Film #184 - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is the theatrically-released pilot for the similarly named television show starring Gil Gerard as Buck and Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering. As I mentioned in my review, Flash Gordon (made around the same time) tried to recreate the comic strip on the big screen. Buck, on the other hand, updates the look and story, no doubt because of its origins as a TV project. But even with the obviously lower budget that implies, its still a fun movie and a decent adaptation of the material.
To my eyes, Buck Rogers was always a rather plain looking strip, especially compared to its chief rival, Flash Gordon. This means that Buck had a lot more room for adaptation than Flash. Buck is just more flexible. When even high-profile comic book creators like Dan Jurgens can’t capture the feel of Flash properly, yet TSR was able to churn out decent Buck Rogers material with mostly no-name talent, you know the characters are very different.
In the film/TV version of Buck, he his frozen aboard his space shuttle and awoken 500 years later to find the Earth drastically changed. (Pretty close to the original, except he just fell asleep in a cave.) He finds that nuclear holocaust has decimated the planet (the hot topic of the time, no doubt today, it would be “global warming”) and that much of the control of civilization has been turned over to computers, including Dr. Theophilis (voiced by Howard F. Flynn), who takes a liking to Rogers, despite the sketchiness of his story. Col. Deering is not nearly as trusting, believing Rogers to be an agent of the space marauders who have been plaging the Earth. She and Dr. Huer (Tim O’Connor) are concerned that Buck’s actions will endanger the peace treaty Earth is to sign with the Draconians, led by the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Ardala (Pamela Hensley) and his Earth-born advisor, Kan (Henry Silva). The Draconians, of course, are really out to destroy the Earth and Buck, with the aid of his robotic companion Twiki (Felix Silla, voice by Mel Blanc), must try to prove their ill intentions and his own innocence.
It basically plays out like what it is, a two hour pilot. The film establishes who everyone is, what the political situation is and points to where the series would go. Buck and Wilma’s strained relationship is very much in the traditional she-pretends-to-hate-him-because-she-loves-him vein, but is saved by the real chemistry between Gerard and Gray. The plot is not too convoluted and only occasionally dates itself terribly (like in the “disco” scene). Mostly it works pretty darn well.
There is very little done to make the material look better for theaters compared with what would have been seen on television. The theme song (an instrumental on the show) is a fully orchestrated version with lyrics and is played over an opening credits sequence that owes more than a little to the James Bond film series. (Think scantily-clad women slinking all over the place.) The effects are decent, but are not up to the level of contemporary films. They aren’t even on the level of Battlestar Galactica, which also had its pilot reworked for theaters, albeit after already appearing on television.
As previously alluded to, one of the strengths of Buck Rogers is its cast. They were obviously enjoying themselves as they play off each other really well. Witty banter between characters can often be cringe-worthy, but its mostly surprisingly good here. Buck’s jargon may come off a bit dated today, but he definitely sounds like he’s from the late 70s/early 80s. And the people of the future portray just the right level of bemusement at his attitudes and idiosyncrasies. Erin Gray portrays a really strong female (a rarity for the day), in line with Wilma’s character in the strip, but with a stronger edge and more authority.* Henry Silva shows why he was the go-to guy for mid-level villainy in the 70s with a deliciously wicked turn as Kane. But it must be said that it is Gil Gerard’s natural charm and sense of good humor, despite Buck’s trying circumstances, that holds the whole thing together.
I’ve always liked Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Unlike the “re-imaginings” of today, they tried to update the look and details of the story without losing sight of the adventurous nature of the original series. While the effects, costumes and sets do look a bit cheap today, they are at least consistant and the cast is able to sell them well enough. The series may not have ever lived up to the potential shown by the movie, but all on its own, it’s still a great piece of entertainment.
* And I must admit I had a huge crush on Erin Gray back then. Heck, I never really stopped having a crush on her. I watched Silver Spoons for her, for gosh sakes.