Collecting Movie Reviews

Considering you're getting three full fights, PLUS a one hour biography, PLUS a reference CD-ROM, this is a great value. Perfect for all boxing fans, casual or serious. The "Rumble in the Jungle" fight happens to be my fave.

This is an okay dvd set, containing 3 of Ali's greatest fights, but I don't understand why they don't make complete sets of fights, including all of the fighter's bouts, undercards, pre and post fight coverage, everything. They continue to release redundant television shows in "season" box sets, so classic boxing matches should at least deserve the same treatment. All you can find are chopped up, terrible quality sets on auction sites. I'm not saying they should do this for every boxer who ever lived, but the greatest fighters of all time such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, George Foreman, Ali of course, Tyson, and Holyfield should make more than enough money to make it worth their while. A Tyson set especially would sell like hot cakes. I think that many people would love to see these fights brought back to their former glory, and it would be especially nice to see the harder to find fights, when these fighters were just starting their professional careers, in dvd quality to boot. Maybe one day they will come to their senses and give the public what it wants.

There's no video or DVD that've covered these three fights better than "The Greatest Collection". Only minus for die-hard boxing fans is that you don't get the post fight interview in his dresssing room in "The Thrilla in Manila". The DVD "Ali The Whole Story" does. Otherwise an excellent DVD.

Considering you're getting three full fights, PLUS a one hour biography, PLUS a reference CD-ROM, this is a great value. Perfect for all boxing fans, casual or serious. The "Rumble in the Jungle" fight happens to be my fave.

This is an okay dvd set, containing 3 of Ali's greatest fights, but I don't understand why they don't make complete sets of fights, including all of the fighter's bouts, undercards, pre and post fight coverage, everything. They continue to release redundant television shows in "season" box sets, so classic boxing matches should at least deserve the same treatment. All you can find are chopped up, terrible quality sets on auction sites. I'm not saying they should do this for every boxer who ever lived, but the greatest fighters of all time such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, George Foreman, Ali of course, Tyson, and Holyfield should make more than enough money to make it worth their while. A Tyson set especially would sell like hot cakes. I think that many people would love to see these fights brought back to their former glory, and it would be especially nice to see the harder to find fights, when these fighters were just starting their professional careers, in dvd quality to boot. Maybe one day they will come to their senses and give the public what it wants.

There's no video or DVD that've covered these three fights better than "The Greatest Collection". Only minus for die-hard boxing fans is that you don't get the post fight interview in his dresssing room in "The Thrilla in Manila". The DVD "Ali The Whole Story" does. Otherwise an excellent DVD.

Fifty years after this film's release and 100 years after Ozu's birth, audiences in America can now (re)discover this masterpiece. The slow tempo and laser-focus on human lives that Ozu employs is strangely moving. Within a minimalist frame, Ozu paints his characters richly. Instead of bombast, Ozu gives us authenticity. When good-natured parents leave their village to visit their grown children in the big city, it's easy to feel contempt when the parents are shuffled-off to a spa. Yet Ozu does not create villains. He also shows the goodness in these flawed characters. I think this film will move the viewer towards courtesy, kindness and compassion. And with two DVDs included (the second with almost 3 hours of additional documentaries) it is worth the money.

Ozu is one of my favorite directors. He quietly stirs your heart like a meditational tea ceremony.
I especially enjoy scenes of Japan in the 50's because that is the Japan I left behind as a child. The old father in the movie represents to me a Japan I will probably never see again. He is so gentle and loving.

I saw this movie several years ago with some 100% Japanese girlfriends who had never been to Japan, and rented this tape to prepare their 1st visit w/their Japanese family in Japan. I am only half Japanese, but spent the first 8 years of my life there and return quite frequently. I don't think there is another movie out there that can really flood my eyes. The director's narrative and cinematography to this story is so precise and poignant about families, universally, is what makes it such a High rated classic. The children grow up, move away from their family in the countryside and forget about their parents, even when they come to visit. Busy and tirelessly uncontent with their own lives in Tokyo, hiding their lack of success in the big city, the "children" never see the true blessing to their existence and the "joy" of family. The parents realize they raised a bunch of selfish children who really don't care much about them and decide to maybe return home. There is one character who has lost her parents and is more than willing to take the visiting parents around. The children are striving for other "material" happiness, yet the very thing that could root them is what they avoid, family.
Around the world I have seen the happiest families, 3 generations, under one roof. Somehow when families depart and move it's easy to forget and avoid and eventually isolate. This movie reminds me of my family life in Japan, the honesty of the charcters and actions and non-actions had me sobbing the whole way through. This movie transcends all languages and families as these emotions are the human condition. Oddly enough, my Japanese-American friends were confused by how emotional this movie made me. Sadly, I really felt their family value: detatched. This movie is a great reminder to respect your family, no matter what. Their time is not forever, and neither is yours.

