Irwin Allen—the science-fiction and disaster maestro behind such TV and movie hits as Lost in Space and The Towering Inferno—first scored big on TV with this undersea adventure series. This second volume completes the first (and best) season's run with 16 black-and-white episodes from 1965, as the Seaview continues its "vital and dangerous" missions against spies, saboteurs, humanoids, and maritime monsters. In "The Last Battle," Admiral Nelson (Richard Basehart) is shanghaied to an island prison, where a new "master race" of kidnapped scientists are being compelled by an unrepentant Nazi to usher in a Fourth Reich. "Mutiny," with its behemoth jellyfish, and "Doomsday," a cautionary Fail-Safe-like drama, are series benchmarks. And that's Robert Duvall as Zar, an otherworldly, centuries-old creature awakened from suspended animation, in "The Invaders." Other impressive guest stars include Ed Asner as Aleksei Brynov, who plots to heat up the Cold War in "The Exile"; Leslie Nielsen as a dangerously impulsive captain in the manta-ray episode, "The Creature"; and George Sanders as a foreign agent who demands that Nelson betray his country to rescue his kidnapped sister in the season finale, "The Traitor." More than 40 years after its initial departure from TV's dry dock, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea may be a bit creaky for younger viewers, but nostalgic baby boomers will definitely want to take the plunge—the special effects are still impressive; Basehart provides the gravitas to maintain ballast; and there's that ever-present sonic ping that was the series' signature sound, which is even cooler on a 21st-century TV. DVD extras include an interview with series costar David Hedison and a blooper reel. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season 1, Volume 2
Fox, 3 discs, 821 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 Volume 21, Issue 5
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season 1, Volume 2
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