Cheap Voyage to the Bottom of Sea: Season 2, Vol. 1 (DVD) (Tom Gries, Felix E. Feist, Gerald Mayer, John Brahm, Jus Addiss, Jerry Hopper, Sutton Roley, Sobey Martin, James Goldstone, Alex March) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Voyage to the Bottom of Sea: Season 2, Vol. 1

Better than expected
Until recently, I had felt that the first season was dated, and that the rest of the show's run was composed of goofy "monster" episodes relying on re-used footage. I hadn't changed my mind upon viewing volume one of season two, but upon watching it again recently, I am forced to re-evaluate it. Yes, some of the episodes (such as "Escape from Venice", and "the Left-Handed Man") are even sillier than anything that came afterwards (well, almost, not counting the one with the Lobster Man), but if one takes into account that the show was made four decades ago during the height of detente, one finds the episode entitled "the Silent Saboteurs" rather daring for the times as it depicts very thinly disguised russians covertly working in a thinly disguised Vietnam to shoot down a U.S. spaceship that looks much like designs for the current spaceplane. "The Peacemaker" is about a well-meaning but overly PC scientist run amok and features a very modern-feeling performance by John Cassevettes. But the jewel in the collection has to be "the Cyborg". The first time I saw it, I hohumed to Victor Bueno as he was such a mainstay of 60s TV and Irwin Allen in particular, even playing his typical type role in another undersea series, "the Man from Atlantis" years later. But in retrospect, not only was this his first time, but there was an attempt made to depict his character as an eccentric, what with the girl following him feeding him constantly. At the end there is a touch of psychology in Hedison's observation that Buono's character considered appetite a weakness, thus hinting at subconcious self-loathing on Buono's part. This is the first time that "bionics" and "cyborg" is mentioned on TV, I believe, and the premise of the episode, the nuke sub gone rogue to start WW3 has never been done before, but imitated many times for many years in cinema (this was well before "Doctor Strangelove" also). But I think the most thought provoking element of the episode is its depiction on how a crew dependent on technology can be manipulated with a few radio signals. Kinda makes you wonder about society today being manipulated by a supposed "free press" that is licensed to operate by the government. And remember, this episode was still a couple of years before Star Trek's "android" episode, and actually still holds up better for its relevance to modern sci-fi and politics. Therefore, I must declare season 2 to be Voyage's finest hour. My 2 cents.

---

The further adventures of the SS Seaview...in living color!
For fans of the series, this set kicks off the debut of "Voyage" in gorgeous color--all remarkably pristine and clean transfers and well worth a look. The season also showcases a newly redesigned Seaview with the spectacular "Flying Sub" with some interesting special effects worthy of mention. <
> <
>While several of the episodes feature themes of espionage like "Escape from Venice" and the threat of nuclear catastrophe a la "The Peacemaker," the epsiodes in this season seem to indicate a tendency towards the ridiculous with episodes that throw cold war intrigue out the window and concentrate instead on outer space monsters, crazy scientists bent to take over the world, and gigantic whales. Fun? Yes, but the epsiodes seem to resemble an episode of "Lost in Space" rather than the enjoyable high-tech-espionage-undersea-adventure it was in the 1st Season. <
> <
>Clearly demonstrating its pure profit-motive, Fox has chosen to release this set by only giving us half of Season 2 in this box, obviously following HBO's lead with the recent release of "The Sopranos" 6th Season, Part 1, knowing fans with a compulsory need for completeness will enthusiastically and without hesitation fork over another $30.00+ for the complete set with virtually little or no extras worthy of mention.

---

Most of these are "new" to me and well worth the wait!
Back in the days of "rabbit ears," I was unable to pick up the area ABC channel unless the weather was extremely stormy. Thus, I didn't see most of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" during its initial run. Fortunately, with the advent of cable, and the Sci-Fi Channel, I was able to play catch up, although there were significant cuts in the rebroadcasts in order to accommodate modern television's need to have more commercial time. <
> <
>With the wonder of DVD compilations, I have now been able to see the installments in their original lengths, with great sound and picture enhancement. For that, I tip my hat to Twentieth Century Fox for its attention to detail, particularly on the "Voyage" and "Time Tunnel" sets, respectively. <
> <
>Perhaps, the studio might go back and do the same for "Lost in Space," as it isn't up to par with the other two. <
> <
>That said, I can now give my take on the compilation in question, the first half of the second season. <
> <
>As has been previously stated, this was the first color season for the show and featured some physical changes to the Seaview and the awesome addition of the Flying Sub, enabling Admiral Nelson and crew to soar to new adventures, as well as sail to them. There are cast changes, notably Terry Becker replacing the late Henry Hulky as the new "chief." Alan Hunt was added to appeal to the younger audience but only lasted the second season. <
> <
>Richard Basehart continued his commanding presence as "Admiral Nelson" and David Hedison resumed his role as the by-the-books "Captain Lee Crane." Del Monroe continued his role as the fan favorite "Kowalski" while Robert Dowdell was back as "Lt. Commander 'Chip' Morton." Richard Bull would be in a few episodes as "The Doctor" and Arch Whitting and Paul Trinka again assayed their respective roles of "Sparks" and "Patterson." <
> <
>As far as the story lines go, there is a blend of action, sci-fi, and political intrigue in the first half of the second season. Some of the best shows highlight America's past and "future," though the latter was steeped in world conditions of the 60's. While the show does depend on state-of-the-art special effects, it is actually the character driven ones that are the best. Chief among the latter are "...And Five of Us Are Left," a drama wherein Nelson and a crewman come upon five survivors of World War II, living for almost three decades in a subterranean cave; "Escape from Venice," an exciting cat-and-mouse tale featuring great work from Basehart, Hedison, Hunt, and a superb supporting guest cast; "The Peacemaker," starring legendary filmmaker John Cassavettes as a treacherous American scientist; "The Silent Saboteurs," distinguished for a pre-Sulu appearance by George Takai. <
> <
>"Jonah and the Whale" and "Leviathan" are the best of the SFX-laden installments, featuring great undersea shots and miniatures, while the latter sports a truly creepy transformation of a key character. <
> <
>There are some that are just a lot of fun, especially by the actors that guest star. The twenty-something Victor Buono adds another in his long list of characterizations as the much older scientist bent on world domination in "The Cyborg." Charles Dierkop, who would the same year be featured in an uncredited part on producer Irwin Allen's "Lost in Space," has fun as the sinister lead character in "The Left-Handed Man." The same episode also features a scene-stealing turn from veteran actor Cyril Delevanti as a millionaire with evil machinations. <
> <
>Dierkop would not be the only actor to appear more than once in an Allen production. Liam Sullivan, Regis Toomey, Lloyd Bochner, and Susan Flannery would appear in episodes from this season, as they had in the first season or the theatrical film of which the show was based. <
> <
>The last episode in the set, "The Monster From Outer Space," has to feature one of the most laughable creations in the show's history, but, overall, it's not bad if one is into "alien possession." <
> <
>Musically, two fine scores were contributed by Jerry Goldsmith ("Jonah and the Whale") and Nelson Riddle ("Escape from Venice"). The former score will be heavily borrowed throughout the duration of the show's run, while the latter is much lighter than the usual, reminiscent of the composer's work on "Batman". <
> <
>The extras in this compilation are sparse and the split of the season is a downer; however, these two minuses can't detract from a classic of science fiction adventure.