What's really frustrating nowadays is that a lot of directors think that they can satisfy an audience by throwing in a lot of sex,nudity,buckets of blood as well as body parts. But "The Twilight Zone" should serve as an example that you don't need all that [stuff] to make a good spine tingling,thought provoking movie or TV series!

My only complaint like eveyone else is that the episodes are not in chronological order and 90$ for 900 min is kind of expensive comparing the fact that you can buy each season of "24" starring Kiefer Sutherland which is 999 min long for 48$ and on 6 discs instead of 9 discs for the Twilight Zone. Apart from that, to have all 156 episodes on 5 collections is a dream come true!!!!!!!!

The Twilight Zone , The fugitive (1960) and 24 are my fav TV series!

The Twilight Zone's brilliance, innovation, and penetrating insights into man's nature and fallibility shine through as much now as when first introduced in the Cold War era. Whether an episode reflects man's confrontation with the fantastic, the known world but with a wrinkle, or himself, it comes across captivating if not in instances compelling. As with Mark Twain's stories, the hard lessons communicated are rooted in a positive orientation toward people, which makes them palatable. And the packaging into 25-minute episodes makes it very convenient to pop into the DVD player when that amount of free time presents itself.

The Twilight Zone can be an acquired taste. Try a sampler, then steer by your reactions as you go. Seriously consider this as a gift for those on your list who have everything and/or are difficult to buy for.

This is hands-down my favorite television series, and now it's on DVD in superlative form. You can't go wrong with any of the five collections.

consider that the only other verison of this troy i have seen is the 1968 musical version i dont have much to compare this too. this is a wee bit more faithful to the book. the boy that plays oliver is just as good as mark lester maybea bit better. however i cant stand the girl who played nacy here she is so over dramatic.

Oliver Twist is the great tradition of restoration and revenge stories that include The Count of Monte Cristo, Cinderella, Robin Hood, and many other myths. The aristocrat born in squalor, abused, betrayed and otherwise forced to live as a member of the lower orders never fails his blood. Dickens used this theme in other works such as Nicholas Nickelby and Great Expectation, but Oliver Twist remains the most satisfying of these excursions into the lower depths.

David Lean's version of the book is one of the great post-war British films. Shot in expressionist black and white, Oliver Twist doesn't shy away from the nasty bits of the underworld life that Oliver is forced into. Robert Newton's Sykes gleams with a psychotic edge, and Anthony Newley's Dodger leaps from the screen like Dicken's makes him rise from the page. James Newton Howard, as the poor but blonde lad, looks wan, pathetic, and suitably aristocratic among the unwashed. (Howard survived the experience and grew up to produce the well-beloved Monty Python)

The sets are spectactular and well-detailed. I should like you to notice the street band that appears in several scenes looking moldy and playing with resigned anger. The claustrophic slums of London are dark, dusty, and muddy all once, and when the sun pentrates the mire, it is so strange that it transforms the squalor into beauty. This is Lean's black and white masterpiece. The sequence where Sykes beats Nancy to death is one of Lean's best. The terror of Bulldog is moving, and after the beating, when Sykes opens the window and the morning sun bursts in is filmmaking at its best.

Lean also manages to cut the book without losing the essense of the story: the plot against Oliver by a userper who stands to inheirit Brown's estate if Oliver is surpressed. This greedy man conspires with the Beadle and with Fagan to get rid of the Oliver. Lean compresses this material well; the best scenes remain. The fall of Bumble and his wife is still one of the great scenes of all times. "The Law, sir, is an ass. The law, sir, is a bachelor."

Now to Alec Guiness's Fagan. Anti-semiticism was so ingrained in Britian that neither Lean nor Guiness saw anything wrong with making Fagan into a Nazi's dream of a Jew. Made up in a fright wig and a nose that longer than anything outside of a puppet show, Guiness presents Fagan's charm and evil as he would have played Shylock, the uncious cheat, liar, and villian, corrupter of children and receiver of stolen goods. Indeed, in the catalog of villians in English literature Fagan is second only to Shylock. So outrageous did post-Holocaust audiences find this Fagan, the film's distributor cut some of the more disturbing close-ups for American audiences.

