Biggles: Adventures in Time (1986). I, Bigglesworth.

[@Nah_Mate_Aint_Nowt]

I loved this film so much as a kid, was on the TV all the time in England. Cool to see it talked about again, always felt it was wrongly forgotten by people. Up there with Condorman as films I watched way too much as a kid and barely see people talk about now.

[@TheToonMonkey]

Biggles and Condorman are two of my regular pleasure views. You are not alone 👐😂😂

[@foxyfox5]

Me too! Such happy memories of watching both!

[@YouTubeMrP]

Same here. Loved this film.

[@daviddawson6150]

I went through a period in the early 80s where i watched Condorman at least once a week. I knew it was kind of bad, but I really loved it.

[@jimmyjarrett-ws2iz]

Bank Holiday was Boggles day in the early 90s in my house, and whatever Bond film ITV was showing.

[@TheToonMonkey]

I love this film. Amazing soundtrack. "If you can fly a Sopwith Camel, you can fly anything".

[@RighteousBrother]

Funny the soundtrack and that line are literally the only things I remember about this film.

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

Really? A space shuttle? A Boeing 737 MAX? One of many silly lines in a dreadful script.

[@blahmcblahface3965]

If he doesn't mention the soundtrack I'm down voting

[@blahmcblahface3965]

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY!! RIGHT. THAT'S IT

[@TheToonMonkey]

​@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx you're complaining about a silly line in a film where a yank from the 1980's travels back in time to save Biggles 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@hmmokay.4807]

Ahh memories. I wad gutted when my VHS finally died years back...

[@ferociousgumby]

I had a Beta. It died in 1982.

[@mikewilson3581]

I only know about this film because of a couple Queen books I have mentioning John Deacon and "The Immortals" were on the soundtrack with the song 'No Turning Back'.

[@martinhavelock5106]

This was Peter Cushing's final film role, the man deserved a much better epitaph to a fantastic career.

[@Lensman864]

Let's pretend that 'Rogue One' was actually him. The only 3/4s decent Disney Star Wars film.

[@kamandi1362]

It’s a lovely send off.

[@MisterStuzy]

@@Lensman864biggles was more his thing

[@WonderSausage]

This has some of the best helicopter stunts I've ever seen

[@BlueSkyBS]

Nice to see Jek Porkins survived getting blown up in the battle of Yavin and got time and space traveled to 1980's Earth.

[@peterbrown1144]

Along with Grand Moff Tarkin.

[@bfragged]

Biggles! Used to read the books as a kid

[@stvdagger8074]

Maria (biggles spy girlfriend) was played by Francesca Gonshaw who also played Maria in "Allo, 'Allo!"

[@Schroefdoppie]

The Airwolf theme made me chuckle.🙃

[@lkchild]

Biggles was a bit more of a cultural phenomenon in the UK than you think - everyone knew Biggles was a dashing and fearless pilot - sort of like Flash Gordon, but not many had read the books etc. You didn’t have to be a Biggles fan to know who he is, but you did to have read the books. I loved seeing this at the cinema, and the film was a big thing in the UK with a lot of coverage on childrens TV. It was very much marketed as a children’s film though.

[@butwhytho6522]

Not that long ago I found myself thinking about some movie I once saw where the Germans in the war had a sonic super weapon. And sure enough, you show the exact scene that I had in my head. So I have very long ago seen this movie, and that's the only bit I can remember about it.

[@davidhaasz9699]

Thanks for the video, I've never heard of this movie before.

[@Lensman864]

Very wise until now ... 😂

[@aodhganmerrimac]

You describe it perfectly, light & fun.

[@scootertart]

I really liked this film as a kid in the 80's - renting the VHS several times and watching it with me dad who was a Biggles fan when he grew up. Yes the soundtrack was a bit cheesy though.

[@ProBreakers]

I loved that main song when I randomly caught this film for the first time in the mid 90’s on cable. That tune Stuck with me until I tracked the movie down again on KZbin years later.

[@rdmsh]

I’d forgotten all about this movie. Loved the books

[@COPPAS70]

The books were great. This film really sucked though.

