Space: Above and Beyond [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

Space: Above and Beyond [1996] (REGION 1) (NTSC).......2008-02-13

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

Product Description
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.

Has it's moments, but not enough of them........2007-12-14

Space: Above and Beyond appeared hot on the heels of the X-Files, and the fact that some of the people from the X-Files jumped ship to create this series was it's main selling point at the time - that and the amount of money spent per episode.

Unfortunately while it had it's moments there were never enough of them, leading to falling viewing figures and eventual cancellation after one series, just as it was starting to get interesting. Most of the money was spent on what was then state of the art CGI but that couldn't gloss over the fact that many of the episodes were average in terms of plot. That's not to say that there aren't a handful of excellent ideas and a couple of good episodes, but it's mainly remembered today for being just about the only non Star Trek sci-fi show on t.v. during the great sci-fi drought from the 80's to the late 90's.

A blast from the past which still shines bright.......2007-12-07

I really liked this series when it ran on TV. - and then it was cancelled because it was competing with Star Trek DS 9 and Firefly (also cancelled). I believe each episode cost $2m and 20th Century Fox could no longer sustain that spend even though the ratings were beginning to pick up.

What's left are these double-sided DVDs (weird!) with absolutely no special features, no cast interviews, no director comments - nothing but the shows.

I think the reason it didn't do as well in the ratings is because it is truly dark science-fiction and can be put in the "ahead of its time" category. The acting is good, the stories are classic war movie material and if you like these things, and are a fan of the new Battlestar Galactica and/or the darker more realistic war movies, you'll really enjoy this DVD.

The acting, once it settles down is of a good standard and the special effects are first class. In fact, it's difficult to remember that this series is over 10 years old. The plot lines are well defined and apart from the abrupt ending there is a feeling of continuity. Each character has a back story which influences their actions plausibly, so there's no sense of irritation, too common in some of the TV series these days.

It's a great show and deserves a better DVD treatment. However, if this is the only production then I guess this is the one to buy. Happy watching!

WILDCARDS ARE GO!.......2007-12-01

I have fond memories of watching this after Newsnight on BBC2 on Friday nights in the mid-late 90s. As you can tell I didn't get out much in those days - some things never change! Fantastic mixture of Guadalcanal Diary/Pacific island-hopping WW2 strategy and tactics plus Starship Troopers futurology. Fave story arc: Chiggy Von Richtoffen and in particular "The Angriest Angel" when TC McQueen strapped on his flying jacket once more to avenge the death of a colleague at the wingtips of the Chig ace! Stirring stuff- loved the payoff line "And what was it all for anyway?" Although my memory could be being selective on that point. I seem to remember the 2 part story arc started of with Patsy Cline's Crazy while Vansen stared out of a window at the stars. Great stuff - lots of themes I'd only seen before in WW2 movies by Sam Fuller, Fritz Lang and Nicholas Ray. Standing on the shoulders of giants - never fails. After all that its a shame its not out on region 2!

In a Nutshell ...... Fab.......2007-09-03

If like me you enjoy Sci-Fi then this series is comparible to Firefly. It's a great series that did remarkably well and even formed the bases for a number of cinematic university modules due to some of the underlying interplay between the main characters. Why this (and indeed firefly) never took off is beyond me, when Voyager (Star Trek with your granny running the ship) did so well is beyond me. The series is interesting, fun, and has a slight twist in the tail that doesn't add up BUT is visually interesting to watch as the CGI is good. The 'badies', the AI and the Chigs are hardly intimidating however the human characters are really very good and more than make up for it. The episodes are different each time and explore idea's other sci-fi shows have never had the imagination to present. Worth the time to watch.

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