Opening titles represent a practice that is being abandoned by big Hollywood productions, and this is a shame, because opening titles, when applied with enough creativity, can be an art in themselves. Good examples can be found in classic Hitchcock thrillers and, even more notably, in James Bond films, where they represent an important ingredient of the formula. For years many filmmakers, for one reason or another, have tried to use Bond‑like opening titles, but few did it as effectively and successfully as in the case of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the 1979 science‑fiction film directed by Daniel Haller.
The film begins with a prologue describing how in November 1987 NASA launched its last deep‑space probe, manned by William ‘Buck’ Rogers (played by Gil Gerard). The probe was affected by strange space phenomena that froze the craft and its occupant, who would spend the next few centuries in cryogenic sleep (which included some fantasies of a mildly erotic nature, used for the title sequence). Rogers is awoken in the year 2491 aboard a spaceship belonging to the humanoid alien race of Draconians and commanded by Princess Ardala (played by Pamela Hensley), who travels to Earth to conduct trade negotiations. When Rogers, for whom Ardala apparently develops some sort of affection, finally returns to Earth, he sees that many things have changed in half a millennium – civilisation is technologically advanced enough to allow for space travel, but Earth is still recovering from a nuclear holocaust and depends on trade with other spacefaring civilisations. This is the reason why the Draconians use increased space piracy as an excuse for their sinister scheme aimed at subjugating Earth. However, it is Rogers with his old‑fashioned, forgotten but very useful skills who foils their plans with the help of Colonel Wilma Deering (played by Erin Grey), an Earth Defense Directorate officer.
The film is based on the 1929 science‑fiction novella Armageddon 2419 by Philip Francis Nowlan, which was soon adapted into a radio serial, a series of popular comic books, and a 1939 film serial starring Buster Crabbe – one of those B‑film serials that would decades later inspire George Lucas for Star Wars. The success of that particular film allowed producer Glen A. Larson, already known for his own space opera Battlestar Galactica, to bring Buck Rogers back to the screen in the form of a big‑budget television series. Just like with Galactica, the feature‑length pilot episode was distributed theatrically and its success at the box‑office not only guaranteed the continuation of the series (which would ultimately outlive Galactica by half a season), but also helped cover the relatively high cost of its production.
Comparisons between Galactica and Buck Rogers point to the latter having less ambition, less depth in content and, just like classic B‑film serials, being made primarily for a younger audience. Children were to be entertained by the ‘cute’ robot Twiki, which is accompanied by the computer Dr Theopolis (voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc), while male teenagers were supposed to be attracted by fan service that starts with the opening sequence and continues with two leading ladies wearing revealing or ridiculously tight costumes. The generally light tone of the film is maintained with ‘fish out of water’ comedy, and Gil Gerard is quite good at providing it. One of the more memorable examples is a ball scene during which Buck Rogers introduces Princess Ardala to some cool disco‑dancing moves. Unfortunately, the action‑packed finale, in an attempt to remain within the general parameters of campy silliness, ends up being uninspiring and unconvincing even for this kind of film. Buck Rogers in the end leaves a mostly positive impression, and fans of space opera shouldn’t complain too much.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/3786-buck-rogers-in-the-25th-century Critic: AA
