Starring Richard Basehart, David Hedison
Written By: Irwin Allen
Directed By:
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Buy on Amazon.com link

When I think of 60’s sci-fi, the first thing that comes to mind is Star Trek. After that, just about everything else fits into the same category. Campy usually comes to mind. Most shows were produced on a small budget and very few had decent writing and a strong cast. Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea just happened to be one of those shows that was light years ahead of its time.

Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea is more military-based sci-fi then it is anything else. The show follows the crew of the Seaview, the United States Navy’s advanced super submarine as it partakes in missions that no other sub or crew would dare to handle, whether that would be battling gigantic sea creatures or rescuing the shuttle of the first “manned” deep space voyage.

I don’t think that I have ever seen and episode of Voyage before getting this set. After the very first episode, I was hooked. From what I saw, I can honestly say that Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea is arguably some of the best science fiction that I have ever watched. The budget looks like it’s five cents short of a nickel but the great writing more than makes up for the so-so special effects. From the first episode titled “The Last Battle” in which a pocket of Nazi supporters have been plotting since the end of the second World War to bring about a new Nazi regime dubbed “The Fourth Reich” and causing World War III to the crew of the Seaview searching for the Loch Ness Monster in “The Secret of the Loch”, Voyage never seems to let up with the fun and excitement. The show contains a great mixture of military themes as well as your typical science fiction creatures from the early days of TV. Mad scientists, a robot who must “kill all humans”, invaders from the past bent on wiping out humanity, giant jellyfish and protoplasm monsters are all part of an honest days work aboard the Seaview. The military aspect of the show most likely stems from the event of our county during that time period. The Cold War was in full swing and the threat of nuclear war and a global disaster was all too real. Voyage did a great job of mixing those fears into the show with episodes such as “The Last Battle” and “The Exile”. As I mentioned before, the writers were ahead of the curve and were knowledgeable and accurate in their portrayal of the sci-fi aspects as well as the military issues. This also provided the audience with a good variety with each and every episode. Sometimes if felt like I was watching M.A.S.H and other times it was as if Lost In Space was on.

The set itself is a three disc set and contains the final 16 episodes of Season One. It’s also in the original black and white format and not that paint-by-number color jobs that they used to do on some shows after the fact. I don’t have the first half of Season One but the first season itself had to run about thirty episodes or more which by today’s standards is usually about five to ten episodes less. Even with all of those episodes, the show never seems stale and repetitive. Richard Basehart as Admiral Harriman Nelson and David Hedison as Captain Lee Crane are the focus of most of the episodes and they play the lead roles perfectly. One is a representative of the old Navy, the other part of the new generation of seaman, both learning from each other as friends and as fellow officers. Their relationship seems natural. They truly seem like friends and trust one another to take control when the situation arises. This is true with most of the crewmembers of the Seaview. You actually felt like you were one of them deep beneath the sea, trapped in the confines of a nuclear submarine serving with them. The core of the cast made you feel like you were one of them and I’m sure that this drew many a viewer back to the show each week.

Older sci-fi fans probably got to experience the heyday of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea firsthand. Younger sci-fi buffs might not be familiar with the show and may feel that something from this era is dated by today’s standards. For those who are not familiar with Voyage, let me say this…think back to the show that really put science fiction television on the map…you know which show I’m talking about. There seem to be many gems from the sixties that have yet to be uncovered by the modern day sci-fi fan. Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea is one of those shows that grabs you and don’t let you go. Many of the writers went on to write for shows such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mission Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man, Land Of The Giants, Lost In Space, and voila…Star Trek. Obviously, there were some creative geniuses on the writing staff payroll. Without a doubt, if you like any one of the shows that I mentioned you will find a permanent place on you DVD rack for Voyage. If you can get past the black and white picture that is in no way going to look good in HD and the dime store special effects and props, you will no doubt find yourself submerged in some of the best sci-fi that no one knows about.

Features:
David Hedison Interviews
Blooper Reel
Still Gallery

Audio:
English, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Closed Captioned

Video:
Full Frame (1.33:1)

Subtitles:
English and Spanish

Favorite Scenes: The Last Battle, Mutiny, Doomsday, The Exile, The Secret Of The Loch, The Traitor
Rating: NR
Running Time: 821 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: