Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season Three, Volume One (1964)

Write to Fox Video and request "VOYAGE" Season 4 on DVD!

After releasing the first 3 Seasons of VOYAGE on DVD at a rapid clip, the release of Season 4 is currently in limbo. Season 4 (26 episodes) was the Final Year of the series. PLEASE write to Fox Video today and request that Season 4 of VOYAGE be released on DVD! The address to write to is: DVD DEVELOPMENT DEPT., 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Send a letter today! May 20, 2008

Voyage, Season 3, volume 1

When I was a tween (before the term was even coined) I fell in love with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In the intervening years, most of what I watched was forgotten. Bless Fox for cleaning up these classics and putting them out on the shelf for us! I purchased and watched avidly the first and second seasons. So many wonderful memories, so much fun! I had been reminded that the third season would be so much inferior, but I bought the first volume anyway. And while the preponderance was monster mayhem, I found most shows to be well worth watching!
I think there are several reasons that I have continued to enjoy this series whereas I gave up on Allen's other show, Lost in Space. The main reason, like other reviewers have said, is the fact that the actors played it straight, or were allowed to play it straight. Despite how nutty the plots became, Basehart, Hedison and company played it serious.
Some of my all time favorites are in this set and I feel these are every bit as good as the winners from the previous years. Day of Evil was fantastic with Basehart able to play the two roles to perfection. Day the World Ended, Death Watch, even Werewolf was played evenly and well. My only real problem episode was Deadly Waters and that's mainly because I have a military background. Stan would have been courtmartialed for his whiney insolence and cowardice in the real world.
All in all, I only have a few minor complaints with this volume of the series.... Double sided DVD's, splitting the season into two sets, (and charging more) and not continuing the series with season four. Hopefully within the not too distant future, I won't be whining about my last complaint. March 29, 2008

Still great, but...

This whole collection is great, but it's still missing interviews with the other living actors in the special features. Where are them? December 1, 2007

Far better than I remembered

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea has never looked better!
Richard Basehart and David Hedison are totally convincing
even in the most ridiculous of situations. The Seaview
looks even more fantastic than I remembered as a kid, even
taking into account the 1960's vintage SPFX. The DVD transfers
are sharp and clear and the extra features, while sparce, are
welcome. This is a must-have for any Voyage fan. October 27, 2007

'S'more than just the "monster-of-the-week"

Irwin Allen's sci-fi classic has received its share of both praise and condemnation. While the show showcased impressive 60's special effects, along with the stellar performances of stars Richard Basehart ("Admiral Nelson") and David Hedison (Captain Crane), it was often criticized for its over-the-top monsters and occasionally absurd situations.

However, when viewed as a reflection of its time, the show carefully blended all its elements into an entertaining and adventurous hour. The thirteen episodes on this compilation feature some of the series' strongest episodes, along with a couple that fall flat. But, even those that aren't up to par are still fascinating enough to hold the viewer's interest and can be overlooked for their scientific and/or logical "liberties."

The episodes appear in their correct airing order, and, with that arrangement, viewers can take a nostalgic trip back in time to days of less "politically correct" and more innocent times.

This reviewer feels that the show's third season should have started with "The Day the World Ended," a taut and thrilling episode featuring former child actor Skip Homeier as a U.S. Senator that's not all he's cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the season began with "Monster from the Inferno," a not-so-bad installment about an alien entity (voiced by "Lost in Space's" Dick Trufeld) that attempts to take over the Seaview with the aide of scientist Arthur Hill.

"Death Watch" is basically a three-man piece showcasing the two principal characters, along with Chief Sharkey (Terry Becker).

"The Thing from Inner Space," though not that good, does give significant screen time to cast member Paul Trinka as "Crewman Patterson." Perennial fan favorite Del Monroe ("Kowalski") continues to play a significant role on the show and gets highlighted on "Deadly Waters," with Don Gordon featured as his brother.

Richard Bull continues in his role as the unnamed but much-needed "Doc."

Even radio operator "Sparks" (Arch Whiting) has more than five lines in a given installment.

Upon back-to-back viewing, one discovers that crewman "Ron" (Ron Stein) was an early version of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's" Morn; that is, a character that is voiceless but appears frequently in the background.

"Ron" even gets addressed in one installment!

"The Lost Bomb" is a throwback to the first season in that it deals with an undersea conflict with an enemy submarine intent on capturing a submerged bomb.

Basehart gets to assay two roles in the entertaining "The Haunted Submarine" while "The Terrible Toys" features veteran Paul Fix as a sailor with a malevolent cargo.

The infamous and often-lambasted "The Plant Man" starts strong but loses steam when the plant mutates into plant "men" walking the corridors of the Seaview.

But it is still better than the remaining two.

Henry Jones, who would later appear as "Mr. Pem" in two installments, guests on the lackluster "Night of Terror" while Charles Aidman bears his fangs in "Werewolf," two of the weakest in the show's entire four-year run.

Rounding out the set are interviews with David Hedison, still galleries, and a FULL issue of the now-defunct Gold Key comic version of the show.

Memories abound as baby boomers and future fans can take another "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."
September 19, 2007

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