Space Precinct: The Complete Series (1994 – 1995/Image DVD Set)
Picture: B- Sound:
B- Extras: D Episodes: B-
Producer Gerry Anderson made his biggest splash in
television entertainment with the much loved Thunderbirds that
featured incredible models and the wonder of “SuperMarionation”, a kind of
sophisticated puppetry most recently spoofed in 2004’s uproarious Team
America. In 1995 Anderson resurrected a
never completed project mixing his usual excellent model work with live
actors. Space Precinct includes
the complete series, comprising five discs and twenty-four episodes in
all. Although the show mixes in plenty
of kooky aliens (rubber and latex masks abound), the stories focus on human
cops Patrick Brogan (ably played by Ted Shackleford) and his hot-headed rookie
partner, Jack Haldane (NYPD Blue’s Rob Youngblood). Transferred to the planet Altor’s Demeter City police department, Brogan and
Haldane wrestle with alien criminals in an alien environment. The only constant for them lies in the nature
of the crimes these felons commit: rape, murder, drug pushing, and all of the
other vices that drive crime in a big city.
Anderson and his team manage to portray a remarkably gritty Demeter City, with the excellent model work and
solid use of sets and locations making up for an obvious lack of production
dollars. While Shackleford and
Youngblood carry the show with convincing (if campy) performances, some of the
supporting cast lack the necessary spark to make magic out of some pretty
interesting scripts. Some of this is
attributable to the special effects the actors playing the aliens were
encumbered with. Although the animation
of some of the masks made for some visually striking aliens, the mouths and
eyes never quite synchronize with the character dialogue. This seems like a small issue, but it can
become irritating through two dozen episodes.
Sadly, this boxed contains no extra material. The cast and
crew of a show as colorful as this one probably have a lot of fun stories to
share, but you won’t hear them here. The transfers themselves are solid, and
the sound is adequate.
The stories tackled by Space Precinct’s creators run the
gamut of the hard-boiled crime genre: drugs, prostitution, alien trafficking,
and murder being chief among these offenses.
The juxtaposition of these elements with the sci-fi background works,
and despite sometimes awkward dialogue, flat performances, and sketchy
costumes, the series provides plenty of action, suspense, and thrills for the
serious science fiction fan.
- Scott Pyle
