Amazing Stories - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Some great directors and some great stars
Disadvantages:	It is a product of the 1980s so some of the special effects seem dated

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

In addition to being a well-respected movie director and producer, Steven Spielberg has also dabbled quite a bit in television. BAND OF BROTHERS, TAKEN and INTO THE WEST are all highly acclaimed TV miniseries that he was an executive producer for, but during the 1980s he also created the sci-fi/fantasy anthology series AMAZING STORIES.

Taking its name from the science fiction magazine created by Hugo Gernsback in 1926, AMAZING STORIES ran for 45 episodes from 1985 until 1987, and featured a great many well known directors and stars. This is part of the fun of the series - seeing such a range of cast members pass before your eyes. The programme also gave many Hollywood actors the opportunity to direct their own episodes, usually with pleasing results. Spielberg himself directed 2 of the best episodes (the first, 'Ghost Train', and the fifth, 'The Mission'). The stories themselves are almost always enjoyable and worth watching. Below are details of some of my favourite episodes.

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GHOST TRAIN
Directed by Steven Spielberg
An old man goes back to the scene of a train accident that he accidentally caused many years ago. While listening for the train with his ear to the track, he accidentally fell asleep. The conductor braked quickly, causing the train to derail this resulted in everyone on board the train being killed. The old man has lived his life since consumed with guilt, and he is now convinced that the train is coming to pick him up. Unfortunately however his grandson's house is built where the train tracks used to be. This is an exciting episode which fits nicely into Spielberg's 1980s work - it is very family friendly and features an appearance by Drew Barrymore.

THE MAIN ATTRACTION
Directed by Matthew Robbins
A popular but feckless high school student has a close encounter with a meteorite that turns him into a human magnet. A very amusing episode.

ALAMO JOBE
Directed by Michael D. Moore
A young fighter at the Alamo finds himself moving back and forth between the battle and 1980s San Antonio. A thrilling episode involving that old staple of science fiction stories, time travel.

MUMMY, DADDY
Directed by William Dear
An actor who is starring in a mummy film who races to be by his pregnant wife's side while still dressed as a mummy. At the same time a real mummy comes to life and tries to kill him. I found this episode quite amusing but then I am always a sucker for mummy movies.

THE MISSION
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Tells the story a World War II bombing run that goes hideously wrong. A tense episode which stars Kevin Costner and Kiefer Sutherland.

THE AMAZING FALSWORTH
Directed by Peter Hyams
This episode a nightclub mind reader who realises that someone in his audience is intent on committing murder. This is an exciting, disturbing episode.

THE SITTER
Directed by Joan Darling
A couple of unpleasant children cause problems for a series of babysitters but eventually get their just deserts when they meet one who uses voodoo on them. This is an amusing episode. I particularly like it because I remember that I always used to be horrible to my babysitters and nowadays think that I really deserved to be punished in an unpleasant way like in this episode!
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Other directors who were involved in making episodes included Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante, Bob Balaban and Irvin Kershner, whilst stars involved in front of the camera include Milton Berle, Charlie Sheen, and Tim Robbins.

Overall AMAZING STORIES is a fun watch and I highly recommend seeing it if you get the opportunity. Currently only the first season is available on DVD, but this is available from Amazon for under £14. With luck the second season will be released sometime soon.