Even Dickens realized he had gone too far back in the 1830's: he wrote wholly good, kind, and emasculated Jewish characters in later books, but the damage was done. Fagan is at no time presented as a relious Jew; even as he awaits hanging, he refuses to see Rabbis who come to him. Fagan is also somewhat psychotic, and collapses mentally the night before he hangs. To many people in the Europe Fagan and Shylock represented the Jewish People, not Moses, Albert Einstein or Moses Montefiore. This is a legacy of misunderstanding and hate with with we Red Sea Pedestrians must deal with every day.

This is great filmmaking and one of my favorite films. "Oliver Twist" is one of Lean's great films, and certainly the finest interpretation of Dickens on-screen, but the sorrow, the pity, the death camps, the suicide bombers, and 2000 years of violence against my people cannot be ignored simply because this is a work of art.

I watch it and weep.

i've seen adaptations of a few dickens' novels - great expectations, david copperfield, martin chuzzlewit, bleak house - and i think this is the best of the lot. the cinematography is wonderful, not just the innovative camera work but the atmospheric lighting.

i've read the book also and think this film is better. in fact, this is the only film adaptation that i could even come close to saying this of. david lean's great expectations comes kind of close, but the book is still better. not oliver twist.

so see this film. THEN read the book. it will improve your reading experience.

This collection updates the existing VHS edition of the videos collection, but as the title clearly states, it includes only the EMI singles, thus, videos for songs released while on other labels are missing.

It's in chronological order (although you can see them in random order), including 11 videos from Fish's era (Market Square heroes, He knows you know, Garden party, Assassing, Kayleigh, Lavender, Lady Nina, Heart of Lothian, Incommunicado, Sugar mice and Warm wet circles). These videos were made with very low budgets way back in the mid 80's, so their quality is not that great, but that's not really a problem.

As for the h videos, there are 12 of them (Hooks in you, Uninvited guest, Easter, Cover my eyes, No one can, Dry land, Sympathy, Hollow man, Alone again in the lap of luxury, The great escape, Beautiful) including one that's *hidden* (Deserve). These are better produced videos. Notice that the three videos for the 'Brave' songs seem quite similar, this is because they're all based on a single story (it is, after all, a concept album) and a film.

The music is excellent, as one would expect from the lads, but it's also great fun to see them change through time -- anyone remembers Fish and Mark Kelly when they had hair? Or Steve Rothery when he was thin?

My only complaint is that when you play the videos in random order, there's no way to skip or fast forward the songs...but anyways, who'd want to!

The truth is that this compiling although is not of a very good tecnical quality because of the moment in that the videos were recorded, it have an excellent artistic quality. One of the best bands of all the times. Try this dvd and review the most beautiful songs that you ever heard. If you have a music knowledge you must have it.It's worth having it.

This is a great collection. Nice to see Fish on film. Marillion has just released two more DVDs of the band playing live which I hope that amazon adds to their list soon. Fish has also just released a DVD of his "Kettle of Fish" tunes, unfortunately it is only available in PAL version. I wish he would try and release the NTSC version because I am a huge Fish fan and have been since the mid 80s and I would love to see the videos for those songs (which I have never seen).

Hold on! Who are those girls in Sailor Suits? Are those three cats talking? Is that a Pegasus? If you ask these questions then STOP READING AND GET A LIFE!

This series is known as Sailor Moon Super S or The Pegausus Series. In it, Sailor Moon's daughter Chibi-Moon is a S.I.T (Sailor in training) and has a secrete friend Helios who takes form of a pegasus in her dreams. He guards the Golden Crystal (Its like the Silver Moon Crystal) and Queen Nehelania wants it (She took over Helios's world) and sends Zirconia and the Amazon Quartet (Para-Para who switches Moon and Mini-Moon's ages, Besu-Besu, Jun-Jun and Cele-Cele). Who will win? GO SAILOR'S!!!!!!!

Well, not exactly the end, but pretty close to it. SuperS goes straight into StarS but in America, sadly, this is the furthest Sailor Moon has gotten.

