The Avengers (TV Series) From Venus with Love (1967) User Reviews

From Venus with Love

[guswhovian · 7/10 · 15 August 2020]

Steed and Mrs Peel investigate when members of the British Venusian society start to die.

Season five gets off to a most enjoyable start with From Venus with Love. It's now in color, and it's fun seeing Diana Rigg's wardrobe in color. If possible, she looks even lovelier in color than in black-and-white.

The plot is rather silly (aren't they always?), but there's a terrific guest cast: Barbara Shelley, Derek Newark and Philip Locke. Jon Pertwee appears briefly as a Brigadier! Jeremy Lloyd, who would later help create Are Young Being Served?, has a brief bit as a chimney-cleaning aristocrat.

A very different story for the new era of colour.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 14 July 2022]

Members of an exclusive group that watch over The Planet Venus are dying in bizarre circumstances, Steed and Mrs Peel investigate whether or not Venusians are behind it.

It's fortunate that The Good Doctor, aka Jon Pertwee is on hand, as this feels more like a case for Doctor Who on the surface, but underneath, a really smart, imaginative mystery lays.

It's going to take some time to get used to seeing these two in colour, it felt like something was perhaps lost from it being in colour, maybe a little of the charm or mystery. Those new opening sequences were fabulous.

As always it looks amazing, great production values, nicely shot. I loved the case they assembled here for this one, Hammer Legend Barbara Shelley was great, as was the previously mentioned Job Pertwee.

I can't say it's a favourite, but I applaud it for offering up something a little different.

7/10.

The first color season begins with Barbara Shelley

[kevinolzak · 7/10 · 12 March 2011]

"From Venus with Love" began the fifth season, the first in color, guest starring veteran Hammer beauty Barbara Shelley (previously seen in the lost episode "Dragonsfield") as Venus Browne, head of the BVS (British Venusian Society), whose stargazing members are dropping dead, their hair bleached white, by what is described as invaders from Venus, according to near sighted eye doctor Henry Primble (Philip Locke, seen previously in "The Frighteners" and "Mandrake"). A closer examination by Mrs. Peel reveals a blinding flash of light, possibly a spaceship, while Steed turns on the charm for the handsome Miss Venus. Other series veterans on hand include Derek Newark ("Trojan Horse" and "Wish You Were Here"), Adrian Ropes ("The Danger Makers" and "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?"), Arthur Cox (also "George Oblique"), Jeremy Lloyd ("Thingumajig"), and Kenneth Benda ("A Sense of History").

'Steed is shot full of holes...Emma sees stars!'

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 20 September 2006]

Cosgrove, an amateur astronomer, is observing the planet Venus. His glass of beer suddenly bubbles for no apparent reason. A strange whirring sound, a flash of light, and he is stone cold dead, his hair bleached pure white. Obviously a case for John Steed and Mrs.Emma Peel.

As other astronomers - all members of the British Venusian Society - go the same way, it begins to look as though the killer is actually from Venus. Emma chases a ball of light along a country road in her Lotus Elan.

When Channel 4 began broadcasting in 1982, it revived a number of vintage television shows, both British and American. 'The Avengers' was amongst them. Fans were disappointed to learn that the run was to commence with Season 5, of which 'From Venus With Love' was the first transmitted episode. Despite the shows going out at 12.55 in the early hours of Sunday ( we were more fortunate here in Wales. S4C showed it at 6.00 P.M. on Mondays ), the reaction was strong enough to see the series ultimately promoted to a 7.25 slot on a Sunday evening ( mid-way through the 'Tara King' era, they ran Season 4 - the black and white 'Emma Peel' series! ). The prints used were hardly pristine ( as Patrick Macnee later remarked: "That wasn't 'The Avengers'! The episodes were cut, lacerated, destroyed!". He had a point. The 'Mrs.Peel We're Needed' and 'tag' scenes were deleted entirely.

'From Venus With Love' is my all-time favourite 'Avengers' episode. Continuing writer Philip Levene's fascination with science fiction ( he created 'The Cybernauts' ), it has what appears to be an alien invader on the loose. Laurie Johnson's music here recalls Ron Goodwin's 'Village Of The Damned' score, and several other British sci-fi classics.

Amongst a fine cast Jeremy Lloyd crops up as aristocratic chimney sweep 'Bert Smith', the late Philip Locke as 'Dr.Primble', and Jon Pertwee as the Blimpish 'Brigadier Whitehead', writing his memoirs through the reliving of battles.

Sparkling script by Philip Levene and stylish direction by Robert Day make this a true 'Avengers' classic. One to show to the uninitiated.

CHASING UFOs

[asalerno10 · 8/10 · 1 June 2022]

A string of deaths of astrologers motivates an investigation by Emma and Steed, the bodies show strange signs of premature aging. An organization of astronomers assures that they are attacks produced by inhabitants of the planet Venus. An excellent start to the season with color, suspense, and as always a logical response to the mysterious facts.

