Season 1 (1963)
Outer Limits, The — The Original Series,
Season 1 (1963) (DVD)
Science Fiction Video
ISBN: 0-7928-5345-8
Publisher: MGM Home Entertainment, Inc., $79.96
Back in 1963, producers Leslie Stevens and Joseph Stefano launched what is considered to be one of the most daring and innovative television series in history. From the first moment Vic Perrin’s voice announces that your television has been taken over, you just know that you’re in for a wonderful treat.
The first season consists of 32 original episodes on 4 double-sided DVDs. I won’t list them all here, but I will note the better and worst episodes contained in this set. It’s amazing what they did with this series considering the low budget of only $120,000 per episode, which was even low back in the 60’s. Some rather famous actors show up in various episodes, such as Martin Landau, Robert Culp and Sally Kellerman. Many actors actually got their starts in shows such as Outer Limits and the old Twilight Zone.
Most of the episodes of the first Outer Limits season are outstanding, including the very first, “The Galaxy Being.” In this episode, an outerplanar creature gets caught in a radio station’s signal, which of course causes a few problems. This first episode, along with quite a few others, shows the old paranoid atmosphere of the 60’s, with the military almost everywhere in case “they” attack. Still good stuff though.
Other gems in this first set include: “The Architects of Fear,” which Alen Moore supposedly adopted into the Watchmen in 1986; “The Sixth Finger,” an interesting look at man’s possible future form; “The Man Who Was Never Born,” in which man’s future is changed for the better, but at what price; “It Crawled Out of the Woodwork,” an eerie show about an unknown power that appears from nowhere; “Controlled Experiment,” in which two aliens observe human behavior; “Don’t Open Till Doomsday,” a strange but cool show with a shoe-box sized spacecraft that tries to destroy the world; “The Bellero Shield,” in which an alien being is captured in a power beam, and indirectly causes deadly problems. And this set also includes the fan favorite, but not mine, “The Zanti Misfits,” in which ant-like aliens prisoners terrorize a desert area. Personally, I think they should have just stepped on the darn things.
As good as this stuff is, there are however some clunkers in the first season. “Tourist Attraction” is a horrible “Creature from the Black Lagoon” rip-off, with poor acting and an even worse plot. “Night Mare” and “The Children of Spider County” get an overdose of overacting, which just ruin both shows. A few others, such “Second Chance,” “Fun and Games,” and “Production and Decay of Strange Particles” lack that polish, but are still of decent quality. In all, I would classify “Tourist Attraction” as the worst in Season One, with this particular episode just standing out so badly from the rest of the collection. If you have to watch it, keep your finger on the fast forward button.
As a whole, I found this collection of classic sci-fi shows to be interesting and also enlightening. From the simple thrill of watching good old classic TV, to the fact that most of the episodes try to make a point about the human race in general, with that wonderful narrating voice of Vic Perrin added in for good measure, The Outer Limits stands out amongst the old television shows of yesteryear, even if the low budget of the series shows.
Nevertheless, the main problem I have with this set lies not in the show itself, but in the quality of the DVDs themselves. For some unknown reason, MGM decided to put the episodes on double-sides DVDs, which make it incredibly hard to find a particular episode. There is no listing of episodes on the DVDs, and the numbering on the inside spine is so damn small that you’ll go blind figuring out which disc side is which. The package itself also lends to the scratching and damage of the DVDs since they rub against each other on the inside of the plastic case. The last problem is the mastering technique they used to create this set. It took me three tries though Amazon to finally end up with a set that actually played all of the episodes without pixilation (parts of the picture breaking up), skipping, and other such problems associated with poorly mastered DVDs. Just be warned, and keep your receipt if you buy this set, as you may end up having to return it for a replacement. The set I have still has some minor pixilation problems on the last disc, but it was not bad enough for me to return the set.
If you can get past the shoddy package and end up with a “good” mastered Outer Limits DVD set, you’ll be in for a treat. For those who remember this show, it’s a must have for any fan. However, if you’ve never seen this series, and are not a B-movie type person, you may want to stay clear of this product. Myself, I’ve always been a fan of the original series, and am proud to own a copy!
(review (c) February 2004 / David Flemming)