[@minicle426]

I only found out about the books when they were brought up in The Thin Blue Line, in regards to certain 'homoerotic' undertones. >_>

[@COPPAS70]

@@minicle426 | Well, we all have different preferences. When this movie was released, I was 16 years old and by then had read pretty much all of W.E. John's novels and short stories. Both Biggles then as well as King and Worrals. Given the film's title, my expectations were high, but I was quickly incredibly disappointed. Apart from the names of a few characters, the film had nothing to do with Biggles at all. The plot itself, with time twins etc. was completely bizarre and incoherent. The fact that one of the main roles would be an American was probably also due to be able to sell this misery in the USA. Regarding any alleged “'homoerotic' undertones” I would say that that’s reflects more to certain readers individual mindset, i.e. a reader understands this as he or she wants to perceive it. The concept was more, if anything, to be regarded as asexual since the concept in this kind of narratives wasn’t about romance but adventure... and right-out related to war in some of the stories. In retrospect almost 40 years later, one can of course always consider the film as a somewhat original, if childishly ridiculous, action film and as such it can be ok. However, connecting it to Biggles storyboard that W.E. John's built up is pure nonsense. Especially as the setting in the movie had nothing in common with anything in the books and pretty much all the characters were taken out of context. It was also sad that Peter Cushing had to end his career with this abomination.

[@minicle426]

​@COPPAS70 "The point of Biggles and of Sherlock Holmes, is to solve crimes and kill Germans! And by heavens that should be enough for any man!"

[@COPPAS70]

@@minicle426 | As mentioned before, preferences differ, though I can’t say that your summary match up with much of the content found in the books. Furthermore, for my part, the point of stories about characters such as Biggles and Sherlock Holmes (whatever he has to do with the topic at hand) is rather to offer the enjoyment of experiencing a story that includes some thrills and most often also the solution of certain wartime quests or criminal mysteries. In Biggles, of course, opponents (often Germans in the stories set during WW1 and WW2) were killed. Then usually by getting shot down or that the culprits were killed by the good guys in self-defense. This as most of the Biggles stories concerned airplanes and/or espionage. In Sherlock Holmes stories, Holmes only used lethal force in exceptional cases (e.g. such as shooting the large dog in The Hound of the Baskervilles). Holmes preferred weapon was primarily his intellect. I can't recall ever reading that Holmes did kill Germans en masse in any of Conan Doyle's stories, but then those stories were set well before WW1, so the Germans wasn't really that a big of an issue yet…

[@daverage4729]

I really enjoyed this film back in the day. Fun and well, you get Peter Cushing too. Definitely had heart.

[@asciimation]

Another one who always liked this film, including the music. Some good flying stunts in it. I always liked the helicopter on the train. And fun to spot all the anachronisms in it. Even as a kid I could tell straight away the New York scenes were obviously London.

[@richardmcgowan1651]

I loved this movie back in the day. It's a simple, fun afternoon movie. Something they just don't make these days. One thing I will say is that it isnt a cinema movie. Its a really good straight to DVD movie.

[@RockU2Death5150]

Jon Anderson? John Deacon? I freakin' loved the soundtrack. ☺️💜🔊🎵🎶

[@Alkeeros]

Thanks for the history lesson! The idea of a time twin is kind of fun, could be put to good use I think

[@TheRealKaiProton]

Id never heard of Biggles until seeing this movie, so I just thought he had scifi adventures. Ive always liked this movie, and the sound track. used to watch it everytime it was on tv, and would of loved more with these characters

[@BlueSkyBS]

I think you might've crossed Biggles with Dan Dare a bit, as both had the same "boy's own adventure" vibe about them.

[@markeastwood74]

​@@BlueSkyBSI was just thinking that Dan Dare never got his time to shine on the big screen. 😢 Maybe one day.

[@Interislander957]

Loved this movie. Watched it again recently, it actually kind of holds up. A bit of silly fun.

[@ThatSockmonkey]

I loved the Biggles books when i was a kid, and this movie totally hit the spot for me. I must have watched it 100 times, taped from the tv broadcast. 😂😂 Thanks man, this was a fun nostalgia trip!

[@dad_jokes_4ever226]

Saw this in the cinema as a kid , really loved it .. and a great soundtrack

[@docbrown6550]

There should have been a continuing series of the Biggles stories.

