This is the pilot movie for what later became "The Six Million Dollar Man" TV series. In some ways it's quite a bit like the later series, but for the most part I found it quite different and pretty exciting--even when I see it today. I say that because I liked the movie and show when I was a kid--but I had no idea how well either would hold up decades later. Frankly, I am a lot pickier with what I watch now--and I was half expecting to hate it. However, the Martin Caidin story turned out to be pretty engaging.
Now you need to understand up front that this film, like many pilots, is not exactly the show. A different guy plays the good doctor (Martin Balsam) and Steve Austin's boss (Darren McGavin) is VERY different--much more amoral and scheming compared to the relatively nice Richard Anderson from the show as 'Oscar Goldman'. I liked McGavin's character and wished they kept him for the show. The big similarity between the movie and show is that Steve Austin was played by the same guy in both--Lee Majors. Overall, this is a very interesting a well made TV movie. Part of it is that it relied less on action and more on characters. Plus, I liked how you did NOT see and hear the weird 'cyborg' effects--Austin just did cool things without the silly accompanying sounds. Worth seeing and clever.
Now you need to understand up front that this film, like many pilots, is not exactly the show. A different guy plays the good doctor (Martin Balsam) and Steve Austin's boss (Darren McGavin) is VERY different--much more amoral and scheming compared to the relatively nice Richard Anderson from the show as 'Oscar Goldman'. I liked McGavin's character and wished they kept him for the show. The big similarity between the movie and show is that Steve Austin was played by the same guy in both--Lee Majors. Overall, this is a very interesting a well made TV movie. Part of it is that it relied less on action and more on characters. Plus, I liked how you did NOT see and hear the weird 'cyborg' effects--Austin just did cool things without the silly accompanying sounds. Worth seeing and clever.