Fun.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 17 December 2008]

One of the more imaginative episodes. Steed and Mrs. Peel investigate a series of deaths among an organization of UFO enthusiasts. The victims feel heat, then a whirring sound, then are struck dead and bleached in a blast of light. Some say that we are being invaded by Venusians, but the intrepid duo discover otherwise. We encounter the ordinary number of fond British eccentrics. An opthalmic surgeon who can't see his nose without his glasses; an Army Brigadier who tapes his memoirs by playing sound effects of battle on a dozen ancient Victrolas. The usual number of wisecracks -- Steed invited Mrs. Peel to dinner among the stars but she warns him that there will be no wine available because, as he knows, his favorite claret doesn't travel well.

Heralding a new era for 'The Avengers' it's in colour!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 12 February 2015]

This, the first episode of 'The Avengers' to be filmed in colour opens with an amateur astronomer observing the planet Venus through a telescope; suddenly there is a strange noise and his drink starts to boil; then there is a flash of light and he collapses; quite dead with his hair bleached white. His is the first of a series of strange yet similar deaths; each linked to the British Venusian Society, VBS for short. Steed investigates the society and discover they believe Venus to be inhabited and they are raising funds to send a probe there. Meanwhile Mrs Peel goes to see another member of the society; he dies in the same way while she is on the phone to Steed; seeing a bright light disappearing into the distance she follows. Eventually they learn that the threat is very much terrestrial but that doesn't mean they aren't in real danger.

This was the first episode of 'The Avenger' I saw; when it was aired on Channel Four in the eighties, so I was pleased to watch it again and find I still enjoyed it. The story is a good mix of drama and comedy with plenty of enjoyable guest characters; including an upper class chimney sweep, a myopic optician and the head of the BVS; a woman named Venus Brown. The way the episode starts off looking as though it was going to be science fiction but turns out to feature human villains with human motives is enjoyable even if the way their laser works is pure fiction. Overall this is a fine introduction to the new colour era of 'The Avengers'.

Interesting evil character

[searchanddestroy-1 · 9/10 · 20 August 2021]

The most interesting here is the fact that the true bad guy is not the one you could presume in the first place. That's the main thing to remember from this one. In AVENGERS series, you have plenty of eccentric, weird sub characters, plenty, dozens of them. And the evil dudes are always very well defined; here you are lead into mistake, because the real mastermind is precisely one of the eccentric characters. I won't spoil it any further.

Groovy

[keysam-02610 · 8/10 · 14 February 2024]

It's 1967, a new series IN COLOUR, and everything is groovy.

The Avengers - once Emma Peel showed up - was fairly trendy, with-it and generally 60s anyway, but there have been a few tweaks for this new colour era.

Firstly, the opening titles. Clearly designed mainly to show off said colour - that carnation! - it has Emma and Steed cavorting in some rather silly ways which would probably not be all that helpful in a fight.

Then there's the introduction of the 'Mrs Peel, we're needed' gag at the beginning of each story which is frankly just irritating, and the little couplet 'Steed....., Emma.....' which adds what I always think of as 60s twee. Neither of these things is an improvement.

Emma's clothing is trendier than ever, but unfortunately Steed seems to have been made over too and his clothes are a little less classic-looking than they were before. Nothing *too* way out thankfully and at least no one had the temerity to remove his bowler hat!

Emma's flat has also been 'improved' and frankly doesn't look all that comfortable. (We don't get to see Steed's place this time)

The story here is pretty good and not out of line for the Avengers. It seems quite sci-fi at first, but there is a down-to-earth explanation. The body count is quite high - I was particularly sad to see the demise of Bert the Toff Chimneysweep!

I don't know yet if they will keep this up, but the wrap up scene at the end has some relation to what has gone before, which is actually *better* than the previous series. Previously these scenes were pretty bonkers and often the viewer wanted a final few lines about the resolution of the story but instead just got Steed and Emma driving off in a weird car or something.

All in all it's still a great show. A few 'improvements' that aren't but which don't really matter and are understandable given the times in which the production team were working. The basics are still here though.

Absolute Rubbish!

[sugarmountainf · 1/10 · 10 April 2024]

The writer of this obviously knew nothing about laser technology, which was invented seven years prior, so he should have known something.

We have a noisy laser that makes drinks bubble and either turns people white or burns them up. Whichever is chosen has no explanation. Also, it can fit in the engine compartment of a car and can blast through anything at any distance!

There is a mirror in a barn that reflects a bright light that comes from nowhere.

Steed is talking to Emma on the phone when he hears a loud noise and she is no longer on the line. Instead of going to her rescue as is his habit, he goes to visit the BVS!

This season shows that clearly the writers had run out of barely credible plots and just let their fantasies run wild.