Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)

A 20th century astronaut emerges out of 500 years of suspended animation into a future time where Earth is threatened by alien invaders.

Director:

Daniel Haller

Writers:

Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Pamela Hensley

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
Pamela Hensley	...	Princess Ardala
Erin Gray	...	Colonel Wilma Deering
Henry Silva	...	Kane
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Joseph Wiseman	...	King Draco
Duke Butler	...	Tigerman
H.B. Haggerty	...	Tigerman #1
Felix Silla	...	Twiki (body)
Caroline Smith	...	Delta Section
John Dewey Carter	...	Supervisor (as John Dewey-Carter)
Kevin Coates	...	Pilot
David Cadiente	...	Comtel Officer
Gil Serna	...	Technician
Larry Duran	...	Draconian Guard

Storyline

In 1987, Captain William "Buck" Rogers pilots his space shuttle Ranger 3 on a mission but a meteor storm freezes him into an orbit that returns him to Earth - 500 years later. In 2491, his shuttle is found and captured by the Draconian flagship, under the command of Princess Ardala and her second-in-command Kane. Reviving him, they return him to Earth after secretly planting a homing beacon aboard his shuttle to track a path through Earth's defense barrier. Buck is under arrest and learns that Earth has been rebuilt over the centuries in his absence following a nuclear holocaust. Buck Rogers must adjust to the 25th century, and convince the Terrans that the Draconians are secretly planning to conquer Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

space opera | buck rogers character | psychotronic film | 25th century | princess from outer space | 

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Taglines:

The original space man! The ultimate trip! Buck Rogers swings back to earth and lays it on the 25th Century!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally, Twiki was just going to make unintelligible electronic noises (the "biddi-biddi-biddi" sound) and Dr. Theopolis was to act as his translator. However, this was deemed to be too similar to R2-D2 and C-3PO from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and so Twiki was given a voice of his own.

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Goofs

When Captain Buck Rogers fights Tigerman in the launch bay of the Draconian flagship, the actor is very dissimilar from the one in the rest of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [voiceover during narration] In the year 1987, at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA launched the last of America's deep space probes. The payload, perched on the nose cone of the massive rocket, was a one-man exploration vessel - Ranger 3. Aboard this compact starship, a lone astronaut - Captain William "Buck" Rogers - was to experience cosmic forces beyond all comprehension. An awesome brush with death: in the blink of an eye, his life support systems were frozen by ...

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Crazy Credits

Erin Gray and Pamela Hensley appear as "dream girls" along side their names in the original (theatrical) credits.

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Alternate Versions

The television version of this film (called "Awakening") features scenes in Buck's 25th century apartment that was not seen in the theatrical version. The epilogue dialogue / setup for the television series also takes place here.

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Connections

Referenced in Free Enterprise (1998)

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Soundtracks

Buck vs. Tigerman
(uncredited)
Composed by Stu Phillips

User Reviews

Bidi-bidi-bidi....

If that phrase puts you in the mind of Gil Gerard, Erin Gray and lots of "Star Wars"-derived FX, you already know where a movie like "Buck Rogers" is coming from.

If not, then let me enlighten you.

Most everyone familiar with sci-fi know Buck's story (frozen astronaut from 20th century is revived in the 25th century, must learn to re-adapt). This was old news as far back as the '40s.

But in the '70s...well.... Let's just say that it looks new. For the '70s.

Gil is game as Buck, shooting laser guns and cracking wise and making a good space-age hero. And Gray's Wilma Deering is both stern and soft as the Earth's military leader. Felix Silla makes a good impression as Twiki (with a more-than-equal assist from Mel Blanc's voice wizardry) and as Princess Ardala, Hensley gives what must be the most sensual performance from an alien up to that point in time.

But the special effects are clearly from the '70s, as is the music (disco music in the 25th century? Someone must have unearthed Studio 54.) and the set design: its glittery, shiny look may have been futuristic then, but now it just looks more '70s than anything else.

Yes, it's a dated future.

But is it entertaining?

Pretty much. No one went into this thinking they were making "2001", but are spots here and there where it looks like everyone was having a good time with the material. Especially Gil, who just plain has fun with his role as the 25th century's loosest guy.

Too bad they cut out Wiseman's work as King Draco. Some of his best stuff since "Dr. No".

Six stars. Here's to futures past.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Awakening

Filming Locations:

Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites - 404 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$21,671,241

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,671,241

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bruce Lansbury Productions, Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1