Die Rückkehr der Roboter

I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the 1987 TV movie "Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" here in 2022, after having just watched the 1973 movie "The Six Million Dollar Man". So despite of never having heard about this 1987 TV movie, then I had a fair idea of what I was in for here.

The storyline in "Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman", as written by Michael Sloan and Bruce Lansbury, was fairly straight forward. It wasn't the most exciting or thrilling of storylines, I will say that much, but the movie was watchable enough for the cheesy concept that it was. And I am sure that fans of "The Six Million Dollar Man" or the "Bionic Woman" would find this movie much more enjoyable than I did.

The acting in the movie was adequate, with Lindsay Wagner and Lee Majors in the leading roles. I was pleasantly surprised to see the likes of Martin Landau and Bryan Cranston in a movie such as this.

The special effects in the movie were nothing outstanding or noteworthy, especially since there was essentially no special effects in use at all. Well, there was that strange 'bionic' sound going on whenever Jaime, Steve or Michael sprung into action.

"Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" was watchable enough for what it was, though I was only mildly entertained by this movie. I highly doubt, however, that I will ever return to watch the movie a second time.

My rating of director Ray Austin's 1987 TV movie "Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" lands on a bland five out of ten stars.

I was a big fan as a kid growing up the 70s so I know I would have watched this when it aired on TV. But I missed out on this... very bad production... I was living overseas in the Navy watching old episodes of Air Wolf and Knight Rider, I suppose. I'm kinda glad I missed out on this.

Something silly I picked up on... the villains drive one of those monstrous station wagons (that were finally fading in popularity not long after 1987) and after Steve Austin rolls the first one (and Jamie kicked out the passenger door) the bad guys go out and get the exact model/color car as a replacement. Either that or they had it repaired mighty fast.

Sometimes it's best to put a show to bed and leave it alone. This was one of those times.

I do agree with the person who wrote about the music. What were they thinking?

Oh, and, Brian Cranston was in this show. I didn't even recognize him.

If you can get your head into '80s mode' and accept the effects aren't going to be good this movie holds up surprisingly well.

The original cast as always work well, Martin Landau chews the scenery better than anybody ever has, and Tom Schanley fits the bill for a new Six Million Dollar Man. It's a pity that this attempted pilot never got the green light, a series based around Michael could have been a lot of fun and also given Schanley the limelight he has deserved throughout his career.

The mention in another review of the plot moving slowly is true but again it's a case of getting your head into '80s mode' (or before) and enjoying the journey through the set up, character creation, etc.

It won't be for everybody, but if 70s and 80s shows are your thing then I think you'll enjoy it. It is still a lot of fun.

Lee Majors as Colonel Austin has always been one of my favorite actors / characters!!! If you're a big fan like me, you'll be sure to enjoy this special. Ever since the Original Series went off the air, The three TV specials that aired, this being one of the three, really don't sum up the awe and power that the character of Steve Austin has. However, it was good to see Colonel Austin and his team back in Action, great action sequences and a captivating story-line, reminded me of the great 80s shows like Knight Rider, The A-Team, and countless others.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First thing I noticed from this is that the eighties really haven't aged any better than the seventies did really. Some of the music and the fashions and the hairstyles now look hideously dated- but somehow oddly nostalgic as well if you are someone who lived through those times. Did we really wear that? Did we really talk like that ? Yes. Yes we did. The film itself is solid enough and does a very good job of picking up where the TV shows ended. This is exactly where you imagined the two main characters would be ten years later. Jaime in particular is doing exactly the sort of work that you thought she would now be doing. It's not the most in-depth of plots and the main focus of the film is catching up with two of our most loved TV characters from our childhoods. Not a classic but if you are part of the generation that grew up with Steve and Jaime you'll probably like this.