Space Above and Beyond - The Complete Series
by F?lix Enr?quez Alcal?, Charles Martin Smith, Thomas J. Wright, Winrich Kolbe
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Charles Martin Smith, F?lix Enr?quez Alcal?, Thomas J. Wright, Winrich KolbeDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Surround; English (Unknown); Spanish (Unknown); French (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 1032 minutes
Published: 2005
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Space Above and Beyond - The Complete Series
Movie Review: It's no Firefly
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this set after recently "discovering" Firefly, which I thought was superb. If only this show had been created after the Starship Troopers movie and Firefly, I think the writers and directors would have realized how much more they could do with the show. In the end, the characters aren't as intriguing or endearing as Joss Wheadon's characters. The potential was there, but definitely not realized - it's obvious why the show was taken off the air.
I trudged through the entire season and found the show only started becoming entertaining during the last few episodes. The scripts are atrotious, plagued by one-dimentional main charaters, cliche-laden dialogue and plot holes you can drive a truck through.
The overarching storyline is that humans are at war with an advanced alien race. While the viewer is to assume millions of humans are involved in the offensive against the aliens, the story is narrowly situated on a five-man squadron and their CO. Somehow the team evolves from being rookies guarding supply lines to an elite, higly regarded commando squadron over the course of a few episodes, which doesn't make much sense as they don't seem to be involved in any major combat. These five seem to consistently be on their own in what one would assume would be an enormous war. I'm sure these plots kept CGI and extras costs down. Regardless, the writing could've greatly benefited from a grander scope, or at least creating a few dozen more CGI spacefighters so it's not five moderately competent pilots saving the human race.
The special effects/CGI are subpar to what the Star Trek franchise was creating at the time (not a Trekkie, just using it for reference). The actors, while no-names, are all good, though I think better writing and directon could've benefitted their performances.
If you're looking for another "one season wonder" like Firefly, this isn't it.
Summary of Space Above and Beyond - The Complete Series
This 5-disc DVD set includes all 23 episodes including the two-part pilot episode! Its the year 2063. After 150 years of deep space exploration, the people of Earth feel certain they are alone in the universe. Then word comes that two Earth outposts light-years away from home have been brutally attacked by an advanced alien civilization. Now the new young recruits of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Calvary are heading for the front lines of space in the toughest battle the world has ever faced. Thrust into an intergalactic war beyond imagination, these untested fighter pilots suddenly find themselves waging a life-and-death struggle to protect Earth and to save mankind from total annihilation.The science fiction series Space Above and Beyond, which enjoyed a brief run in the 1995-96 season, was created by X-Files producers Glen Morgan and James Wong as a revision of the classic war series Combat!. Set in the not-too-distant future, Space Above and Beyond follows the adventures of five inexperienced Marines of the 58th Squadron, who are involved in a war against the Chigs, a race of aliens bent on conquering the Earth. Morgan and Wong gave their main characters intriguing personalities--Nathan West (Morgan Weisser) has joined the Marines to save a girlfriend captured by the aliens, while Rodney Rowland's Cooper is an artificially created human whose service is inspired by a desire to escape the violent prejudice he faces on Earth. The action and stories are gritty and dramatic, and put a fresh spin on traditional wartime stories--highlights include "The Enemy," in which the 58th is stranded behind enemy lines; "Toy Soldiers," in which West's younger brother is serving under a dangerously reckless lieutenant; and the two-part "If They Lay Us Down to Rest…" and "Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best," which brought the series to a close with the Earth on the verge of peace talks with the aliens as the military launches a perilous operation. Commentary by Morgan and Wong and the cast would have been welcome, especially if the plans for the unseen second season could've been revealed, but unfortunately, no supplemental features are included in this slickly produced, no-frills set. --Paul Gaita
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