Based on an idea by Gene Roddenberry Andromeda wears its debt to Star Trek on its sleeve, recalling the best sci-fi of Roddenberry's heyday. Kevin (ex-Hercules) Sorbo plays Captain Dylan Hunt, the sympathetically flawed idealist in command of the Andromeda Ascendant, a massive 1. 4km long starship of the now-disbanded Systems Commonwealth. The fall of civilisation has meant that although she ought to be a relic she remains the zenith of technological advancement. Episodes on this tape:D Minus Zero, Double Helix "D Minus Zero". Attacked by a powerful enemy for no apparent reason, the Andromeda's crew pool every tactical resource between them to survive. Playing like a submarine battle, this is classic Gene Roddenberry fare with space replacing the high seas. Naturally, the unseen baddies are a foreshadowing of troubles to come. A lot of sparky dialogue brings the crew closer together. "Double Helix". [+]In a test of loyalty for Tyr the series' first solo spotlight deservedly falls on the ambiguous ally as he's presented with all the things he supposedly wants. But the colony of Nietzscheans who are offering Tyr everything have their own agenda. While all this plays out, there's further interplay between Harper and his software made "hard", and more attempts by Dylan to impose Commonwealth principles on his new crew. -Paul Tonks.
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek: Enterprise, Vol. 1.12 -- Fallen Hero / Desert Crossing [2002]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41P4NP1HGTL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- David Straiton
- Patrick Norris
Run time: 84 min.
Price: £13.99
Review Star Trek: Enterprise, Vol. 1.12 -- Fallen Hero / Desert Crossing [2002] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review Clear Vision Ltd / Bugs - Series One - Episodes 5 And 6 [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517ZNT09SDL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Stephen Gallagher|Ken Grieve|Craig McLachlan|Jaye Griffiths
Run time: 100 min.
Price: £12.99
Review Bugs - Series One - Episodes 5 And 6 [1995] / Clear Vision Ltd:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek Voyager - Caretaker [1996]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A99DZ397L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 1996-12-09
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £15.99
Review Star Trek Voyager - Caretaker [1996] / Paramount Home Entertainment:
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.5 - The Ascent / The Rapture [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WVKT01RCL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Michael Dorn
- Allan Kroeker
- Rene Auberjonois
- Terry Farrell
- Avery Brooks
- Jonathan West
- Cirroc Lofton
Run time: 88 min.
RRP: £5.99
Price: £1.10
Review Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.5 - The Ascent / The Rapture [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. This meant no familial camaraderie, squeaky-clean Federation diplomacy or beige décor. Instead they wanted interpersonal 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 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.
![Review Paramount Home Entertainment / Star Trek 7 : Generations [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JJVAT86ZL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Jonathan Frakes
- LeVar Burton
- Michael Dorn
- Patrick Stewart
- David Carson
- Brent Spiner
Run time: 113 min.
Price: £9.99
Review Star Trek 7 : Generations [1995] / Paramount Home Entertainment:There were only two ways for "classic Trek" cast members to appear in a movie with the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation: either Captain Kirk and his contemporaries would have to be very, very old, or there would be some time travel involved in the plot. Since geriatric heroes aren't very exciting (despite a welcomed cameo appearance by the aged Dr McCoy), Star Trek: Generations unites Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Capt. Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in a time-jumping race to stop a madman's quest for heavenly contentment. When a mysterious energy coil called the Nexus nearly destroys the newly christened USS Enterprise-B, the just-retired Kirk is lost and presumed dead. But he's actually been happily trapped in the timeless purgatory of the Nexus-an idyllic state of being described by the mystical Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) as "pure joy". Picard must convince Kirk to leave this artificial comfort zone and confront Dr Soran (Malcolm McDowell), the madman who will threaten billions of lives to be reunited with the addictive pleasure of the Nexus. With subplots involving the android Data's unpredictable "emotion chip" and the spectacular crash-landing of the starship Enterprise, this crossover movie not only satisfied Trek fans, but it also gave them something they'd never had to confront before: the heroic and truly final death of a beloved Star Trek character. Passing the torch to the Next Generation with dignity and entertaining adventure, the movie isn't going to please everyone with its somewhat hokey plot, but it still ranks as a worthy big-screen launch for Picard and his stalwart crew. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. [+]com.
| Models & Brands:
Star Trek : The Original Series - Vol. 3.3 - Is There In Truth No Beauty? / The Empath / The Tholian Web, Komodo [1999], Event Horizon [1997], Babylon 5 - Vol. 26 - Point Of No Return / Severed Dreams [1994], Star Trek Voyager, Live fast and prosper & Muse - Vol. 6.11 [2000], PSI Factor - Chronicles Of The Paranormal - Season 3 - Vol. 3.7, Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Vol. 3 - Episodes 5 and 6 [1998], Class of 1999, Highlander - Endgame [2000], Lexx - 3.06 - The Beach / Heaven And Hell, Guyver - Dark Hero [2000], Godzilla - Son Of Godzilla / The Terror Of Mechagodzilla [1998], Cat Women Of The Moon [1953], Star Trek Voyager - Vol. 4.7 (Waking Moments/Message In A Bottle) [1996], Andromeda - Season 1: Volume 2 [2000], Star Trek: Enterprise, Vol. 1.12 -- Fallen Hero / Desert Crossing [2002], Bugs - Series One - Episodes 5 And 6 [1995], Star Trek Voyager - Caretaker [1996], Star Trek : Deep Space Nine - Vol. 5.5 - The Ascent / The Rapture [1995], Star Trek 7 : Generations [1995] |
