7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Complete collection of the 1960s sci-fi adventure show, about two scientists, Doug Phillips and Tony Newman, who become trapped in time after testing a new invention. The episodes comprise: 'Rendezvous with Yesterday', 'One Way to the Moon', 'End of the World', 'The Day the Sky Fell in', 'The Last Patrol', 'The Crack of Doom', 'Revenge of the Gods', 'Massacre', 'Devil's Island', 'Reign of Terror', 'Secret Weapon', 'The Death Trap', 'The Alamo', 'Night of the Long Knives', 'Invasion', 'The Revenge of Robin Hood', 'Kill Two By Two', 'Visitors from Beyond the Stars', 'The Ghost of Nero', 'The Walls of Jericho', 'Idol of Death', 'Billy the Kid', 'Pirates of Deadman's Island', 'Chase Through Time', 'The Death Merchant', 'Attack of the Barbarians', 'Merlin the Magician', 'The Kidnappers', 'Raiders from Outer Space' and 'Town of Terror'.
Starring: James Darren, Robert Colbert, Whit Bissell, John Zaremba, Lee MeriwetherSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Seven-disc set (7 BDs)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace , a recent release offering a "recreated" animated version of an early Patrick Troughton serial where two of the four originally broadcast episodes have now missing video content, had a brief throwaway early in the first episode where the Doctor's "companions" weren't quite sure where or when they were going to end up upon stepping out of the Tardis. While the time travel element has of course always been part and parcel of that long running series, the "unknowability" of destination (either temporal or "geographical") has faded somewhat into the background over the course of, well, time, and devoted Whovians will know that in newer episodes the Doctor often knows more or less where he or she is. Somewhat hilariously, as I mentioned in the Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace Blu-ray review, when that serial was broadcast in January of 1967, there was another series on this side of the pond that was exploiting somewhat the same "where and when" concept. The Time Tunnel joined already airing Irwin Allen science fiction tinged outings like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Lost in Space, but unlike either of those series, managed to last only one season, which has made it something of a cult item in the intervening years.
Note: This is branded as a Region B release, but is available in Region A from Amazon (without the "wrong region" warning) and does in fact
play fine on Region A players.
The Time Tunnel: The Complete Series is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Revelation Films with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.33:1 of the
sole season's thirty episodes. This looks amazingly good in high definition, though the increased resolution may unavoidably point out both some kind
of hilarious compositing in the time tunnel itself (see screenshots 18 and 19 in particular) as well as when the ever industrious Irwin Allen co-opted
stock footage or snippets from pre-existing films to supposedly help with production values. The palette is wonderfully robust almost all of the time,
though there are some occasional curious downturns in saturation, as in some parts of the Pearl Harbor episode. Detail levels are consistently pleasing
throughout, and fine detail on some of the frankly outlandish "historical" costumes is typically very precisely rendered. There is some age related wear
and tear on display, typically in the form of rather small and short lived nicks and other blemishes.
The Time Tunnel: The Complete Series features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio recreating the series' original broadcast version, and a rejiggered DTS- HD Master Audio 5.1 track which is this Blu-ray's version of the previously released DVD sets' Dolby Digital 5.1 repurposings. The surround track can open up some of the effects work, and even John Williams' wonderfully percussive theme (fans will know Williams also wrote two themes for Lost in Space and two for Land of the Giants ), but I'd still argue that the mono track is preferable, not necessarily due to the fact that the surround track can kind of sound cavernous and hollow at times. The mono track preserves the ubiquitous sound effects of the time tunnel lab and other environmental effects accompanying our heroes' adventures, and also relays dialogue without any issues whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.
If you're a male generationally from either the Boomers or possibly even the Gen X, chances are you already have seen and quite possibly love The Time Tunnel, not to mention Irwin Allen's other efforts from this same general era (kind of interestingly, and especially with regard to its relatively long run, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea doesn't seem to be as well remembered). Rose colored nostalgic glasses may frankly not be enough to gloss over some of the silliness of this enterprise seen now through the perspective of adult hindsight, but it still offers some fun. This set offers surprisingly great looking video and has the wisdom to offer the original mono audio along with a surround repurposing. The extras on the seventh bonus disc duplicate those previously available on the DVD release of this series, but are all commendably in high definition, and are all very enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
2017
Fox Studio Classics
1966
Fox Studio Classics
1961
1978
30th Anniversary Edition
1983
1966-1969
Doppelgänger
1969
1971
1986
1989
2017
2010
2004
1991
Theatrical & Unrated Cuts
1972
2020-2023
40th Anniversary Special Edition
1979
1993-1996
20th Anniversary
2003
1977