I remember first seeing 'Invasion: UFO' sometime in the early eighties when it was released here in the UK by Precision Video when it cost a whopping forty quid to buy!
Thankfully in 1986, budget video line Channel Five (not the TV Station) released a cheaper version for under a tenner, which meant it was more widely available.
Later Polygram released an even cheaper version.
The Invasion: UFO compilation feature is largely made up taking elements from the episodes, 'Identified', Computer Affair'; and Reflections In The Water' with a fair amount from 'Confetti Check A-OK, and small parts from 'The Man Who Came Back' and 'ESP'. Because of some licencing technicality it meant that these episodes, apart from one, ESP weren't released as individual episodes by either company.
To be honest it's a bit of a miss-mash, and unless you're familiar with the original individual episodes, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Most UFO fans think it's awful, and the original feel of the series is pretty much lost. The original main titles are replaced with cheap looking eighties video effects. Francis Monkman's, 'Dawn of an Era', a piece of catchy eighties library music is used as the title music, rather than Barry Gray's UFO theme.
However, it does have it's novelty value and as Network have done a fine job in cleaning it up and given it a 16:9 widescreen look with a 5.1 soundtrack, it's definitely worth a punt for a tenner, until we get the whole series remastered on Blu-ray later this year.
However, it does have it's novelty value and as Network have done a fine job in cleaning it up and given it a 16:9 widescreen look with a 5.1 soundtrack, it's definitely worth a punt for a tenner, until we get the whole series remastered on Blu-ray later this year.
This is a link to a post I did a while back on The Super Space Theatre
For a tenner it's worth a watch. I got it to see what the clean-up job by Network was looking like... and I must say it's superb. Definitely liked the 16:9 presentation for this, even if it was butchered...
ReplyDeleteButchered is an understatement, JP but for the price it's certainly worth a look, and its a nice teaser for things to come : )
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