Titreenp
SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Rio Hayward
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
captain_freon
All but a handful of the shows could have easily fit into a 30 minute TV time slot. They stretched things out with filler dialog that added little or nothing to the story line. I liked the old 1960's version better, discounting the limited special affects of the time period. It was a better time of society, it came through in the shows.
liberalgems
The six episodes here reflect the very best, and worst, of the series.Since The Outer Limits always preaches a moral. I would like to offer my own. Starting with the most entertaining to the flops.Favorite Number 1. Afterlife: As an institution, The U.S.A. military-industrial complex is both evil and paranoid, not to mention plain stupid. However, individuals with great integrity do serve our country, and they will obey their conscience even at a mind-boggling cost! In the end, the aliens don't need to say a word. Those without a conscience are fools who are to be held in utter contempt! A truly subversive episode! One that should be shown on prime time television for all to see! This might be a revelation for some, but folks without a conscience should not be allowed to serve in our military! Nor do the ends justify the means! Favorite Number 2. Relativity Theory: A good person may be forced to make a split-second decision between good or evil in order to save the lives of defenseless intelligent beings, and at great cost to one's self. What makes this decision all the more difficult is the stark choice: Being marooned with exotic alien strangers who you can't even communicate with except through gestures, or going along with a group of people you think will keep you safe from unknown dangers even if they are ruthless, and devoid of compassion! This episode is brilliant! What fuels this depravity is good old fashioned greed. This episode is one of the most scathing indictments of capitalism, transnational corporations and raping the environment, I have ever seen in my lifetime! Unlike real life, justice here is served - and swiftly! One of the most memorable lines is when the ruthless corporate thug said something to the effect, "We did the same thing in the Amazon Rainforest War." Alluding to the killing of Amazonian Indians who were attempting to protect their rain forests from being strip mined, as justification for killing again literally in the name of the "survival of the fittest." Something Darwin never meant to be taken literally! Favorite Number 3. Alien Shop: Tremendous power can be used for good, even from an exotic alien. This power can be used to heal instead of destroy. Mere mortals can learn from their mistakes! Even a criminal can see the light if given enough opportunity to do so.Sometimes it takes strong medicine, but we all can wake-up and change our self-destructive ways! Favorite Number 4. The Grell: An alien can be a Christ-like figure! In the distant future, slavery can be justified, once again, in the name of expediency! Basically good people can be corrupted. Sometimes a person needs to be experience great shame in order to see the evil he/she is committing. Children are closer to the truth than adults. Those with political power have tremendous responsibility! Another work of genius! As a species, "Do human beings learn from history?" Flop Number 1: Quality of Mercy: Loose Lips, Sinks Ships! When in war kindly keep your mouth shut about important military plans. Gee, did I really need to watch an hour-long soap opera in order to figure this out?!! I wonder, did the makers of The Outer Limits run out of ideas, or did corporate pull the plug? Dark and ugly, serving no purpose, but despair! Flop Number 2: Beyond The Veil: So bad there is no moral but this: When locked-up in a mental hospital, use some common sense, please! This episode is so bad it disgusts. What an X-Files rip-off! Don't waste your time on this one! You'll thank me later! It's a sad commentary that The Outer Limits went down the tubes toward the end of its run. Subversive episodes, like the first four, could not last forever! It was a miracle they were made at all! Hopefully, someday, other brave souls will follow the subversive Outer Limits tradition into new territory! If you happen to be such a daring person, a good place to start is with one unique book: "Anatomy Of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction," edited by Neil Barron! As far as I'm concerned, one of the most comprehensive books ever written on the subject!
Justin Gifford
The Outer Limits is a brilliant show that for the most part leaves me with very strong emotions. There are, undoubtedly, some stinker-episodes, but it's essentially an old pulp-comic turned into a TV-show, so that can be expected. For the most part it's excellently done, well produced and directed, and often featuring some big-name talent who seem to enjoy working in a solid translation of short fiction to hour long television format.The Outer Limits tends to focus on rather large ethical/philosophical/moral questions and rarely ends without the voice-over intciting serious thought.From time-to-time, the themes are hammered in a little bit too heavily for all but the most thick-headed viewers. Additionally, while a certain level of distrust of the Government is conducive to an effective democracy, you can unluckily catch several episodes back-to-back that border on the absurd with regards to distrust of the Army/CIA, etc. One further note is that any large group with power (the Roman Catholic Church, Evangelicals, The People's Republic of China, and so on) are cast in a bad light in frequency ranging from once to often.While the show can beat a dead horse if it's watched enough, the overall quality is astounding, and I'm grateful that Sci-Fi has decided to continue airing it until they produce a season-by-season DVD set (and I can afford it.
michael tricoci
The Outer Limits is a unique show that includes material that appeals to a very large/diverse audience without "selling out" like many Hollywood movies. The science fiction aspect is authentic and detailed while simple enough and explained well enough to be understood by any interested viewer. Each episode will provoke ongoing thought. The cast changes from episode to episode, however there are a couple stories/characters which are revisited time and again. You will also recognize some known faces. It seems almost every time I see the show there is a famous actor/actress playing one the main characters. I remember Alyssa Milano, Kevin Nealin, Natashia Henstrich, Ryan Reynolds and many others that fail to come to mind (sp?). There are many great episodes; I recommend finding and watching the episode "Ship". I do not know which season it is from.
