Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe

Olive Films has come through again with their clear picture and sound. I have had other copies of this tv series/serial (yes, I know---that point is up for debate) that have been from watchable to downright pretty poor. Those different ones have varied between the theatrical version and the television version, which is a tad shorter in running time for inserting commercials. (One can tell by the openings and closings.) I can finally junk the others and totally enjoy this version. Olive Films has the full, unedited theatrical non-letterbox version of "Commando Cody: Sky Marshall of the Universe". It's always amazing how well Olive Films does with their copies of different films and how great their Blu-ray copies have been. Hopefully we see some more (and better) Republic serials in the future in great quality from Olive Films.

Once you get past their concept of space travel (which would change dramatically within five years) there are some pretty interesting stories in this serial like germ warfare and weather manipulation. This is not a cliffhanger serial (it was originally filmed for television and given chapters for the movie theater) but a "we solved that problem what's the bad guy going to do next" kind of serial.The bad guy is "The Ruler" who bounces from galaxy to galaxy intend on ruling the universe. He alternately wants to conquer and destroy the Earth and Commando Cody and the radio active shield around the Earth stand in his way. The Ruler has agents on Earth and rocket ships above the protective shield creating havoc for the planet. But Commando Cody arrives in time (whether by rocket pack or rocket ship) to save the day with a little gun play (both conventual and ray) and lots of fisticuffs.This is a little more "mature" serial because people die frequently (but not graphically.) There is a little bit of humor and some "cheesecake" to top it off.Will The Ruler and Commando Cody finally stand face-to-face? You'll just have to buy this DVD to find out.

Growing up in Boston during the fifties there was a five o'clock movie every Monday through Friday afternoon. The allotted running time was an hour and a half. Every once in a while the movie would end early and the time would be filled with a chapter of one serial or another. I was hooked on serials. Serials were shown in chapters, usually lasting 15 minutes each. Major movie studios all produced serials as did minor, now long defunct studios. The serials were a great marketing tool. In order to see what happened next you would have to return to the theater the following week.Republic studios was the king of serials. No one could beat them. The serials faded away by the early mid 50's. As I watched Commando Cody I noticed a couple of interesting things. Each "chapter" lasted 25 minutes as apposed to 15 minutes. All serials ended with cliffhanger situations. Each "chapter" of Commando Cody ended with the situation being resolved. From start to end it was an ongoing story about nailing the bad guy. I suspect that Commando Cody was Republic Pictures foray into television series.

Typical serial entertainment from the 1950's. I watched it one episode at a time, so there was always a cliff-hanger at the end of each episode. If you like old movies, you will find it fairly entertaining, although there are a lot of plot holes. But since it was made for 10 year old kids, that's not a very important factor. Those who have watched a lot of these films, will spot the recycling of props, but that part is just funny.The special effects were done by the Lydecker brothers, who did the best special effects in the 1940's and 1950's. They did a pretty amazing job, considering there were no CGI effects.Also, everything in the film is "Atomic" since no one knew what that was, or how dangerous it was. But it worked out real well in that universe. .

For those of us who love the other Commando Cody serials, this was certainly watchable but it lacked the zing of a serial type finish. That's because it had none. I always enjoyed the great lie at the end of every serial chapter. You were always certain the hero was a goner only to pull a last-minute stunt to survive the danger. This show would be regarded as one of the earliest superhero tv shows and for this it deserves consideration. However, tv was in its infancy and Republic could not quite convert a serial production into tv episodes. I still enjoyed,it!

Multiple freezes and sound drop outs starting at about 24 minutes into Episode 9 Solar Sky Raiders and continuing into Episode 10 S.O.S. Ice Age. Rinsed disc with water and dried thoroughly but no difference. Up to this point I was really enjoying this nostalgic serial from my childhood. I hope the replacement is better from Amazon and will upgrade my review accordingly. Don't know if the remaining Episodes 11 and 12 have this problem or not as the disc is unwatchable in its current state.EDIT: Replacement disc 2 copy played without error. Not sure if disc 1 stayed ok. Added 1 star to my rating.This is strictly a popcorn serial experience, although some dispute it as a true serial. Unlike some 1950s sci-fi productions that make some attempt at scientific accuracy, be prepared to suspend all science (and some logic) when watching this series. People living on Mercury complete with trees is one of the more glaring examples.

Commando Cody and his small team defends Earth from an alien intending to rule the universe. Intended as a TV series, this is a continuation of the earlier serials style without the cliff-hangers. Cost cutting is evident with essentially two sets; the office and the space ship and no chases. If you like the Commando Cody character, you will probably like this. Image is quite good.

nella sua semplicità rappresenta un'epoca in cui tutto sembrava semplice se solo la tecnologia può aiutare. lo trovo delizioso e immagino chi lo vide da bambino quanto potrebbe amarlo oggi.

As a Kid, I loved going to the Saturday Matinee . The serial action episodes were great.

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