I really like the how this was ended. It reminded me of how the movies end. I'm not going to spoil the ending for you but trust me, if you like the SuperS series, this is a must have. There are only three episodes on this DVD but its worth every penny.

i had seen some of these parts long ago when i taped them on t.v. i am so glad it's out it's my fav series along with sailor starts their my favorite's and when rini is thrown off the ledge where *UGLY* Nehelenia is sailor moon *JUMPS* off the ledge trying to save rini she tries to wake rini up but she can't their almost at the bottom rini wakes up and they transform into there formal Silver Millenuim Dresses and fly down and their safe! It's Just My Fav Episode!

As time goes on, I keep returning to films that exquisitely portray the human condition: films like "The Bicycle Thief," "Forbidden Games," "The Official Story," "Boy," and "Ballad of a Soldier," to name a few. When I first saw "Ballad of a Soldier," I also had under my belt many of the masterpieces of the new wave films from Europe and Asia in the 50s and early 60s. This brilliant film and "The Cranes Are Flying" put another face on the Cold War for me.

Most in the West think the United States and allies "won" WWII. Nothing could be further from the truth. Germany invaded Russia on June 22, 1941, and proceeded to destroy their country and over 28 million Russian citizens and soldiers. The battles on the Eastern Front were of such breadth and scope that no comparison is possible in history. For example, in the famous 1943 battle of Kursk (remember the Russian sub?), up to 6,000 total tanks battled over a 200-mile front that resulted in a million deaths. This adventure took about 10 days. Stalingrad alone was the beginning of the end for the Germans, resulting in 160,000 dead and 500,000 taken prisoner. The savagery there was literally unspeakable and horrible, and the losses by the Russians were horrendous. Behind the Russians was the butcher Stalin, and in front of them were the Germans, yet in spite of these evils, the Russian people rose up with an incredible sense of protecting their motherland. When the war in the East was over in 1945, the Red Army had destroyed, disabled, or captured 607 German and Axis divisions; Americans and allies, from Africa to Berlin, destroyed a total of 167 enemy divisions. Their total deaths numbered around 8 million. Total American deaths in Europe numbered around 300,000.

I mention these facts to belie the notion that most reviewers seem apologetic that this film contained " soviet propaganda," as if that were a discrediting thing. From the Russian point of view, they won the war, and the numbers easily prove it. The Americans invaded Western Europe and courageously fought into Germany. But, without their airpower and bombing of German civilians into the Stone Age, or without the decimation caused by the Russians of 2/3s of German ground forces, D-Day would have been a disaster.

This is the background for this film, and its utter faithfulness to any Russian's basic sense of themselves, their country, and their culture rings true throughout. Not to be missed!

When this Russian film was made in 1959, it was the middle of the Cold War. American audiences certainly didn't see it. If we had, it would have softened our impressions of Russians, who were always depicted as cruel monsters whose only desire was to bury America. And yet, WW2 was devastating for them as it was fought on their soil and so many died. "Ballad of a Soldier" is the story of one such soldier.

We first meet 19-year old Alyosha as he is cowering in a foxhole on the front. We can identify with his fear at the German tanks that are advancing. He runs to a machine gun and shoots at the tanks. To his surprise, he hits a tank and destroys it. He keeps shooting and manages to destroy a second tank. All of a sudden he's a hero and his commanding officer wants to give him a medal. "Please, sir" he begs. "Instead of a medal, please give me one day's leave to see my mother." The hard-hearted officer is touched, and gives the young man a six-day pass.

It would be a two-day trip each way even at the best of times. But now it is wartime. And it's a difficult journey. Along the way we meets a one-legged soldier who's reluctant to face life, a lovely young woman who Alyosha begins to love, an unfaithful wife who he shames, and old man who he gives hope. He has to bribe his way into a train. And is traveling on another train when a bridge is destroyed. But he is determined to make it to his village to see his mother, even if it is just to give her one big hug before he has to return to the front. It's a wonderful story, full of setbacks and tension and just plain human feelings.

Filmed it black and white, and a mere 89 minutes long, it contains images of Russia that Americans rarely see. The countryside is devastated, but yet there's a spirit of a hearty people full of grit and determination to survive. It's a sad story too, and bittersweet. By the end of the film I was sobbing out loud. This is a fine film. Highly recommended.

The details of the story have been covered well in other reviews, so I'll pass on that aspect. This DVD is flawlessly rendered. Every outlet should apply the same standards to their work as did Criterion in this release. The result is a crisp, detailed, CLEAN, B&W video and soundtrack that looks right at home on the best of the current crop of high end Entertainment centers.