[@MrKDHay]

This was on TV fairly recently. A fun afternoon movie, utter nonsense but fun. Also, the wonderful Peter Cushing's last movie 🎬 🎞 🎥

[@Lensman864]

Didn't he retire from acting to open a Swedish book shop in East Berlin? 🤔

[@MrKDHay]

@@Lensman864 Ah, Top Secret. Couldn't possibly tell you

[@tanuki2k]

wow I remember this as a kid!

[@blahmcblahface3965]

Talk about the tune! The tune dammit 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶

[@ljayscott]

In Colorado, USA, we truly had 1/2 price Tuesdays in the 1980s!

[@MisterStuzy]

The music made the film . It hasn’t dated well but at the time, as a teenager it was great and the film endlessly quotable by my peers

[@gcooper642]

At 5:07 the police lettering just falls right off the van 😂

[@lordbritannic]

I really enjoyed this film.

[@lardyguts2]

went to cinema 8 times for this , bloody loved it

[@andrewcoulthard-clark]

I have an idea for a video series; your reviews of what might have been, and early intended plots for now famous franchisees. I can tell you some of the Star Treks and Star Wars ideas are priceless!

[@shallendor]

This is such a fun film, always worth watching!

[@SonicAlpha]

I absolutely loved this movie. I wore out my VHS copy 😅

[@jaysonstyles2808]

🎵DO YOU WANNA BE A HERO🎵

[@lda1737]

I loved this film - a guilty pleasure. I know it's bad but it's soo fun with Bladerunners Vangelis doing the music. But I do wish it was not a time travel movie though.

[@erikthewriter]

I’ve always wanted to love this movie. On paper it is exactly my cup of tea, but it’s a bland tedious experience. Plus it looks like a tv movie

[@XennialGeek]

I always loved these kinds of 80s adventure movies. Unfortunately this one, High Road to China and Year of the Comet are pretty unknown nowadays and deserve better.

[@simoncurry5336]

Great jokes. Particularly, "Biggles killed the radio star". Your in depth knowledge of 1970s & 1980s British popular culture continues to impress me.

[@gcooper642]

I actually clicked on this thinking it was a Buggles song I hadn't heard 😂

[@atlanticcable]

Loved this film as a kid. Suspect nostalgia is a hell of a drug. To give you an example of how litle love the film received - the DVD cover features a very prominent Messerschmitt 109. I mean...come on!

[@SJHFoto]

I've never seen this film since I live in North America. I only know of it because the Transformers UK comics advertised it HEAVILY in the early issues

[@Skaramine]

I enjoyed it when it came out, but I didn't know the original Biggles. Still would have wanted more Biggles, but couldn't find any more.

[@roo72]

I'm quite sure I've never seen it before but now I'm quite curious about it.

[@lardyguts2]

personal i loved the music but it was current when i watched it

[@peterbumper2769]

My local HI-Fi sales place used this to demonstrate early Home theater systems

[@toddnolastname4485]

I don't think I'd ever heard of this before.

[@gecila1]

God I love this film

[@MikeMatthews]

Thanks for this review! Somehow I missed this movie in the eighties. Why nothing on Peter Cushing? The Doctor Who from those 2 American movies and the victim of bad CGI in Rogue One! 😢

[@RedSiegfried]

I had seen this movie in the 80s on TV and wasn't impressed, and I remembered that Biggles was a character in a Monty Python sketch so I thought it was a huge stretch that he would get a movie made about him and I didn't see any Monty Python people in the credits, but I never realized Biggles was a separate fictional character in a bunch of books. Now I'm interested to see this movie again and maybe read some of the books.

[@Zero8T1]

Probably my favourite childhood film. I name most game avatars Jim Ferguson.

[@raystewart3648]

OMG - Saw this when it came on TV in 1988/89 ish - Amazing then and amazing now, but I really enjoyed the Helicopter in WW2 - Just think if we could take back new fighter craft to those days, we would win hands down - just like in the film Final Countdown.

[@kiplingslastcat]

I liked this movie when I was a kid. I had no idea it was based off of a prior show. Never heard of Biggles.

[@Lensman864]

Congratulations! You managed to make a few seconds of this wretched film watcheable by the addition of history's greatest helicopter TV series theme music! 🫡

[@mattofsmegpoop3027]

I have been wondering what that scene with the buried bunker was since I was 10

[@heli88]

"What was the point of it all?" should be the new Stam Fine tagline. I've never actually seen this movie, despite my father actually speaking well of it. He is not a sci-fi guy at all, so I can only assume that the WWI stuff was good enough to hook him.

