Posted on: February 9, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

For fans of the sixties Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the release of this DVD set is both a happy and a sad event. The show finally has its last few episodes brought to the DVD format, but that’s exactly it – there are no more parts of seasons to be released.

The show did not lose a step despite being on the air for four seasons; “Nightmare” may be the best of the episodes here. Captain Crane is pushed to eir breaking point in this episode, as ey has to combat an alien force hellbent on testing humanity. “Attack” is similarly strong, an episode that touches upon aliens in a slightly different way. Kevin Hagen and Skip Homeier further bolster the memorable crew. However strong the episodes, words must be said about the quality of the transfer for the season four episodes. Despite being aired in the late sixties, the clarity and crispness of the print looks right out of the nineties. The audio track has been similarly touched-up; voices are recognizable, dialogue easily understandable, and no noticeable audio artifacts are present.

It is always heartening to see such tremendous effort into a show that many viewers were unable to watch when it originally was aired. With so many cut-rate transfers of older shows to DVD going on, Fox makes sure that it provides a blueprint for those companies that wish to do it right. There are a few featurettes here, as well – the original, unaired pilot that got the show airtime in the first place is here. For me, however, I think that the presence of the broadcasted pilot with the original commercials intact is much more impressive.

Rating: 8.8/10

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – Season Four, Volume Two (DVD Set) / 2011 Fox / 663 Minutes / http://www.fox.com

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