Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This was a rather spectacular (by 60s standards) sci-fi underwater adventure with some of the FX still good even today, an academy award winner leading the cast, and an emphasis on action that made more modern sci-fi shows such as "Seaquest" look and feel weak and derivative. Unfortunately, this show ultimately became overly formulaic to the point of exasperating redundancy and it shows through in this collection.
In these 13 episodes we have Captain Crane and others brainwashed by aliens into destroying Seaview, Admiral Nelson brainwashed by Russians into destroying Seaview, Crane brainwashed by a re-animated mummy into sabotaging the Seaview, Crane and others brainwashed by a giant, anemone-like seamonster into taking over Seaview, Crane and others brainwashed by more aliens into....hell, I've lost track.
Also, it seems the scriptwriters have discovered a new toy, and they wield it like a newly pubescent boy. That is (drumroll)....the CIRCUITRY ROOM! Ta-DA!! Yes, folks, you get to watch at least a half-dozen times back to back as various villains and monsters make their way to this curiously unlocked vital area and wreak havok by pulling plugs and wires while the sub rocks and rolls and sparks shoot out of the consoles for some reason. Running concurrently will be the liberal use of plastic explosives to blow open hatches in several episodes as well (again, back to back).
Further, many of the episodes here are rehashes of the first half of this season. Nelson has a recurrence of his lycanthropy from an earlier 3rd season episode, another heat monster menaces seaview, more aliens need the sub's reactor, etc. Then, there are episodes with plenty of stock footage from previous episodes recanned as new stories. One episode, "No Escape from Death" is composed almost entirely of this footage and almost made me not buy this set, it offended me so badly. This is just plain lazy writing, and the worst part is that some of these episodes might have seemed a lot better if they had been separated from the others thematically, rather than foisted on an unsuspecting public like some kind of collection. Richard Basehart seems so frustrated that he rudely snaps out his lines, while Rob Dowdell tries hard not to roll his eyes once or twice if you look close. David Hedison just looks like he wants the day to be over with.
I must make mention of one other aspect of this series. Since its premiere, we have seen that they keep small arms in various places. Here is a list of what I've seen so far:
1. Arms locker in the bow of the sub.
2. Arms room somewhere among the corridors of the sub.
3. A pistol in a small compartment next to the control room
entrance.
4. Nelson keeps a pistol in a safe in his quarters.
5. Crane keeps a pistol in the desk in his quarters.
6. A crewman surprised by villains while at work pulls one
out of his toolbox!
7. A crewman attacked among storage shelves pulls a pistol
out of what appears to be a cigar box(?!!).
Why do they bother to arm themselves when they use their weapons on each other far more than on any enemy? I mean, I hate political correctness as much as the next guy, but this is a bit much.
Don't get me wrong, I have some personal favorites here, such as "the Fossil Men" and "the Creature". "The Wax Men" is an unusual gem here as it really does create a creepy and disturbing atmosphere. As a fan, you can enjoy these as long as you aren't expecting much. Just bear in mind that these are the episodes that gave weight to the harsh criticisms leveled against this show. I had been enjoying these sets immensely, and halfway through the 3rd season, figured my memories of many bad episodes were over-reactions on my part, but this set brings home to me why the show had been an embarassment to some. It practically made me feel cheated by the producers.
I've read that there are several good episodes in the first half of the final season, so I look forward to it, but must recommend this one (and probably the last half of the final season) to fans and compleatists; if new to Voyage, this is probably not the place to start.
Look in remarks and you'll see I was corrected on an error. Thanks are in order to Mr. Reginald Garrard. I thot Basehart had won the AA for his role in "Moby Dick" with Gregory Peck, but I guess, though nominated, he didn't go home with the trophy.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season Three, Volume Two (1964)
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF SEA SSN3 V2 - DVD Movie
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