The Fantastic Journey [DVD] [1977]

Firstly this 3 DVD set is for the Mediumrare UK RELEASE only. No doubt in the future this review will be jumbled up with the Vai Vision (AUSTRALIAN RELEASE) reviews like many other Amazon related products!!I also own the Australian release DVD set which in comparison with this UK release, the picture print is exactly the same. However the Australian release has major motion compression judders and sound issues. THIS brand new UK (Mediumrare) release has none!! The quality of the DVD Video picture runs smoothly and there are no sound issues. Interestingly it says on the DVD cover it's the first time on DVD release; which probally refers to the UK.Compared to an HQ vhs bootleg copy I had, the picture quality, though unrestored is direct from original elements and is TV Broadcast DVD Quality complete and uncut. Colours are vibrant and picture is detailed, though shows it's age. I've already binned the bootleg copy!! I think the DVD Cover design is really fantastic which depicts the era of the show.As a kid I remember this TV series way back in 1977. As Sci Fi TV shows go, they were a hit or miss with US TV channels, until STAR WARS hit the Cinemas within that year which in turn bolstered the Sci Fi genre to a whole new level. In the UK Sci Fi TV shows were more receptive and popular like Dr Who, Space 1999, The Tomorrow People etc.This could be one of the reasons 'THE FANTASTIC JOURNEY' was short lived to 10 episodes before it's cancellation, though now it has a cult status, in both US and Overseas. I think the idea of this TV show was a pre-cursor to 'SLIDERS' & 'QUANTUM LEAP' and is BRILLIANT.Basically beings from different worlds or time zones are lost in the Bermuda Triangle. In each episode the team of people (played by Jared Martin (Varian), Carl Franklin (Dr Fred Walters), Ike Eisenmann (Scott Jordan), Katie Saylor (Liana) and Roddy McDowall (Dr Jonathan Willoway)) jump from one time zone to the next encountering bizarre alien civilizations, pirates alike. Each episode are exciting, adventurous and action packed.Episodes: 1. Feature length Pilot called VORTEX: This kicks off the adventure as passengers of a small boat are lured into cloudy matter that transports them to a completely different dimension.2. Atlantium 3. Beyond the mountain 4. Children of the Gods 5. A dream of conquest 6. An act of love: Slight startling episode when Fire Sacrifices are made. 7. Funhouse: A very eerie episode, where Roddy McDowall Character (Dr Willoway) is taken over by a trapped being in the Funhouse. 8. Turnabout: Joan Collins guest stars. 9. Riddles 10. The innocent prey: Guest stars include Nicholas Hammond (Spiderman) and Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels)Each episodes is fun to watch, absorbing and very enjoyable, just as I remembered. 'The Fantastic Journey' concept is very clever, formulated storylines, yet fast paced. The Chemistry of the main Characters are developed nicely throughout this short run Series. One could only assumed that they eventually get back home. In reading the background of the making of 'The Fantastic Journey' , this TV Show, though brilliant was way ahead of it's time as I said, before STAR WARS took off! later that year. So was cancelled before it could of flourished.If you like The Fantastic Journey, this DVD set is a must buy.

This is a review for the MediumRare dvd (released 26/04/2021) of the 1970s classic, yet short-lived, tv series The Fantastic Journey.The 10 episodes are contained on 3 dvds, with each disc consisting of a basic menu screen with a couple of options including 'play all'. For a series that is 45 years old, I couldn't fault the image quality, which is crisp, clear and has a lovely colour tone. There are no issues with the sound either, which does exactly what it needs to. There are no extras.Overall, I'm really pleased with this release and would recommend it, especially for those who want a nostalgia fix for a fondly remembered piece of 70s sci-fi.

Generally there's very little between the 2 releases however the picture quality of the final episode takes a nosedive on the Australian set where the source is an obviously poor one. The rest are as good as you might expect when they've simply grabbed some tv masters. It's not a well known show and with only 10 episodes it wouldn't be a regular broadcast in the US syndication market so it's not been looked after as much as most other series. But for those of us of a certain age it made its mark even though the BBC aired it only twice, the last time being Xmas holiday mornings in 1978. And both runs skipped the "Funhouse" episode only turned up on British tv when Bravo aired it in the mid 90's. So the dvd is a long time coming but you can see why it only ran to 10 episodes , like other "quest" series like Planet of the Apes and Logans Run (still not out in the UK) the restrictions of formulaic US network tv of the time didn't allow the writers enough freedom to make the show good enough for long term success. Todays viewers seeing it fresh might wonder how it ever got made at all but nostalgia for these series enable us older viewers to keep our rose tinted glasses on.Always wonder why we see reviews pleased with the quality of a 45 year old show. Firstly , in comparison to other US shows of the same era and even decades older like Star Trek and Hawaii Five - O , Fantastic Journey is actually quite poor quality but it was shot on cinema quality 35mm film like the majority of US shows from the 50's to the 80's so it could look amazing - like Star Trek does on Bluray but as I mentioned above FJ never earned the respect given to other long running shows so it's unlikely ever to get a Trek style cleanup

There's a joke I read a while ago: "Nostalgia's not what it used to be." :-)This dvd boxset made me think of that. I saw this when it was shown back in 1977/1978 in the UK. At the time I liked it, but I had no real memory of it, other than the theme tune. That theme still holds up, although a voice-over after a few episodes was introduced to explain the various characters and what time periods they were from.The pilot episode isn't bad, but thereafter several of the cast members are not in the series itself and each episode is fairly unsophisticated by today's standards. Each week there's a different villain who wants to kill the travellers, and then all is forgiven, one of them (played by Roddy McDowall) actually joining them on their journey.Ironically the final two episodes showed some improvement, with the final episode - featuring Nicholas Hammond and Cheryl Ladd - arguably being the best, but of course by then the show had been cancelled. There was a similarly themed '80s series called 'Otherworld' where a family travelled to different zones in an attempt to get back home, but that was also short-lived.I had difficulty choosing a star rating, and gave it a three because the picture and sound quality are good and because of the aforementioned nostalgia factor.

Brings back memories of watching this in my teens, still a great sci-fi series shame it only lasted one season.Fantastic reproduction well worth buying.

Great to revisit a short-lived but enjoyable bit of sci-fi fun

A real waltz back in time....still great to watch!

Not great acting but watchable