Earth II (1971) is a television pilot that didn’t make it to series. Within the TV movie, Earth II is an orbiting space station, which the U.S. President Durant believes will be the beginning of a new society intended to “put an end to such things as hunger, pollution, disease, natural disasters” and “discover new supplies of vital natural resources.” Earth II is intended to be autonomous, independent from all nations, open to all individuals who want to join them. With that set-up, the series had the potential for endless stories.
Buy Earth II Blu-rayYears after its launch, Frank Karger (Tony Franciosa), who worked on the station, immigrates to it along with his wife Lisa (Mariette Hartley) and their son Matt. During customs, they learn no weapons are allowed on Earth II, not even a toy gun. David Seville (Gary Lockwood), who previously worked with Frank, is in charge. Yet many of the important decisions that affect Earth II are put to a vote among the pe.
China shoots a rocket with thermonuclear warheads into orbit near Earth II and have it aimed at Moscow. Understandably, this causes international tension, but China warns against anyone tampering with it. David thinks they should trust China and leave it alone. Frank thinks they should confiscate and take control of it. Put to a vote, Frank’s choice wins.
The extended sequences dealing with the rocket reveal the movie’s flaws as they contain too much talking and very little action. There’s an initial discussion between world leaders. Then a debate and vote back on Earth II. A two-man crew approach the Chinese rocket and one opens an exterior panel to access the controls. While it may be technically accurate, the activity is so slow it is excruciating to sit through, especially after what has occurred prior. In addition, not enough has happened for the audience to connect with the characters, so when Anton (Edward Bell) receives life-threatening injuring, it generates little concern for the viewer.
Surgery is required for Anton, and in an absolutely bizarre scene, the doctor is working on the patient while the nurse and the equipment are on the ceiling, standing upright due to zero-g. Other than to show off special effects, there’s no logical reason for the operating room to work like this.
David and others want to send warheads toward the sun where they will harmlessly explode while Frank wants to take control of the weapons for the protection of Earth II. Disagreeing with her husband, Lisa takes it upon herself to jettison the rocket, but being a photographer, she doesn’t know what she she doesn’t know and inadvertently sends the warheads towards Earth. Now this sequence is suspenseful, although it does make one wonder how something that could be so catastrophic has no fail safe to protect it. Once back aboard, there’s a bomb-defusing sequence further complicated by the sun whose light will heat the bombs and cause them to blow. Surprisingly, there is no punishment for Lisa taking this unilateral action.
The video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at its original aspect ratio 1.33:1 created from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative. The image delivers the neutral colors of the futuristic production design with accurate renderings of the limited bold hues and inky blacks. A pleasing amount of film grain and fine texture details are on display. The special-effects composite shots look good as the space vehicles look believable as they move about. However, the higher resolution increases how phony the rear-projection images look.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is satisfactory from its limited source. Dialogue is clear as are the effects. They are balanced well in the mix along with composer Lalo Schifrin’s (Mission:Impossible) score, which comes through with good fidelity of the orchestra. The only extra is the Trailer.
Earth II is science fiction that focuses on the cerebral. It plays like it wants to be 2001: A Space Odyssey, but for the most part, the script lacks compelling characters and the plot lacks tension in the conflicts. For its fans, the Blu-ray offers quality video.
