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 enlarge | Directors: Brian Lighthill, Viktors Ritelis, Vivienne Cozens
Studio: Bfs Entertainment
Category: Video
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $1.99
You Save: $17.99 (90%)
New (2) Used (14) Collectible (1) from $1.99
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 4791
Format: Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 105
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6302287715
UPC: 066805998775
EAN: 9786302287714
ASIN: 6302287715
Release Date: November 11, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships immediately First Class. Check our ratings!! Tape is in perfect condition. Box has almost no shelf wear. Plays great or full refund.
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| Customer Reviews:
 "I'm coming back..." June 28, 2000
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This tape comprises the first two episodes of the brilliant British series. Loosely based as science fiction due to its setting in the future, this is primarily a drama series based in fact, dealing with human rights abuses that unhappily occur in our present. In an unspecified time (although not too far in the future), Earth is run by a totalitarian Federation - dissidents are murdered or sent to penal colonies and the populace is drugged into a state of subservient apathy. Into this scenario enters Roj Blake, a seemingly unassuming man. Blake is asked by a friend to join a meeting of rebels; this he does, with fateful consequences. The first episode, "The Way Back" is the best to authentically capture the Orwellian atmosphere the series is based on. The sterile, white corridors of the domed city; the ruthless and murderous black suited security patrols; the psycho-manipulators - they all depict perfectly this depressing possibility of the future. Blake's nightmarish journey as he rediscovers his repressed past is harrowing - his mental breakdown, complete with horrific and violent flashbacks, is a disturbing indicator of what this regime is capable of. The second episode, "Space Fall", deals with the formation of the group that will become Blake's crew. Of particular interest is the introduction of Kerr Avon, the cynical would-be computer fraudster, who will become the series' most interesting character. One of the down sides to "Blake's 7" is that the introduction is very slow - it continues over the next two episodes. A casual viewer may be put off by this, despite the importance of understanding the background and motivation of the characters in the later stories. In short, essential for the sake of continuity, but very heavygoing. But perserverance will reward the new viewer.
 Blakes 7 = fantastic. But the first video...oh dear. July 29, 1999
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Whilst Blake's 7 is easily my favorite sci-fi series, it gets off to an incredibly poor start. The first two episodes are packed with "scene setting" plot details which, whilst they are rather vital to your understanding and perhaps even enjoyment of the later episodes, do little enliven these two rather staid stories. Please don't get me wrong - I am a big fan of Blake's 7, it is just the almost every other episode is much better! Even "Cygnus Alpha" with Brian Blessed making a noisy appearance does not deliver. These episodes lack the banter and bickering between Avon and Villa, the tension between Blake and Avon, or even the pressure of persuit and evasion between the Federation and the Liberator. And these are the elements that lift the story, help the script to fly and draw you in to ful enjoyment of what is an excellent, compelling and surprisingly complex series. If you are serious about Blake's 7, you need this video in your collection. But if you are trying to introduce a friend to the series, don't make these the first episodes that they see!
 Classic Sci-fi action and great writing make this series! April 6, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Blake's 7 came out in the late 70's and early 80's. It stands as a shining example of classic science fiction. Too many science fiction movies and series attempt to use special effects to carry the series. Blake's 7 used intelligent plots and extremely well written characters. This video is the first in the series. And you do need to watch them in order to know what's going on. This series is also one of the most realistic I've seen. The good guys sometimes lose (and lose horribly!), and the bad guys sometimes win. Main characters are killed, new ones are reruited. It is fluid.
 A must have for fans December 9, 1998
The Terran federation is a fascist dictatorship, the bad guys are bad and the good guys are sometimes worse. This is perhaps the least watched episode in the series (perhaps due to the lack of Paul Darrow)
The first episodes of the best TV sci-fi series ever October 8, 1998
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"The Way Back" hooked me on this series and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Intriguing plot, revealing Blake's motivations and demonstrating the Federation's desires for total domination and their ruthless methods. "Cygnus Alpha" establishes the creation of most of Blake's crew and introduces the Liberator. Watch these before you see any other episodes. END
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