Land Of The Giants - The Complete Series Two [DVD] [1968]

Like series 1, this second series is superb. The reason there was no 3rd season was that the giant sets were too expensive to keep making, apparently. The ratings were still up though, so it's a pity they couldn't have made a third series. But be sure to buy both series 1 & 2.

The character of Betty is missing from 8 episodes due to Heather Young's pregnancy, however, other than this all of the 1st season cast are here!

Land Of The Giants - The Complete Series One [DVD] [1968]
Land Of The Giants - The Complete Series Two [DVD] [1968]

After the success of the first series of "Land of the Giants" we were lucky enough to get this second, and final series.
For the very first time this fantastic science fiction series comes to DVD in the UK. Series one had contained 26 episodes and this second season contains 25 episodes.
It comes in an excellent package. There are seven discs in a slim plastic tray container. Each Disc has the same "Land of the Giants" logo on it and there is a lovely booklet with 10 pages of interesting facts about the development of the series with some good pictures and artwork presentation. The Back of the booklet has a chart of the episode listing and original episode title, filming order, broadcast order and airdate. All of this comes in an attractive card sleeve container. (Same sort of presentation as series one if you have that already) There are some very good and welcome special features. These include cast commentary, and interviews with Stefan Arngrim, Don Matheson and Deanna Lund. Stills gallery and episode photos and a Deanna Lund gallery.

The first series showed us the basic plot that on 12th June 1983 a sub orbital commercial flight from America to London hits a mysterious cloud storm and crash lands on a planet just like earth. The only thing is that the people on this earth are 12 times bigger in height. The space travellers attempts to repair their space craft the "spindrift" and return home while tackling giant insects and animals or fleeing from the giants who having discovered the existence of the little people want to catch them usually to experiment on them.

This second series continues the adventures. There are some slight changes in this series but generally it is a faithful continuation of series one. The opening credits have changed with a new and different presentation using clips from the first series. The crew has slightly different clothes. This gives the series a bit of a new look. Also we see parts of the "Spindrift" space ship that we didn't see in series one. There is a new engine room and computer room and we see more of the cockpit. We also get a lot of guest appearances from famous people of the time including Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and wrestler Mike Masurki, Broderick Crawford, Jonathan Harris (Lost in space, - Dr Smith), John Carradine and Bruce Dern. The regular character of Inspector Kobick from season one is back but does not appear as much. The stories become wackier in this season with themes that were typical of other Irwin Allen creations. There is the strange episode "pay the piper" with its pied piper type of plot. The crew travels in a Balloon in one great episode and the crew is forced into a war in another story. All of the episodes are imaginative and interesting.

The crew is Captain Steve Burton, his co pilot Dan Erickson, and stewardess Betty Hamilton. The passengers are engineering executive Mark Wilson, wealthy heiress Valerie Scott, 12 year old Barry Lockbridge and his dog chipper. Finally there is the intriguing, unscrupulous Commander Fitzhugh who is wanted by the police and carries a briefcase with a lot of money in it. This character is similar to Dr Zackary Smith in "Lost in space" in so much that it is often his greed and stupidity that gets the rest of the crew into sticky situations with the giants. Also in this series is the Giants bad guy Inspector Kobrick who works for the SIB security service. He becomes set on hunting down the "little people".
The series was noted for its elaborate special effects with giant sized props. The series was created by producer Irwin Allen, who also created The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the sea and lost in space.

I saw Land of the Giants along with all the other Irwin Allen series originally back in the very early 1970s when they were screened on ITV in my area on Thursdays around 4.45pm. i loved all of the Irwin Allen creations.
Now I have enjoyed this DVD set just as much all these years later.
Season two is brilliant. If you liked season one you have to get this season two because it is just as entertaining. There is pure escapist fun in these shows and it is still entertaining over 40 years after its creation.

First the extra's. Most notibly the special UK commentary over The Crash episode.. Great fun... Stefan Arngrim has definitely become the scholar of the show, whereas Gary Conway is always out looking for the laughs. Age just revealing that even in later life these people are still full of self mocking humour and have a spark that only comes from a genuine friendship they have for each other all these years later. Just a shame no modern day interviews were conducted too, rather than the odd reunion photo.
As for the 2nd series itself, well just like the Spindrift's paint job becoming a little faded with the external lights having gone out. (A rare concession to reality here) The 2nd season of Land Of The Giants also looses a bit of it's gloss and glitter. OK, the series was never meant to flex many cerebral muscles. But even within it's context of pure comic strip excapism, there is more of a formulaic approach with the scripts that give the actors even less to stretch themselves with. Although Gary Conway always said his favourite episode was 'The Unsuspected' because he got to play the dellusional villain!
With this season, we also start to delve into the old Irwin Allen stalwart of time travellers, aliens, and secret underground cities etc etc - once it was thought the original concept might not have legs. Unfortunately such an approach does expose some lazy continuity gaffs as in the episode 'Wild Journey' as well as some gaping holes in logic. There are a number of episodes whereby the team does get into some wildly impossible scrapes - and yet all conveniently end up where they once were to wrap up the episode!
That said though,the series still remains colourful and entertaining. The props are greatly eye-pleasing - provided you don't recognise them from being stolen from other Irwin Allen productions of course - ha! And unlike Lost In Space and Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea which ultimately turned your brain to mulch, Land Of The Giant's just about managed to keep it's head above dumb stupidity! -Even if often you do find yourself saying - 'hold on a minute' and 'how come?'
But as someone once said, it's a good little show for Grandparents to watch with their grandchildren. A real-life comic strip to just tune in and tune out...