Sci-fi freaks and fans of Gerry Anderson, the genius behind such TV oddities as the Thunderbirds and Space: 1999, will not want to miss snatching up a copy of the boxed set of UFO. This cult British TV series didn’t last for long (one season), but it is a truly hallucinogenic, visionary creation.

The show was set in the far off and distant future of 1980, when a moon station had been established and when an alien race stalked the earth, trying desperately to kidnap humans to harvest their organs. It actually takes a fair bit of studying to figure out precisely what the threat to the Earth and its inhabitants is, but hey, this show’s very murkiness makes it a fine precursor to the-Truth-is-out-there-but-we-really-don’t-know-what-it-is aura that hangs over The X-Files. In his excellent reference book Total Television, Alex McNeil suggests that the series’ lack of success was due to the fact that “many of the shows seemed incomprehensible to American viewers.” I confess to thoroughly enjoying UFO’s strange, almost Pinteresque dialogue, as the gang who works at SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) struggle to battle malicious extra-terrestrials. And even if you find the plots too confusing, the opening sequence (and the pop-y score that accompanies it) as well as the set and costume design are worth a rental, at very least. :

» Matthew Hays