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(More customer reviews)The 12 chapter BUCK ROGERS serial, was shot between the Flash Gordon serials "Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars" and "Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe." Audiences seemed indifferent to it, so the plans for a sequel were scrapped in favor of continuing the Flash Gordon series. While the Flash Gordon serials are probably better, I really enjoy the Buck Rogers serial too.
Buck Rogers has STYLE. Not to say that Flash didn't, but the Buck Rogers serial has:
The Art Deco Headquarters of Killer Kane, with it's convenient topiary shrubs for hiding behind.
The swirling mirror pool monitor screens.
The equally Art Deco space ships, with sparklers as exhaust and that sound, something like a microwave oven and a car missing a muffler. These ships were so advanced, all they needed was a simple door with handle.
A future full of wimps. Flash and Buddy easily push away or tackle anyone who they clash with.
The groovy De-Gravity belts and the transporter.
The Saturnian tram system.
The exotic terrain of the planet Saturn, which in no way looked like a California desert.
The Saturnian MUGGS, who should have all been nominated for academy awards.
Okay, I'm being a little sarcastic. But I really do have a great love for this serial, even with all its many flaws. Terrible performances by some of the supporting characters, a few cases of severely bad stunt doubling, and the effects, well......they did their best with what they had to work with. I love the little dolls in the Saturnian tunnel trams.
And Buck himself--Larry "Buster" Crabbe was so handsome. That wavy hair and that killer smile were all he needed. I wonder if the producers ever realized what kind of confusion they would cause in the years that followed, by casting the same actor for both Flash and Buck. It's always interesting to see a VHS version of Buck Rogers with a picture from Flash Gordon on the cover, and vice versa.
Buck Rogers is a true pleasure to watch. It's so much fun, and it's the perfect length. It's over before it has worn out its welcome. And if you want more, then watch the next chapter. The menu screens are fun too, with the ships swinging around on visible wires. If only they would have included a booklet instead of advertising.
This is well worth checking out, especially if you enjoy the Flash serials. Like the cover proclaims, it's a 12 chapter Thrill-O-Rama!
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Buck Rogers (1939)Preserved in a state of suspended animation for 500 years bythe Nirvano gas in the gondola of their dirigible wrecked in the arctic icewastes, Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and Buddy (Jackie Moran) are rescued byscientists in the year 2500 to find the world under the despotic rule ofKiller Kane (Anthony Warde) and his super gangsters. Using an arsenal offantastic weapons created in Dr. Huer's (C. Montague Shaw) clandestinelaboratory, the group attempts to seek aid from the planet Saturn to oustthe tyrannical ruler only to find that his henchmen have already taken overcontrol of the Prince of Saturn. After several harrowing adventures withthe Zugg men, Buck and Buddy return to Earth only to be shot down,imprisoned and finally rescued to participate in a spectacular air battleto wrest control of the Universe from the sinister intergalacticdespot.Approximately Released by Universal Pictures. Bonus Features: Animated Menu| Scene Selection| Photo Gallery| Bonus Serial Trailers. Specs: DVD9; Dolby Digital Mono; 241 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 AspectRatio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1939; SRP - $19.99.
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