Yet another of Gene Roddenberry's post-'Star Trek' attempts at a series, 'Planet Earth' is generally agreeable entertainment, although nothing special. It gets most of its juice from its digs at sexual politics. Obviously low-budget, it doesn't feature much in the way of futuristic environments, or costumes, or special effects. It is definitely fun in a cheesy, well-meaning sort of way, and it does NOT skimp on sex appeal, with appropriate eye candy for men and women alike.
The almighty John Saxon stars as Dylan Hunt, a man who went into suspended animation in 1979, and was awakened in the 22nd century. Now, a post-"conflict" Earth is divided into societies both advanced and primitive. One such society is matriarchal in nature, with all the males kept drugged up and submissive. The virile, studly Hunt is considered good breeding stock by these women. One lady in particular, Marg (Diana Muldaur, who went on to a role on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' the following decade), is especially taken with Hunt.
A rich cast of familiar faces (Janet Margolin, Ted Cassidy, Christopher Cary, Majel Barrett, Jim Antonio, John Quade) helps to make this easy enough to watch, even though it's just as easy to forget. One good thing about TV movies from this era is their brief running times, so there's less chance of them wearing out their welcome. 'Planet Earth' is adequately paced, but its real strongest suit is its sense of humour. As I already said, some of the cast members are very attractive, so that helps as well; Muldaur is quite striking as the leader of these women.
One thing this viewer liked was the idea that all major population centres on Earth are connected by these underground tunnels, through which Hunt and others travel as if they were subways.
Six out of 10.
