The Space Giants (1966– ) User Reviews

This Show..Rocked!

[lambiepie-2 · 8/10 · 26 April 2003]

Okay I will admit, after watching "Space Giants" as a child, I BEGGED my parents for a whistle. Why? To call Goldar, Sylvar or the little boy that turned into a rocket whenever I got into trouble, of course!

This was second only to my love of "Ultra Man" and what I write now, is only from a five year old's memory of watching this on tv in New York. You see they showed different things on Channel 11 before Yankees Baseball in the summer. My father, being a baseball-a-holic was on every Yankees and Mets televised game. For us, the kids, they would show "Thunderbirds", the "super-marionnette" puppets (yikes!!) or this, the wonderful..Space Giants.

I liked this show as a child. They didn't show many installments in America but (Spoilers possible) what this was about was three Giants/Robots that could be called to save the world from impending trouble from (there was ALWAYS trouble!).... as my mom constantly reminded me of when she walked into the room, "Men in rubber suits."

A little boy was given a whistle, if he blew it once, it would call a little boy who looked just like him and could change into a rocket. If the little boy blew the whistle twice it would call a woman in a silver suite, Sylvar, who could kick butt like nobody's business. But if there was REALLY big trouble, he could blow this special whistle three times and in came Goldar, the Giant who would fight all the monsters. Pretty cool. Godzilla had nothing on these guys.

If you can get a few copies of the series from the beginning, it would be better. I saw it dubbed in English. Alot of family fun. Go get a few copies and enjoy!

The thing I remember most was the rocket family living in the cave.

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 18 October 2009]

Nothing great, a bit like a Godzilla show or another one where some dude held his arms in the air and said "Help me overlord" before changing into a giant robot. This one follows the adventures of a young boy who has a whistle that when blowed could summon a little boy, a young woman, and a giant dude named Goldar in America to his aid. A fact that most of the other reviewers seemed to have forgotten. Most of them seem to say so much about the show, but fail to mention these characters and go on about spiritualism, wicca and all this while not mentioning the family that turned into ships. Another thing I remember about this one was the rather creepy looking villain and the episode where this dude made a super heat wave where they tried to make it rain to cool things down, but all it did was rain really hot water. The monsters other than the main villain are a blank to me as I remember the monsters from the one about the guy sticking his arms in the air, but almost none of them from this show. Still, while not super great this show kept me entertained as a child.

a interesting tv show that I loved as a kid.

[UNISOM · 24 October 2001]

WTBS started running this around 1979. The program was purchased in syndication for cheap around the time Japanese tv shows and animation such as BATTLE OF THE PLANETS and STAR BLAZERS hit US airwaves after syndication deals with such firms as Claster and Sandy Frank etc. Turner ran this series which was a GODZILLA/RODAN style robot space opera mixing kung fu, fantasy, espionage, and science fiction in adventure show aimed at kids and young adults. The program was not a ratings bomb and fired well on cable in a era where you had a different approach to afternoon broadcasting (pre talk show era). Some have said the program mixed wiccan legends like THE FACE OR OLD MAN OR WOMAN IN THE WOODS with symbolism in a robotic battle of good and evil. The program was family oriented science fiction that was almost 15 years old when it hit America on mass in many different tv markets. The series cost effective faired well but is not on video or in release on tv yet. If you liked Godzilla but like a little "tounge in cheek" humor this show will be up your alley.

Best Series of my childhood

[blingnseattle · 10/10 · 10 September 2006]

So long I have wanted to see anything of this series again. The heroes Goldar,dad like; Silvar,mom like; and Gan ,boy like ;there was also a kid who called on them with special whistles,one for each hero They were robot-like aliens thats what they looked like anyhow that could turn into jets, the bads guy were awesome the way their costume turned from seemingly human filled into a oozing blob of a green pudding filled looked lots cooler than I described. My favorite episode was about this young boy who would dream bout a monster and then it would come to life. Oh what I wouldn't give to see an episode of my favorite childhood show...

Loved That Show

[csmith0617 · 10/10 · 22 May 2006]

Was an excellent show for that time period. I remember racing home from school to watch it everyday. Had all of the elements I loved, action, suspense, adventure. It took me far away to an imaginary place. Me and my school friends would even act out scenes from the show. I'm sure if posters were available at that time, they would have adorned my walls. I would have even have had Space Giants bed sheets. I felt invincible knowing Goldar Silvar and Gam were there to defend our planet. Even in the 90's when Power Rangers and similar shows came out, they did not even compare. I hope to find these on DVD, or on a cable network one day that shows old programs like TV Land or Boomerang.