[@l.a.gothro3999]

This looks like a film my late-2d-ex-husband would've liked. He liked Buckaroo Banzai and Remo Williams, too.

[@foxyshabazz]

I couldn't get past the time-travel angle and never saw this. I might have been up for a straight down the line Biggles in the Great War story, though. The First World War Biggles books are the best. Biggles becoming an 'international air detective' felt like the series going off the rails to me, and time travel just makes that even worse.

[@TheNightBadger]

_"Do you wanna be a hero hero!"_ - Watched it a ton back in the day. It was a little odd - a British attempt at something more American (like Krull), but it was entertaining enough. I would've watched a sequel.

[@rubberneckinc.8937]

Regardless of how anyone feels about this movie Cushing (& Lee) were treasures. (Sometimes just for exposition purposes)

[@safebox36]

Wait, this TV show reminds me a little of Goodnight Sweetheart; a BBC1 drama about someone from 1990s London who can travel back and forth from 1940s London via an alleyway.

[@jimmyb101]

Biggles the most friendly named Captain of last century.

[@jimmyb101]

P.S - There is a popcorn box joke at the end of the video, that expresses how I felt watching Condorman as a kid. Great Review Stam

[@tskmaster3837]

Biggles? Where we're going, we don't Biggles.

[@Nick-cp3sr]

Fantastic Vid! As an an 80s kid this brought back vhs memories! Have you ever reviewed the Doc Savage flick? I'm not saying it was a good movie! 😂

[@billsinkins361]

American checking in... if it weren't for Monty Python I'd never have heard of Biggles

[@lostinfinchley]

Love your vdeos, can you do condorman please?

[@deanolium]

This also had a computer game made for it, which is how I know about the film. Never seen the actual film, but the game was weird enough with constantly jumping between scenes. Just a really strange idea for a story.

[@markeastwood74]

I remember both the film and the game being promoted in Eagle comic. I expect that made me the target audience at the time, but only saw the film when it came to TV, and never played the game. Sorry Biggles. 😄

[@holydiver73]

It had a great soundtrack. Jon Anderson doing what Jon Anderson did best in the 80’s. Granted, not as good as he was doing with Yes in the 70’s, but it fit for the time.

[@aaronleverton4221]

In the early-mid '80s the books really were perfect pre-mid teen male reading if you were in any way into aviation. Funny how quickly they became passe when you moved to a new town and you needed to impress your new classmates (there may have been an impression, but it did not include being impressed). The novels definitely helped fuel my aircraft kit hobby. Somewhat ironically, most of what hung from my bedroom ceiling were jets. Never did see the film. Probably glad I didn't at the time as I was a fan of the books. These days it's on my list of "if it's ever on in front of me and/or requires no effort to find".

[@colormedubious4747]

That's MISTER Bigglesworth to you, sir! Meow.

[@mattyb7183]

I've always been a bit of a Biggles fan. So, as a child, the idea of a Biggles film was great. So, I was very confused by the storyline as time travel was not something Biggles had ever done (and he did a lot of over the top and ridiculous stuff in the books). For a long time, I wasn't sure what to make of this film, and then I rewatched it maybe a decade or so ago. And I agree totally with your review. It's not a terrible film. It is a lot of fun in places and the time travel is done fairly well. But it is definitely not a Biggles film. Like a lot of 80s films, there are some decent ideas. But the script, budget and available special effects don't always come together coherently, and watching it even 10 years ago was painful. Probably not a film I will ever go back and watch again. I'd quite like a modern Biggles film done with decent modern CGI and special effects as the air battles could be very exciting if done well. Especially if they keep the people responsible for the terrible air combat in 'Fly Boys' a very, very long way from the production.

[@RighteousBrother]

Slightly off topic but I forgot Peter Cushing was still going strong in the mid eighties. So he could have in theory been in more of the original trilogy. Might've been cool.

