The Six Million Dollar Man (1973 TV Movie)
8/10
excellent editing and effects that stands up towards nowadays norms
12 April 2012
I was brought up in the seventies and by stupid coincidence I found a box of The Six Million Dollar Man. I remember it from my youth but was afraid to pick it up, I had seen so many old series that didn't stand their time. Before I would start with the series of The Six Million Dollar Man I wanted to pick up this flick. This is were it all started with. The original version is still available on VHS but the re-edited version was brought out on DVD under the name 'The Moon And The Desert' and it's exactly what this flick did, going to the moon and rescuing a prisoner in the desert.

The first 45 minutes is were you see how Steve Austin (Lee Majors) got involved in his terrible accident. And this is a must see. Okay, it's based on the book Cyborg by Caidin. But the editing of his accident and going to the moon was edited with real footage of the crash of the Northrop M2-F2. It did work out fine and still works nowadays. Once his accident happened it's decided that Steve needs some robot arm to become a cyborg, even his legs and eye were replaced making him the six million dollar man.

The second half of this flick Steve had to agree with making him some cyborg and starts to life with it which results in being given orders to use his strength.

Some pieces were a bit slow but the acting was top notch, Lee Majors surely gives the feeling that he can't go on with his new body but once he's used to the prosthetics the six million dollar man is (re)born.

The score used is a bit out dated and the traditional bionics sound effects are not heard in this film, what they did was the use of slow-motion, another thing that became a trademark for the series.

Just after this flick Barbara Anderson (Joan Kahn) made the horror Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark. Weird to see is that the personalities used here was played by actors never appearing again in the series but what a popular names they were, Martin Balsam (Dr. Rudy Wells) of Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) fame and Darren McGavin (Oliver Spencer) , he is most fondly remembered by cult TV fans as heroic newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak in the classic but short-lived horror TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-75), both sadly died.

This is a must see with some effects still used today, just watch when his arm is injured during a rescue, and long before the Cyborg flicks from the Cannon Group became notorious in the eighties. Recommended for all sci-fi geeks. Even as it had a few mistakes in editing, suddenly 2 moonwalkers while Steve is on his own, and script, his bionic eye wasn't used even as they showed it a lot.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 4/5 Comedy 0/5
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