SCI-FI SERIALS: RETRO CLASSICS

If you really want to appreciate classic sci-fi films, you can't just watch the feature films; you need to watch the serials.  The episodic rhythm of a sci-fi serial is a little like that of a TV show or a comic book, but there's something larger and more urgent about it, something from knowing that it would be complete in 12 or 15 episodes, something from watching it with friends and companions in a theater on a big screen.

For us fans living in the 21st century, watching classic serials is a highly unusual experience.

Below, I'd like to offer very brief history of science fiction serials, then some suggestions for how to watch them, then a list of seven greats for your viewing pleasure.  Watching serials isn't easy for us, but it can be fantastic fun - if you know how to do it.

First, some history.

Not counting some adventure serials with brief sci-fi elements, the first real sci-fi serial was THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (1935).  Half of it was a Western, but the sci-fi half inspired FLASH GORDON: SPACE SOLDIERS (1936) which in turn initiated the Golden Age of Serials, 1936-1945.

After 1945, serials of decreasing quality continued to appear through 1953, when television finally took over.  Adventure serials, Western serials, spy/police serials, and even comic superhero serials were all more numerous than sci-fi serials.

But several sci-fi serials rank among the best serials ever made.

Read more »