Producer Gerry Anderson is something of a legend in his native England, thanks to his popular "Supermarionation" (i.e. puppet animation) TV series Thunderbirds, its various spin-offs, and its 1962-1963 predecessor, Fireball XL5. Totaling nearly 17 hours (plus extras), this five-disc boxed set contains all 39 episodes of the series that revolves around the efforts of captain/hero Steve Zodiac and his crew (including a talkative robot, and Steve's love interest, voiced respectively by Anderson himself and his then-wife Sylvia; the pair were also co-writers) to protect “Sector 25” of the solar system from alien invasion. The typical sci-fi scenarios find Zodiac and company fighting alien criminals, visiting mysterious planets, and escaping from all manner of perilous circumstances, while brandishing ray guns and flying around with “thrust packs” and on “jetmobiles” (reducing the need for walking, which puppets don't do so well). While the animation is laughable (little attempt was made to disguise the strings that hold up puppets and props) and the effects are primitive, there's no denying the show's campy charm (indeed, this is considered an important influence on later sci-fi fare such as Star Trek). Sporting excellent transfers, with DVD extras including a couple of featurettes and audio commentary on two episodes, this nicely packaged set is a strong optional purchase. (S. Graham)[DVD Review—Mar. 10, 2015—Timeless Media Group, 5 discs, 1,000 min., not rated, $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD, 1962-1963's Fireball XL5: The Complete Series features a nice transfer and a Dolby Digital mono soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary on two episodes, “The Noble Art” behind-the-scenes featurette (17 min.), an interview with creator Gerry Anderson (12 min.), and a PDF publicity brochure. Bottom line: Supermarionation fans will welcome the return of this classic kids' series, which was long out-of-print.]
Fireball XL5
A&E, 5 discs, 999 min., not rated, DVD: $99.95 Volume 18, Issue 3
Fireball XL5
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