Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea – Season Two: Volume Two

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Episodes: C+

 

 

Put on your wetsuit and voyage to the nearest DVD retailer for another exciting underwater adventure.  The latest release of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea finishes off Season Two with Volume Two.  The end of the 1965-1966 Season is interesting in that it used the same elements that made the prior episodes good, using props, sets, and costumes from the original movie by the same title (not many series got this opportunity).

 

This season was no where as deep and good as Season One, mainly relying on monsters for the plot rather than actual storylines, but still had its moments.  With money pouring into the series, it was long running with America captivated by the sci-fi nature of the series.  For more on the series refer the Season Two: Volume One review found else where on this site, which covers the series very accurately.

 

With rampaging dinosaurs, fire falling from the heavens, and a ghost U-Boat Captain, the series was needless to say unique.  The cast had good chemistry, though the acting does seem a bit rehearsed and stuffy at times.

 

This wet and wild Season includes the following brilliant episodes with original broadcast dates:

 

Terror On Dinosaur Island (Dec 26, 1965)

Killers of the Deep (Jan 2, 1966)

Deadly Creature Below! (Jan 9, 1966)

The Phantom Strikes (Jan 16, 1966)

The Sky's On Fire (Jan 23, 1966)

Graveyard of Fear (Jan 30, 1966)

The Shape of Doom (Feb 6, 1966)

Dead Man's Doubloons (Feb 13, 1966)

The Death Ship (Feb 20, 1966)

The Monster's Web (Feb 27, 1966)

The Menfish (Mar 6, 1966)

The Mechanical Man (Mar 13, 1966)

The Return of the Phantom (Mar 20, 1966)

 

 

The technical aspects of this DVD release are adequate in the areas of picture and sound, but nothing special.  The picture is once again presented in the original 1.33 X 1 Full Frame, the color balance is good but there are spurts of faint picture blurriness throughout.  Prints can be inconsistent, but when the DeLuxe color looks good, it is very good.  The sound is once again available in both Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo and Mono, not having much a difference between the two to this reviewer.  The sound is simple but does the job.  The extras include a David Hedison interview (Captain Lee Crane himself) and a not so exciting still gallery.  The technicals overall are simple but sufficient, just like the series.

 

Irwin Allen’s science fiction hit still captures the hearts and minds of many, though it is somewhat dated.  That is two seasons down, two to go.  We’ll be back with the rest soon.

 

 

-   Michael P Dougherty II