Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
See individual titles for their synopses.
Sci-Fi | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
No, it's not another BBC nature collection, but Gene Roddenberry's Genesis II and Planet Earth both attempt to explore strange new worlds. These made-for-TV movies aired in 1973 and 1974 as separate pilot episodes for shows that never materialized, and the similarities don't stop there: each follows the exploits of scientist Dylan Hunt, frozen in time for 154 years after an earthquake buried the underground NASA lab while he was in suspended animation. Both titles were released separately on DVD by Warner Archive Collection back in November 2009, but this handy new Blu-ray collection pairs the like-minded short features together with outstanding 1080p transfers that brilliantly showcase the period- specific production design and an overall aesthetic not far removed from the original Star Trek.
Anyone with at least a passing interest in low-budget 1970s sci-fi will find something to enjoy here, as Genesis II has all the highs and lows of an average Star Trek episode. Respectable but sometimes corny special effects? Check. Lovely ladies? Check. Diverse cast of characters, including a role for Majel Barrett? You bet. Hand-to-hand combat? Yep, a little of that too. But while Genesis II has all that in its corner -- as well as decent supporting performances by Ted Cassidy (Lurch from The Addams Family, Percy Rodrigues (who narrated hundreds of classic movie trailers), and more -- it doesn't really stand out as anything more than middle-of-the-road entertainment, regardless of genre.
Planet Earth aired on CBS April 23, 1974 and immediately feels like a more confident and polished version of what came before. The long sleep of Dylan Hunt (now played by John Saxon) is condensed to 30 seconds worth of narration, so more of its 74-minute runtime is devoted to futuristic adventure. Be warned, though: there's not much adventure, as Planet Earth is more concerned with social commentary than sci-fi intrigue. Dylan, along with crewmates Harper-Smythe (Janet Margolin), Isiah (Ted Cassidy, returning), and Baylok (Christopher Cary), infiltrate a female-dominated society in search of missing doctor Jonathan Connor (Jim Antonio). Men are bought and sold like cattle and Dylan's the latest item up for bid, so it's not long before he's acquired by the assertive Marg (Diana Muldaur, no stranger to Star Trek and, of course, The Next Generation) and forced to submit... or be zapped with a high-tech cattle prod.
There are some great moments here and there but, on the whole, certain elements of Planet Earth, much like Genesis II, make it
feel more like original Star Trek leftovers than a wholly unique experience. (It probably doesn't help that Saxon plays Dylan Hunt as even
more of a Captain Kirk-type alpha male than Alex Cord, but at least he trades in the ridiculous mustache for legitimate martial arts street
cred.) Still, this one plays much more like a streamlined production than what came before and undoubtedly has greater potential; if either of
these two like-minded pilots would have been picked up, I'd bet it would've been Planet Earth. The important thing is that both films look
and sound better than ever on Blu-ray and make for a fun little double feature that 1970s sci-fans should enjoy.
Once again, Warner Archive Collection absolutely knocks it out of the park. Both 1080p transfers for Genesis II and Planet Earth look absolutely fantastic and showcase the era-specific production design in stunning clarity with great color reproduction -- even those mustard jumpsuits look pretty good. Image detail is superb, film grain is light but clearly visible, and shadow detail is rock-solid with deep black levels. As usual, the Blu-ray is authored extremely well with no glaring compression artifacts, as these 74-minute productions easily fit on one dual-layered disc with plenty of room to breathe. The source material was clearly in good condition to start with, but it was still treated with extreme care and this easily stands as this release's biggest draw.. If for whatever reason you haven't watched either of these made-for-TV movies since their original broadcast, it'll be like seeing them for the first time.
Although somewhat limited by its native format, this DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track feels like the best possible presentation of its one-channel source audio. Dialogue and music cues are easily balanced with no clipping or obvious defects, although trace amounts of hissing could be heard on occasion. Dynamic range is likewise a bit limited but, more often than not, this sounds right on par with similar releases from the era, Star Trek included. Bottom line, it's a perfectly respectable effort that purists will enjoy -- no faux-surround trickery or altered sounds effects here, which is really all you want from a release like this. Although the audio syncs perfectly for the most part, there's one brief scene in Planet Earth -- a mid-range shot of Dylan Hunt reading outside, right after the two-minute mark -- where his lip movements don't match at all, but I don't have the DVD for comparison so this could likely be a source material issue. In any case, the shot is only a few seconds long so it might not even register as a mistake before it's over.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during both main features; they're formatted and synced perfectly.
This one-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with split-screen cover art that mirrors the colorful main menu interface (screenshot #20). Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, no bonus features are included.
Gene Roddenberry's Genesis II and Planet Earth, two failed TV pilots from the early 1970s collected here in one handy package, are far from his best efforts but still enjoyable for vintage sci-fi fans. There are obvious similarities -- the second clearly being a more streamlined and slightly better realized version of the first -- but they're still distinctive enough to play like two separate pieces of entertainment. As usual, Warner Archive Collection's Blu-ray focuses on the visual presentation (and knocks it out of the park), and the disc's unfortunate lack of bonus features is at least somewhat alleviated by the "two for one" effect. Recommended, but only to established Roddenberry fans.