Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 3: Vol. 1 (DVD, 2009, 3-Disc Set, Dual Side)

VOYAGE was one of my TV series boyhood favorites during the 1960s, so I must confess a strong personal bias toward this series right from the start...especially the 1st two Seasons. Those of us from that era may recall how television "celebrated" the switch to color capability through the use of lavish hues on-set, so different from today's often insipid and uninspired visuals. The DVD reissues of VTTBOTS' THIRD SEASON reflect this color-fixation well; the remasters are top notch quality, preserving nuances of hue (especially evident in Season 3) that make viewing them on today's wide screen TVs a delight. The images are clean and crisp, with No sloppy cuts at the commercial insertion points.
Richard Basehart, as always, evokes an astonishing stage presence in the role of Admiral Nelson. How refreshing it is to see a middle-aged actual man at the helm. It is well known that he regarded the Series' often ridiculous plot twists with more than a little disdain, but nevertheless gave his full measure as an actor to the role ("If we can make this believable, then we really ARE actors", he once remarked, probably with his trademark wry grin). It is a pleasure to see him at work, along with the other notable characters: David Hedison, as Capt. Lee Crane, and the cool and redoubtable 1st Offer Bob Dowdell, as Chip Morton.
On the whole, VOYAGE holds up quite well as light entertainment. Perhaps it's not as dramatically consistent nor as profound in its treatment of story material as the Vic Morrow/Rick Jason COMBAT! series but, nevertheless, it remains a very respectable accomplishment. In retrospect, it is interesting to observe the shift in thematic emphasis as the series progresses from true Science-fiction to Spy-vs-Spy (influenced by the phenomenal popularity of the 007/U.N.C.L.E. productions) to, near the end, kitschy "Science Fantasy" a la LOST IN SPACE (another Irwin production). The ability to view several episodes in quick succession with the DVDs allows the true fan to more fully appreciate these auteur aspects of VOYAGE, as well as the marvelous details of the sets. While it is easy to run down later episodes of the series due to their formulaic monster-of-the-week redundancy, there is still much to appreciate in the production as a whole. The FX shots of the sub's "Herculite" view ports are always well-done (FYI...the film images on the back projection screens were actually run during the takes for the benefit of the actors, not dubbed-in later in post production like today's computer generated stuff) and the shots of the 14-foot "glamor model" of the SEAVIEW slicing thru the waves always stirs my Inner Sea Soul.
The main theme song, with its' three famous introductory notes--vaguely reminiscent of a bo'sun's whistle--still sends a chill down your spine as the SEAVIEW's massive bass form emerges from beneath the transparent strings in a rousing flourish of harmonic spray!
The bonus material included on some DVD sets (a still photo gallery and a very brief and unfortunately rather dull interview with David Hedison) are OK, but seem like obligatory tack-on/afterthoughts rather than anything special. On the whole, though, I would rate this DVD Series as: ESSENTIAL TO LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. Watch a few episodes and you may undergo a Sea Change--walk a bit taller, as though you're in Santa Barbara at The Nelson Institute for Marine Research.

I love this box set. Something about growing up in the sixties watching an Irwin Allen production. Although the effects are dated in this computer generated society the stories are great and the show still holds up. Watching the submarine Seaview the flying sub etc...the music score..I hope they come out with season 4. A wonderful change of pace and a trip done memory lane. Very much worth your money if you enjoy old tv shows.

Is very nice to see Voyage agaim. It was my favorite tv show when I was a kid and my home tv was black and white and now I can see in colors and in a big screen. The best show ever.

all ways liked voyage when I was a kid and it has been many years since seeing it in its entirely it like watching it all over again and the quality of the transfers to DVD is excellent this is the definitive set to buy on voyage!

is like go back in time and enjoe when you are a kid.++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++​++++++++++++++++++