Fireball XL5 - The CGI Interpretation

by **Clya Brown** » Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:38 pm

I’ve just come across a series of re-interpretations of the original Fireball XL5 series on YouTube, in which CGI renditions of several of the original episodes have been assembled together with the original soundtracks. I’ve been watching them, and thought I’d offer a few first impressions – although the first thing to say is that it looks as though I’m distinctly behind the times here, as the dates on the comments on YouTube indicate that the first few episodes have been around for at least two years. However, there’s a much more recent one (“Spy in Space”) that looks as though it’s only just been uploaded within the last two or three weeks – and there’s a link to it at the bottom of this piece, along with others to the earlier six episodes to which the CGI treatment has been applied.

Coincidentally, I was working my way through the original Fireball XL5 DVD boxed set when I came across these new interpretations, so I’ve simply slipped in the new episodes at the appropriate points in the saga and been watching them back-to-back with their original counterparts. Do I like the new-look Fireball? Perhaps inevitably, I have mixed feelings – but then, it’s important to recognise that I’m no longer representative of the target audience here. I’m viewing the episodes from a nostalgic point of view, and that’s the wrong perspective from which to approach this. I remember being captivated by the original series while watching a 405-lines black-and-white television set while having tea with my grandparents in front of a blazing fire, whereas I’m now old enough to have grandchildren of my own - and I therefore need to ask myself what my grandchildren - if I ever have any - would make of the new interpretation.

And this is where it gets interesting… because what makes this re-interpretation different from, say, New Captain Scarlet is that this new series reproduces the original storylines precisely, right down to using the original soundtracks. What we’re seeing therefore is 1960s storylines portraying a fictional 21st century placed in a genuine 21st century setting - and in the intervening period, the world has changed in more ways than in respect of just the technology.

By modern standards, the endemic sexism portrayed in the original series is quite shocking. Regardless of Venus’s status as a highly-qualified professional member of the Fireball crew, Steve still expects her to make him a cup of coffee whenever he wants one – and regardless of the light-hearted banter she throws back at him about taking her for granted when he makes such a request, she still complies with a smile. I suppose the real question to ask here is whether Steve would do the same for her with the same level of implicit subservience if their roles were reversed (and I have a feeling that if their relationship was close enough then actually he probably would – provided of course he wasn’t too busy heroically saving the universe at the time, while she was standing out of harm’s way anxiously imploring him to be careful). We now see all of this being played out in an era where the way in which the sexes perceive and respond to one another is radically different to the one in which the original script was penned – and I find the effect rather surreal.

Speaking personally, I don’t have a problem with Commander Zero, Lieutenant Ninety and Jock the Scottish mechanic being completely re-imagined in terms of their physical appearance, any more than I do with the aliens being redesigned (and let’s face it – the aliens had to be redesigned: there was no way anything resembling the original puppets would be even remotely acceptable to a modern audience, as they’d have been met with stunned disbelief), though I know there’ll be plenty of fans of the original series who will disagree. Two characters whose redesign I do have something of a problem with are Boris and Griselda, whom I find completely lacking in credibility – but then of course, as believable villains the original Boris and Griselda didn't exactly cut it either, and with the storyline effectively predefined by the use the original soundtrack, there's really no way out of that. I’d probably have been slightly happier if Boris didn’t sport a pork pie hat inside his oxygen bubble (or whatever it is that’s been introduced to eliminate the implication that one can float around in space without a space-suit), but as to Griselda… well, it’s not that I don’t like Griselda (because actually I rather do like Griselda - I think she's a fabulous character) it’s just that I can’t comprehend how any credible interpretation of her could ever put up with a hapless imbecile like Boris for more than a microsecond. The black widow spider motif she's sporting on her chest merely reinforces my belief that she’d have killed him (and possibly eaten him too) the morning after their wedding night.

I’m relieved to see the reintroduction of the launch rail in “Spy in Space” - the simple runway that was substituted in the earlier episodes was something of a disappointment – although I reckon it needs to be about three times as long as it is now to get something with the bulk of a Fireball-class spaceship airborne, and I can’t shake off the conviction that the ship’s going to plummet into the ground two seconds after it flies off the end of the rail. Oh well… at least after getting on for 60 years there’s no longer that very visible shadow of Fireball moving slowly backwards across the sky to distract the viewer as the rocket gathers speed.

I haven't worked out where the profit lies from putting what looks like a very substantial amount of time and effort into the making of these episodes (unless they're the product of a proof-of-concept that was aired to gauge potential customer feedback) and then effectively making them freely available on YouTube, but they’re there – so do check them out if you haven't seen them already: like them or not, as avid followers of All Things Anderson, I have a feeling most regular visitors to this site will at least have an opinion. If you’d prefer not to use the links below (and of course, the links might not work at all one day) just visit YouTube and search for “Fireball XL5” plus the name of the episode.

I do hope there’ll be more of them – because the most recent episode is substantially better made than the earlier ones, and it’s reasonable to suppose that as more experience in their making is gained, the better will be the result – and the more likely that the meme could acquire a following into the 21st century in consequence. I grew up loving Fireball XL5, and I’d like to think my grandchildren might one day come to love it too. Maybe if it's still around in some way, shape or form they will.

Episode 7: Spy from Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVizx-9YocU

by **Elentari** » Fri Aug 21, 2020 3:34 am

I can't say I like the reimagining of the series much - especially the characters themselves (how they look and move). They've gone from perpetual smiles to looking very crabby - especially with Steve's features.

I find the sexist comments funny, but I guess anyone much younger would take umbrage to it all. I also remember that while Steve and his coffee comment (and his old fashioned opinion of female capabilities) is of the 60s era, there are also moments when he comes across as totally clueless where Venus is concerned. It's one of the things I loved about the series!

I agree the launch ramp needs to be longer and I think at some point the ramp needs more curvature upwards to help with the lift - more like the original series or the kind of rise that Harrier jets needed to take off from aircraft carriers.

Just my two cent's worth. :grin:

by **Skybase Girl** » Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:14 am

I must admit to being rather taken with this, although I’m not sure why. The CGI has a cartoonish aspect to it, unlike the 2005 remake of ‘Captain Scarlet’. I assume this is deliberate: the female characters, especially Venus, are drawn in an unrealistically voluptuous way reminiscent of games such as ‘Lara Croft’. As for Boris and Griselda... :shock:

Grissy could do with an uplift bra (if that’s not a sexist comment!)
What I find most peculiar is the amount of wild arm waving and hand wringing that goes on! The puppets did a bit of that too, I remember, but this seems a little... excessive. I know it’s hard to get the graphics right for the characters walking.
On the plus side, it’s very cleverly done and I think the stories hold up well for today’s audience. A bit retro, but still very enjoyable. I don’t have the boxed set of ‘Fireball XL5’ so I haven’t seen most of the episodes since their original airing. It’s lovely to see them ‘coloured in’! I agree that the CGI on the newest vid is a vast improvement on the previous ones.
Congratulations to the people who made this. I do hope they continue because it would be great to have the whole series re-imagined like this!