The story is neither pacifist (like "All quiet"), or gung-ho die for the motherland in it's application. It focuses more on the human side of the call to arms than any film I have ever viewed. Faced with the knowlege that Hitler was exterminating their fellow countrymen in order to provide "living space" for the future Reich, many millions of Russians answered the call to defend their existence. Many millions died before the war was over. Despite it's soviet origin, this film does a wonderful job of singling out just one individual, following his life through the ordeal of war, and giving us a glimpse of the true cost of the sacrifice made by the masses of young soldiers who have died defending their homelands around the globe.

The dialog is outstanding. The subtitles are remarkably good, and in general, the film will make you laugh, cry, and pretty much stay focused on the screen until the you have watched everything offered on the DVD. Get this movie, you won't regret it.

Of all the superb British productions, none touch the heart quite like All Creatures Great and Small. Certainly, this delightful comedy-drama is one of our entire family's all-time favourites--one which we've watched numerous times and continue to enjoy to this day.

Though the names of people and places were changed, the series is based on the true stories of Yorkshire veterinarian, James Herriot (the nom de plume of Alf Wight, who sadly died of prostate cancer in 1995 at age 78). The series opens in the early 1930s with James (played by Christopher Timothy), a serious-minded and very conscientious newly qualified vet, arriving in the tiny Yorkshire farming town of Darrowby for a job interview at Skeldale House, the home/surgery of veterinarian Siegfried Farnon (Robert Hardy). Siegfried, though a very competent vet and an extremely generous man, is one of the most contrary and mercurial individuals. Heaven help the other members of the practice, who walk on eggshells most of the time as it is, should he get a bee in his bonnet about something! The third member of the practice (if one can call him that, for he's still a veterinary student in the early episodes), is Siegfried's younger brother (and polar opposite in temperament), Tristan (Peter Davison). Tristan is a gregarious, skirt-chasing practical joker and one of the laziest individuals around. Certainly, he'd rather have a pint, play a prank, or chat up the girls than study for exams or be on call at the surgery. The stage is set then for some very comical situations, which are rendered all the funnier and all the more welcome as relief from the very real drama of the stories.

Apart from the vets, the series is peppered with a wealth of memorable characters. There's the Farnons' good-hearted but no-nonsense, mother-hen housekeeper, Mrs. Hall (sadly, the actress portraying her died after the third series); and who can forget the gruff, tight-fisted, cheap-skate farmer, Mr. Biggins--the bane of the practice; or wealthy (and demonstrably grateful!) Mrs. Pumphrey, whose pampered pekingese Tricki Woo suffers a host of complaints related to his rich diet and idle lifestyle. Of course, one mustn't forget James' devoted wife Helen (Carol Drinkwater, who was replaced by Lynda Bellingham in the fourth series)--their courtship provided the basis for much humour in the early episodes--or the larger-than-life Granville Bennett (James Grout), whose veterinary skill is matched only by his hospitality and his ability to consume copious amounts of alchohol (not to mention food!), much to James' immense discomfort and embarassment.

With thirteen 50-minute episodes, this boxed set contains the complete first series. Produced in 1978 and set against the backdrop of the magnificent Yorkshire dales, this is a thoroughly entertaining series which, like the wonderful books that inspired it, takes one through the gamut of emotions--from laughter to tears. It is a series which transports the viewer back to a time and way of life that is, in many ways sadly, gone forever. It is sure to be enjoyed by anyone looking for quality entertainment that the whole family can enjoy, but it will especially be treasured by fellow animal lovers.

There are, at the time of writing, four boxed sets (containing the complete first four series) plus a DVD with two special episodes (its video counterpart only contains the first special, unfortunately), and I highly recommend the entire series. If you enjoy the first boxed set, by all means go ahead and purchase the remaining sets (and specials), as the entire series is outstanding. There are still another two or three series that have yet to be brought to video/DVD, and I know I'm not alone in hoping the BBC will release them sometime soon. Indeed, if ever a series deserved to be released in its entirety, it is this one. Extremely highly recommended!

