Captain Video was such a nationwide sensation that in 1951, Columbia Pictures Corporation contracted to produce a theatrical serial of the Captain's exploits, the first TV show ever to be adapted to the big screen. The ... more »results, Captain Video, Master of the Stratosphere has been hailed as "a nostalgic delight all the way through... a unique concoction, quite unlike any other serial ever made!" (Roaring Rockets). "Captain Video, Master of Space! Hero of Science! Operating from his secret mountain headquarters on the planet Earth! Captain Video rallies men of good will and leads them against the forces of evil everywhere! As he rockets from planet to planet, let us follow the champion of justice, truth and freedom throughout the universe! Stand by for "Captain Video and his Video Rangers!" Bonus Features: Digitally Mastered & Restored | Photo Gallery & Sci-Fi Poster Gallery | Actor Bios | Scene Selection Menu | Bonus Serial Trailers. Specs: 2-DVD9s; Dolby Digital Mono; 297 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1951; SRP - $29.99.« less
"I saw this serial in theatricial re-release in the late 50s without the tinted scenes. Actually, I didn't know it had tinted scenes until I got the new DVD. VCI Entertainment has done a great job of putting this DVD together. The picture quality and film transfer are excellent. The special features include a nice selection of Sci-Fi trailers and bios of the stars. The major flaw I found with the DVD was the VCI logo popping up in the bottom right corner of the screen every few minutes. That was disturbing. So much so that I phoned VCI and made a formal complaint to the customer service department. When I'm watching a movie I don't want to see on-screen logos and advertisement. That's one of my major objections to watching network T.V.. When I pay hard earned cash for a quality DVD I certainly don't want to see a logo pop up. This is one reason I purchase my DVDs and don't record them off TCM. VCI's response to me was very couteous. The service rep stated that the logo was inserted to dissuade pirating. Pirating is not my problem. Other home video companies manage to put copy guard inside their product. I didn't buy the DVD to copy it. There was no Paramount logo popping up in my new DVD of the original "War Of The Worlds." I will make sure that I phone VCI in the future before I purchase their products. If the logo is not a problem for you, then you will love this new DVD. If it is a problem, then save your money."
So you'll know: Not the TV Series.
Larry Gott | Dallas, TX USA | 01/15/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you're looking for the 1949-1955 TV series with Al Hodge as Captain Video and Don Hastings as the Video Ranger, this is not it. Unhappily, most of all the footage from that series died when the old Dumont Network died in the late 50's.
For those of you like me who are nostalgic over the TV series, there are a number of websites about Captain Video, so see Wikipedia for a starting place with links: [...]
THIS DVD is the movie serial that was made with different actors, and seems to be the FIRST TV Show to be made into a movie!
Just thought you might want to know...
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I love the old movie serials!
Steven Yates | CT, USA | 10/12/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I have three Flash Gordons, a Phantom and now, Captain Video! First, the serious criticism. Wooden acting, cheap-looking sets, hand-drawn animation special FX, an impossibly involved, contrived plot, meaningless science-babble jargon. But those are also the charms of this serial. If you want to enjoy some campy fun with good guys versus bad guys, no blood and gore, action a-plenty and happy ending, welcome to Captain Video!!!!!"
A very poor serial
Nayland Smith | 04/04/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"First there is the problem of the VCI logo flashing every four minutes for twenty seconds. It is completely unacceptable to interfere with potential enjoyment of a product in that fashion.
That said, it is hard to enjoy this serial. Virtually the entire serial is a repeat of a basic car chase and the use of some ridiculous gadget at headquarters to resolve the cliffhanger.
Captain Video is frozen on a distant planet and headquarters just happens to locate him and send out a defroster beam. Pure cheese.
This serial is for completist collectors only. Others should look elsewhere"
Great Collection!
justice4all72 | 04/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Captain Video rules! I bought this DVD on a whim not expecting much during amazon's sci fi dvd sale. This is actually a great serial. The quality of the DVD is really really good considering i've read that many of the episodes were destroyed in the 70's for its silver content. Great fun for the whole family if the kids can stand cheesy effects compared to tv today. But this show is clean and fun for all ages and you can't beat the $13 price tag for 2 DVD's. Also from reading many reviews of the VCI logo that appears in the corner of the screen, they must have re-released these DVD's because the logo has not popped up on my screen ever. The back of the box states copyright 2007 and it was originally released in 2005. Buy this collection you won't be disappointed!"