Join the crew of the Seaview aboard their super high-tech submarine, where no mission is too dangerous and no threat is too deadly, be it enemy agents, mad scientists, deadly sea creatures, or impending nuclear disaster.
In its second season, Irwin Allen's science-fiction-adventure series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea shifted its tone from a mostly serious program based around stories of Cold War intrigue to an out-and-out fantasy show, complete with monsters, ghosts, and time travel. By the launch of its third season (1966-67), that format was firmly in place (solidified, no doubt, by the success of Allen's similarly themed Lost in Space and The Time Tunnel, which were also running at the same time), and the crew of the Seaview battled all manner of bizarre creatures over the course of the 13 episodes compiled in this three-disc set, including werewolves, radioactive plant creatures, dinosaurs, scores of aliens, and even a spook or two. Critics and first-season Voyage fans have decried these episodes for decades, but there's no denying that their child-like charms remain intact, even as the special effects age most ungracefully; highlights, such as they were, for the first half of season 3 include "Werewolf" (Richard Basehart's Admiral Nelson contracts a virus that turns him into a wolfman; this storyline was picked up in the second half of season 3 in "Brand of the Beast"), "Deadly Waters" (Kowalski's brother is trapped in a sub, but the crewman cannot save him), "The Lost Bomb" (the Seaview must deactivate a bomb on the ocean floor before an enemy sub reaches it), and the truly ludicrous "The Plant Man" (evil scientist wants to create an army of leafy green soldiers) and "The Terrible Toys" (aliens use toys to destroy the Seaview). Season 3, Volume 1 is rich with campy fun, and should carry considerable appeal to viewers who remember Voyage fondly from afternoon reruns. The set includes several extras, including interviews with star David Hedison (including an audio-only chat from 1966), galleries of publicity and episode shots (and a glimpse at the Voyage comic book), fan letters, and more. --Paul Gaita