Best sci-fi as a kid!

[caroljackbarker1 · 10/10 · 1 February 2014]

I remember this show as a kid- was watching KATU channel 2 in San Francisco, while living in Eugene, Oregon. I had a lot of trouble w/my mom, so spent most of my time w/my adopted Cambodian family-Boprek, Visneu and Botum! best of the best people!

Three brothers turned me on to ch.2-couldn't believe it was San Fran. Bob Wilkins hosted the show "Captain Cosmic" which I would tune into every day! Man was I hooked!

He (Bob Wilkins as Captain Cosmic) hosted the show, and had various series of Sci-fi. Space Giants was my favorite1 (I keep hoping to find it)!

No spoiler here-if you find it, get it! Go program, and considering the era, special effects were pretty good!

...I couldn't think of the name

[oliverhollisjr · 10/10 · 21 January 2021]

My google search was: "gold robot family lived in volcano".....this was my show back in the day...3-4 years old in the 70's.....had to watch it....I believe this show help me tell time...lol

Never saw the end.

[FishHeadSweety · 9/10 · 13 December 2022]

I liked this show a lot when I was a teenager and thought my little sister would like it, too. She did! We have fond memories of it. I don't know if I ever saw the end or not, but fortunately, it's now on YOUTUBE for us all to enjoy. There is a final episode and I finally saw it.

My review must be longer, so I'll say Meekos' Mother and what happened to her is resolved. Does Rodak get his comeuppance? I couldn't remember and it's not the most satisfying ending, but i'll Take it.

Space Giants is a fun show kids in the 1970s enjoyed. I thought the father was handsome and I have fond memories of that. I saw it on TBS. My review is long enough now.

A childhood favorite

[JK55092 · 21 May 2003]

To be honest, I don't remember the details well enough to write a very in-depth review. But I can say that as a small child, I would have moved Heaven and Earth before missing an episode. I enjoyed this show more than anything I've watched before or since, so that ought to be worth something.

Great Show!

[clark-7 · 5 September 2000]

This was a great TV show. It aired in the early 80's on Channel 17 (WTBS). It was fun to watch as a kid and I'm sure it would be a hit even today. There was NEVER a character named Liz, by the way, and the show did not have any religious meaning behind the stories. It was good the good guys (Earthlings) against the bad guys (aliens). Of course the good guys always won! The lead man was named TOM MURA.

a pre X FILES UFO invasion story

[desertisland1999 · 20 July 2002]

SPACE GIANTS combines several story styles in it's recipe for syndicated success in the 1970's and 1980's. With similar production values to LAND OF THE GIANTS, SPACE GIANTS was released in the united staqtes to success in syndication. The program meshes spirtiaulism, the UFO folklore, and a tale of spy and invasion intruige to tell it's story line which also invovled GODZILLA sized hijinks. Fun and never taking itself too seriously SPACE GIANTS was a enjoyable view for families and college students. Before POWER RANGERS hit america this program used martial arts and robots and aliens to garner a audience of afterschool fans. The show was sort of a program that followed the traditions of the 1930's serial.

Re: Lone Solo 'review'

[lcaustin2000 · 8 September 2001]

Originally, I didn't want to make a fuss, but having seen this page again, and knowing this 'review' is what most people, who mayn't have any knowledge of this show, will be met with, each time they look up 'The Space Giants' I suddenly felt the strong need to respond.

I found 'Lone Solo's comments offensive, mean-spirited, and smarmy, but, worst of all, highly ill-informed. It seems as if the only exposure he's had to this programme was through the off-handed and unflattering trailer produced by WTBS in Atlanta during its run on that station in the 1970's.

Having gone back to watch it in my adult life, I, in addition to enjoying it immensely as a monster adventure series, was surprised at how clever and weighty it actually was. There's a point where the villain, Rodak, gets so desperate to control the Earth, that he actually takes up with organised crime to spread an highly addictive drug called 'Zenar'! I'd never noticed, there was a gradual progression from the light, frothy adventures, to a heavier, serious conflicts through the course of 'The Space Giants'. However, it was never heavy-handed or did it harm it as a children's adventure series. The series managed to remain true to its source and characters! I can't think of one example of a similar series, currently being produced for children, on America television, that compares.

