'The Martian Chronicles' came out when U.S. T.V. sci-fi was reaping the 'Star Wars' dividend with 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Buck Rogers'. Based on the Ray Bradbury novel, it took a completely different tack, telling of the exploration and colonisation of Mars. Much of the book's poetry was lost in Richard Matheson's clumsy adaptation, but enough remained to make it rather more interesting than the latest skirmish with the Cylons or Draconians. In fact its almost on a par with the original 'Outer Limits'. Rock Hudson starred as 'Colonel John Wilder', and his permanent look of horror as American culture swamped the planet was the best thing about his performance. 'Chronicles' shouldn't be judged on the basis of its special effects, which is just as well, seeing as they're mostly terrible. However, the 'David Lustig' sequence in Part Two, the hilarious Christopher Connelly segment and moving performance by Barry Morse in Part Three, make this an above average sci-fi series. Great music too!
Review of The Martian Chronicles