[@GrandAdmThrawn]

I knew I remember that face from somewhere. Babylon 5 as Pierce Macabee, great lines there: "As the name implies, you must also be watchful. Peace can be made or broken with a gun, a word, an idea, even a thought. Now, those who work against peace sow the seeds of discontent. They plant false stories, they undermine the public good. It's not because they are necessarily evil. It's because they don't know any better. They're rejected, they're unhappy, and they lash out in the only way they can. So, If we could be made aware of these problems as they occur, then we can find these people, we can talk to these people, we can embrace them again in the arms of society, while, at the same time, protecting society from misinformation and harmful ideas. We're less interested in actions than we are in attitudes. We must help protect society against its own worst instincts. And by taking these bold steps, we will help to ensure a better future for everyone. I'm proud to be a part of it, and I hope you'll all join me in becoming part of the Night Watch."

[@HeartyArtie]

Silence, naughty lady of the night!

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Not a single mention of the Pet Shop Boys 'It couldn't happen Here' film - I am surprised

[@stephenpalmer9375]

yep, i came to say Neil Dickson for some reason reprised the role in 'It Couldn't Happen Here'

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

@@stephenpalmer9375 Biggles 2 - The Search for the Greasy Spoon.

[@heartbeatcity23]

Biggles!

[@bluewinds10]

I always thought it was silly that the chopper PA system had the same frequency response and intensity as the German secret weapon, and no-one knew what it was capable of?

[@xKynOx]

It always annoyed me they cut out the melted eye being pulled out when this was shown on TV.

[@tomsenior7405]

"Biggles Fly's Open"

[@Rhubba]

It's the mid-80s and Jon Anderson has to sing a synth pop song in a genre movie.

[@papalaz4444244]

Adventures in Time. Scifi. They could have done a sequel where he goes forward in time and meets Dan Dare. The main 'problem' is probaby that these literary characters are UK icons.

[@nutherefurlong]

Regarding music vs. visuals, what did you think of Ladyhawke?

[@torchwood00]

Adventures in 7 days

[@l.a.gothro3999]

@2:25 why are Peter Cushing's pupils so small?

[@equusquaggaquagga536]

You know a franchise is running out of ideas when it throws in time travel as a plot device This didn't even have a franchise

[@mrmeerkat1096]

When this film was about to be released the public were so not interested in it. That they couldn't fill the theatre for its Premiere. So what they did is held a competition through Blue peter and gave away 50 tickets for the Premiere with all the actors, director etc. Thats how desperate they were to fill seats and try and create a buzz for this movie and they failed. I like it and Jon andersons main theme in it. I think its a hidden gem and I agree that they used the small budget they were given well. Not a brilliant film but good enough.

[@ivane5110]

Saw this in the late 80s and it wasnt great, but wasnt bad. Just a shame it took so long to be made; the Biggles fan base was huge once, then was mild but still couldve gotten this to be at least a mild success (enough to keep it going until a new wave of fans discobered it) but that wkuldhave had to have been by the 60s at the very latest, I think. By the time this came out the original fans still alive wouldve all been wwll into being senior citizens. Shame, but it does makea person think on what once big franchises stood the test of time and which ones have been forgotten.

[@tomsenior7405]

"The Spunk of Biggles"

[@tomsenior7405]

"Biggles Drops one on the Bosch"

[@hollingsworth_hound]

I thought for sure there'd be some revelation about Auntie Beryl having a romantic tryst with Biggles back in the day.

[@KapiteinKrentebol]

Grand Moff Tarkin is Biggles boss so I guess Alec Guiness is Graf Von Stahlhelm.

[@midnightmosesuk]

I read a lot of Biggles stories as a kid so I went to see the film when it was in cinemas. I was fairly disappointed by the whole thing. I thought all the time travelling stuff was really unecessary and it would have been better if it was just the search for the secret weapon in 1917. It would be great if they rebooted the character and maybe made a British equivalent of Indiana Jones. There's certainly a gap in the market now that Indiana Jones is no longer really viable.

[@sebastiansochanski]

👌

[@michaelstaunton1632]

👍👍👍🎥

[@TurboLoveTrain]

Slaughterhouse 5 without aliens

[@greyblooz]

My only connection to Biggles is She-Wolf of London. Would you do an apologist piss-take on that show for us?

[@Cmdr1962]

So, where the hell was Biggles when you needed him last Saturday? And where were all the sportsmen Who always pulled you though? They're all resting down in Cornwall Writing up their memoirs For a paper-back edition Of the Boy Scout Manual.