I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

It's one of the most original films you'll likely see all year, which, depending on your threshold for certifiably crazy storylines, could be a rewarding experience or one that frustrates you.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is the pilot movie for what later became "The Six Million Dollar Man" TV series. In some ways it's quite a bit like the later series, but for the most part I found it quite different and pretty exciting--even when I see it today. I say that because I liked the movie and show when I was a kid--but I had no idea how well either would hold up decades later. Frankly, I am a lot pickier with what I watch now--and I was half expecting to hate it. However, the Martin Caidin story turned out to be pretty engaging.Now you need to understand up front that this film, like many pilots, is not exactly the show. A different guy plays the good doctor (Martin Balsam) and Steve Austin's boss (Darren McGavin) is VERY different--much more amoral and scheming compared to the relatively nice Richard Anderson from the show as 'Oscar Goldman'. I liked McGavin's character and wished they kept him for the show. The big similarity between the movie and show is that Steve Austin was played by the same guy in both--Lee Majors. Overall, this is a very interesting a well made TV movie. Part of it is that it relied less on action and more on characters. Plus, I liked how you did NOT see and hear the weird 'cyborg' effects--Austin just did cool things without the silly accompanying sounds. Worth seeing and clever.

Although I haven't seen this show in years, I do have very fond memories of it. I recall it came on every Sunday night either before or after the new Hardy Boys show and I was pretty much addicted to it. It's a part of my past ... like it or not! Just like Superfriends, Sid and Marty Kroft, Big Wheels and my old neighborhood friends. I would have to admit it would be a most difficult thing for me to objectively review this show. That's the problem with nostalgia -one tends to idealize the past. I have my own perception of the show and I don't know how it would stack up to reality. I like to think of the show as something that I liked but left behind long ago. Not that I wouldn't be up to watching a few episodes now but it just wouldn't be the same.

The TV movie that led to "The Six Million Dollar Man" becoming one of the biggest hits of the 1970s, and being fondly remembered by many who were the right age at the time (not least me - I still remember playing with my Steve Austin doll), is strikingly different from what would come. Admittedly the series was hardly a laugh riot, but the source was even straighter, with nothing to indicate that Col. Austin would eventually acquire a bionic girlfriend (and dog) and meet the likes of Bigfoot, a double, and alien killer machines. (We won't mention that "Sweet Jaime" song.)Not only does Henri Simoun's teleplay furnish our hero with some actual doubt over how much of a human being he is now, but the relationship between him and his superior officer is less chummy - no benevolent Oscar Goldman of the OSI here, instead the OSO's colder Spencer (Darren McGavin, easily taking the acting honours). Plus, when Steve is eventually sent into the field, it's surprisingly straightforward - the movie emphasises drama over derring-do (note the lack of DANANANANANANA sound effects). This isn't always for the best; the actual crash isn't as effective as it could have been, and 30 years on some elements have dated somewhat - who'd be so casual about a nuclear-powered motor today? - but if ultimately it's not as much fun as the series, it's also a bit more thoughtful.Footnotes: This movie was edited into two parts and shown on the series as "The Moon And The Desert." More importantly, no one here calls him "a man barely alive," let alone says "We can rebuild him" or "We have the technology."

I was always a very scientific boy by nature from a very young age. I studied & understood everything about science. Won awards for it. I loved Star Trek, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, Nova, In Search Of, Jacques Cousteau, etc. Anything scientific. This show fit perfectly into this collection. One of the most compelling things I will always remember is the music in the opening credits...that military drum beat march, the crackle of mission control radio communications, the sound of the breakaway from the test plane where you learn what's really going on, the drama & rising tension of the music as the capsule malfunctions and the pilot loses his battle for control, it still gets me all fired up to this day! The opening credits and music to that show is one of the most intense I've ever seen. The other day I saw this TV commercial, it was for a national ISP, where they used a really cheapo thin sounding imitation of the music from the Six Million Dollar Man. To me it was an outrage! It made me so mad because it was so weak, that I had to stop what I was doing and go out onto the Internet and find not just the music but an MPEG video of the actual opening credits with the original music. I proceeded to watch it over an over again for about an hour. It still gives me a thrill and brought back so many memories of my youth! I wound up harassing my poor patient wife for about a half hour with a lecture on how important this show was to my upbringing & psychology. The positive "Can Do" attitude of Oscar Goldman and the OSI, the science and the men who put Steve Austin back together again! The computer schematics of all his mechanical parts. The surgery room and lights. The testing. "Gentleman, we can rebuild him, better than he was before. Better, Stronger, Faster." (!!) These are words to live by! It was like I was 8 years old again! Needless to say, I love this show.