Planet Earth (1974)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Simply A Masterpiece

best movie i've ever seen.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

When I first saw this TV Movie in 1974, at the age of eleven, I thought it was great, and now thirty five years later! I still think so... The cast is exceptional, the great JOHN SAXON perfectly cast as hero Dylan Hunt (previously portrayed by stalwart Alex Cord in Genesis II the year before), Lovely Janet Margolin, Icy Diana Muldaur, Gruff John Quade, and the always memorable Ted Cassidy are ably supported by Lew Brown, Aaron Kincaid (in a very entertaining performance), Christopher Carey (who is having a bad hair day!) and Jim Antonio as Dr. Jonathan Connor. Look fast for Majel Barrett as well. I bought a used VHS copy of this film a while back and I have been waiting patiently for it to be released on DVD. It is such a fun movie with great comedic moments, stunning action sequences and exceptional dialog. I would hope that one day they will release a boxed set of Gene's television PILOTS from the 70s, hopefully with commentary by surviving cast members. The loyal fans deserve it as do newcomers who only know Gene from Star Trek.

It plays kind of like a rejected Star Trek episode, but not one of the better ones but that does give it a bit of nostalgia value. The opening is loaded with voice over narration to explain the whole set up for those who didn't watch Genesis 2 the previous year. The basic idea is the same as one Rod Serling had for a series or show that he never had an ending for, that didn't stop Roddenberry. Of course since this is kind of weak stuff the network actually let Roddenberry have two pilots but it still didn't go to series.This also shows where some of the "new" ideas for the first Star Trek film came from. The enemy characters have a sort of spine on their bald foreheads like the Klingons soon would have and the main uniforms are sort of the same "Jammies" that the first Star Trek feature featured.It's poorly structured with characters disappearing for long periods of time and the whole thing stops totally dead during the horny Roddenbery staple which was part of all his things during this period of time. That would be the scene where the man has to prove he's the world's greatest lover to the less experienced woman to save the day. And it takes forever for this section to be over with. It just seems like dirty old man material, kind of leering and juvenile at the same time.John Saxon does strike some good Kirk poses and it's nice to see Cassidy with a meaty role--he does a couple of impressive stunts during the big brawl ending.This really feels like the Planet of the Apes series that came shortly after this.It's perfectly fine this didn't go to series, too bad that far superior Spectre and Questor Tapes didn't even get 2 chances that this one didn't deserve.

If you're an obscure-movie buff like me, find "Planet Earth" and watch it. I loved it. It's sexually suggestive, it's got mutants, underground trains connecting the whole Earth, mystics and doctors and it's totally entertaining. John Saxon as Dylan Hunt is very expressive, and I swear I could watch it again and again. In a way, it's very much a prequel to Enterprise and follows suit with the usual Roddenberry ideologies. In fact, all the acting is good. Look for Gene Roddenberry's wife in the face of extras, as well as a few other recognizables. Diana Muldaur (who later played Dr Pulanski in The Next Generation) is very attractive as the domineering slave-trader and I find myself envying John Saxon in certain parts of the film - well, see for yourself! A great 60 minute flick!

This was a second TV pilot for a proposed sci-fi series by Gene Roddenberry. The first, Earth II, starred Alex Cord. This time, things are almost the same, though John Saxon plays the lead. Saxon's characterization is less serious than Cord's and seems to be very much like Captain Kirk placed in an alternate version of Earth.The plot involves a group from PAX (a group of goody-goodies who are a lot like a planet-bound Federation--they try to make sure the world runs in peace and try to interfere in other cultures only when it's necessary). They are looking for an important scientist who disappeared in an amazon-like culture. It's up to Saxon and the others to infiltrate and return him before it's too late.FYI--Another team member is played by Ted Cassidy (Lurch the Butler from the Addams Family). I would have loved to see him return to a weekly series, though he died just a few years after this pilot was completed (died on the operating table while undergoing heart surgery).