BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1979) ***

 

Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century was one of the rare TV pilots that was released to theaters ahead of the series’ television premiere.  Since it was cashing in on Star Wars, it was a sizeable hit.  Too bad the show only lasted two seasons because it was a lot of fun.

I have particularly fond memories of the show growing up.  While Princess Leia was always my first crush, Princess Ardala (Pamela Hensley) from Buck Rogers was the first time I remember being introduced to the concept of a “bad girl” who could be just as sexy, if not more so, than the heroine.  It’s funny, because I also had a big crush on Erin Gray, who played Wilma Deering, Buck’s trusted compatriot.  Wilma is pure, independent, beautiful, and every bit a match for Buck.  Ardala is sexy, wicked, and minces around in outfits so skimpy they would make Barbarella blush.  Although both characters are alluring in their own way, you definitely get the feeling the Madonna/Whore Complex was still going strong in the 25^th Century. 

The opening credits sequence for the movie are kind of jaw-dropping, especially if you’re only used to seeing the show’s opening credits.  This sequence is clearly modeled on the Bond openings as they feature Gray, Hensley, and a bevy of other beauties in space bikinis lounging around on top of the florescent Buck Rogers logo.  There’s only one way to describe it, and I think the term the kids use today is “Thirsty”. 

In the twentieth century, astronaut Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard) takes off in a rocket ship on a space mission.  There is an accident, and he winds up frozen in time, perfectly preserved for five hundred years.  The evil Draconian Princess Ardala, who is on her way to attack Earth, finds Rogers’ ship, awakens him, and hopes to use him as a pawn in her schemes.  When Buck is accused of treason, he has to clear his name and sets out to singlehandedly take down the Draconian forces. 

Even as a fan of the show, I readily admit all of this is a little clunky.  Even though it’s essentially two episodes strung together, there really isn’t enough plot to fill a half-hour sitcom.  Ardala’s plan is sketchy at best, and Buck’s Rip Van Winkle syndrome isn’t fully mined for its fullest potential.  (Although the series would get some mileage out of it down the road.) 

It was clearly inspired by Star Wars, and as far as the Star Wars rip-offs that populated theaters in the ‘70s and ‘80s go, it’s one of the best.  It gives you everything you want to see in a Star Wars rip-off and manages to be quite entertaining while doing so.  As far as cute robots go, I always thought Twiki (Felix Silla, with the voice of Mel Blanc) got a bad rap.  I couldn’t get enough of him when I was a kid, and I like him well enough now.  (I still have my action figure.)  While he doesn’t really talk as much as he’d later would in the series, he gets plenty of funny lines like, “I’m freezing my ball bearings off!”.  The interstellar dogfights are well done, and the effects still hold up for the most part now.

Gerard is perfect as Buck.  He’s sort of square, sure, but he’s immensely likeable and doesn’t take it all too seriously.  Henry Silva is well-cast and shows admirable restraint as Kane, Ardala’s right hand man.  Gray is good too, although it takes some time to get used to her blonde hair as she’d later go brunette for the rest of the series. 

The movie really belongs to Hensley.  My God.  She is definitely in the top three babes of all time.  People give the scene at the big ball where Buck introduces the twenty-fifth century to rock n’ roll (although it sounds more like disco) a lot of shit, but who cares what the music sounds like when Hensley is drop dead gorgeous throughout?  People talk about Princess Leia in her metal bikini, but I’ll take the white bikini Ardala any day.  (Even if she is saddled with a headdress that looks like it came from the closet of the Grand Poobah from The Flintstones.)