The format of serialised adventures (four episodes for one story) was a budgetary decision that aided in story and character development. This also put it in sharp contrast with the other 'monster of the week' contemporaries of 'The Space Giants'. This, I felt, gave the heroes victories, defeats, struggles, and triumphs more gravitas. We feel the sorrow of Mikko and his father as, for several episodes (apparently months in the series context), Mikko's mother goes missing, kidnapped by Rodak.

'The Space Giants' also never pulled any punches when it came to death or violence, although, interestingly, it never reveled in them. (There is an instance, however, in the American dub, where a character, killed in the original Japanese show, is 'hospitalised' instead. Perhaps this was done because the character was a young girl and the producers felt it might upset children in the audience. I can't say for a certainty.) Given their approach to this area, the programme managed to never fall into the trap of callously showing violent acts or cheapening of human life as other series can tend to do. The monster battles were, at times very violent, but always on an 'operatic' scale.

As far as special effects are concerned, this is a very subjective topic. (I, for one, am not wild about cgi effects; among other things, they've never looked solid to me.) the effects produced for 'The Space Giants',as a whole, can only be described as hit or miss. They mayn't have always been special, but were certainly effective! What really helped was that they were always framed and edited well, not to mention highly imaginative. This in many ways, hid a lot of cost cutting. I'm afraid a modern similar series, wouldn't have half the ingenuity employed on 'The Space Giants' in this regard. (Again, this can be highly suggestive point, but if you have opportunity to see it, you'll see my argument.)

At the time, this was relatively untried territory for this type of programme. P Productions, the company that produced 'The Space Giants', had only previously made 'Agon The Atomic Dragon'. (I haven't seen this, although I hear it's surprisingly good. The monster suit from it does appear in 'The Space Giants' on two occasions.) 'Agon' was roughly a t. v. mini-series version of the original 'Godzilla'. However, it was having this under their belts, along with Tsuburaya Productions announcement of their new series 'Ultraman', that made 'P Pro' switch gears and produce 'The Space Giants' as a live action series.

Originally it was intended to produce a series similar the 'Astro Boy', another Osamu Tezuka creation. Previously animated sequences were actually re-tooled for use in the series. They are actually very effective.

These are just a few points, off the top of my head, about what I feel to be a cleverly handled series from the days before formula began to rule its genre.

DVD's are out!

[cubsblue · 26 September 2005]

This was a great show but the rumors of no DVD or video release are not true. They are out but the only place I have seen them is yahoo auctions. I don't know why they have not gone into a more wide release.

This show was my first introduction to Japanese to English dubbing. It makes it really interesting to see how out of sync the conversations can get. These were dubbed really badly in some parts. The DVD release also has the areas that never got dubbed into English for whatever reason so you can be going through a conversation and all of a sudden it switches to Japanese.

The originals are also more violent than the US edits. Not your standard kids show fair. I would highly recommend seeing the complete series in it's unedited form. It gives you a better overview of the entire series if you can find it.

Thanks for helping me find this show

[jenn-coc · 22 October 2014]

I have been looking for this show for YEARS!

I use to watch it immediately after getting off the school bus. Many days I would not get to watch it and hated to have to listen to my friends talk about the latest episode.

I have scoured the Internet for years in search of anyone describing it so I could find the name. I finally put enough of the "right" info into the search box and after a few clicks found this thread.

Oh man, thanks everyone for helping me find this show again. It doesn't look real now that 30 some yrs have passed but it holds some of the most precious memories from my past.

Space Giants Info

[rochey50 · 27 September 2004]

I was a big fan of this show back then. I was hoping somebody could help me by sending info regarding this show. I would like to know if there is a website for it. I would like to know if there is a way to get old shows on DVD. I have seen info on ebay but it wasn't very specific. In fact, it was kind of vague. My kids would like this kind of show. I would like to see these again since it brings back some good memories of the past. There were other shows at this time like Ultraman and Speed Racer. These were great to watch too. I'm hoping someone out there can be a big help with this. Hope to hear from somebody soon!!!!!! I know I cant be the only one out there that would like this info. Please help!!!!! Rochey50