Il ritorno dell'uomo da sei milioni di dollari

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.

My friends and I were on the hunt for a bad action B-movie for some popcorn fun, and Laser Force (that's the title in Sweden... yeah, those are English words. Your point?) seemed to fit the bill. Boy, were we wrong. The plot moves at the pace of frozen molasses, so do the action sequences, and the acting is consistently wooden. I never saw any lasers, nor any kind of force, and certainly no laser force... then again, the Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman appeared often enough. I wish they hadn't. Unless you're into soft, slow-motion shots of people running across summer meadows (fully clothed, sorry!), skip this one.

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.

Was I glad to see some more of Steve and Jaime. I just loved the 1970's series. However I missed two things in all three reunion movies. First of all, I missed the 1970's look (furniture, clothes, cars, etc.) since I believe the 1970's was the ONLY decade that had style and taste (I hated the 1980's). But most importantly, where were the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman theme music? It was a mistake not to include the themes. In fact, almost all remakes/reunion movies used the theme of the original shows. Just look at Mission Impossible, The Saint, The Wild Wild West, The Avengers, SWAT, etc. They all used the themes of the shows those movies were based upon. It wouldn't be James Bond without the James Bond theme. Yet sadly in none of the SMDM-BW reunion movies the theme from either show was present.

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