Amazon also sells the books about Al Whight, the true name of the author of the books about James Herriott.
I have watched this series since I was a little girl, and much like Disney movies, I see different layers of meaning as I move through changes in my own life. The characters growth and love stories, losses and struggles can easily be related to, and are told in a fun, warm and real manner. If you are fond of animals, this series is a MUST. It may seem like a lot of money for this boxed set, but I have watched the episodes so many times, I would have paid much more in movie tickets had this been released in theaters.
Some things just don't get old.
Also, try reading the books the series are based on, I can't read them in bed any more, my sniggers keeps my husband from sleeping. Hillariously funny, especially the cat and dog stories.
The technical quality is very good considering this was shot and filmed so many years ago. The absence of fancy special effects just helps keep the whole series time appripriate.
The episodes can be watched individually and over time, no need to set aside the whole weekend to watch it all at once. But you might choose to once you get started.

When it was on the American PBS series, My wife and I watched it religiously. From the very beginning from getting the job as vet, to the end, driving off to go to war it shows the passion and reality of the peoples lives during that time. In this series you will find tears and laughter, wonder and amazement.

The series is enhanced in that Robert Hardy is one of the greatest actors I have ever seen. He was the backbone of the series.

I have no complaint on the quality of the copies, its really quite good. I have no bad things to say about there being no interviews with the actors, the acting is simple perfection.

If you like to see real peoples lives, watch this series. This isnt Empty Nest stuff, its real.

I just got Robotech legacy #3 and it's everything I expected and more. Makes me wish I was 16 again. In this age of Cartoon Network and MTV, "anything goes" but it's dissapointing how now more than ever, animation producers and writers are sticking to formula. Either that or they're jumping on "imitating the lastest hot anime" bandwagon. Call Carl Macek a butcher if you want but he had a good idea during a time when experimentation was actually encouraged. And it was an experiment that worked
The only thing I really am dissapointed about is some of the extras on the Sentinels tapes. The character bios, for example should have had extra screens. They covered Rick, Lisa and all the old carryover characters from Macross saga as expected as well as some of the new ones like Cabell and Rem, but they left out a lot of the new characters. Most notable are missing bios for important characters such as Dr. Lang, T.R. Edwards, Vince and Jean Grant, the Regent and Regiss, Tesla, and the Sentinels themselves.
The Sentinels audio commentary by Carl Macek was really nothing more than his "dry" reading of his Robotech Art 3 book. The first 4 chapters anyway. Mostly verbatim. Interesting but I thought a traditional running commentary on the video itself would have been more interesting as there was a plenthora of interesting stuff to analyze and discuss. The book material could have been an additional documentary style extra in and of itself. Better yet, why not just reprint the book for those who didn't get to buy it. There's probably money in it.
The oldest part of my almost 20 year old video collection is the Robotech episodes that I taped off TV back in 85-86. Unfortunately, on today's VCRs and TVs, they look really crappy. And I'm glad I've got Robotech Legacy's DVDs so I can retire those tapes (20 year old videotapes will die an ignoble death in 2003 VCRs after too long, so if you taped these shows off TV, get Robotech Legacy and let your old VHS tapes rest in peace.

Robotech has always been in my life. I don't remember ever watching Bert and Ernie or Mr. Rogers or anything like that as a child--I would just vaguely remember Lynn Minmei in her red Chinese dress. As a middle schooler, I thought I would grow up to be like Miriya and become an ace fighter pilot (Ha!). It's funny how things change, but now, as a college student, I appreciate not only the whole story but the love triangle in the story--especially Minmei, who always came across as an annoying little... But having experienced a love triangle of my own, I have come to sympathize (sp?) with her.
Anyway, the Robotech series is a classic that everyone should experience watching (even if you're like me and don't like Japanimation--Robotech is different!). These particular DVD's sadly bring the conclusion of one of the greatest stories of all time. Why is the story so great? Well, there's action, drama, comedy, romance, etc. There is also a great number of characters that the viewers come to care about, and each of them, with their own uniqueness, contribute to the greatness of the Macross story. The main character is Rick Hunter, who follows the footsteps of his best friend Roy Fokker and joins the Robotech forces against the 40 feet tall alien Zentradai that have come for the SDF-1 (a huge alien ship that the humans have transformed for their own protection). Rick Hunter falls in love with Lynn Minmei, who later becomes a famous entertainer, and forms a strong relationship with his commanding officer Lisa Hayes throughout the series. And then there is Max Sterling, the modest ace pilot of the SDF-1, who constantly out-manuevers Miriya, the Zentradai ace pilot of the elite Quadrono Squadron. (My favorite episode is "Farewell Big Brother" when they first combat each other).
I also commend the writers of Robotech for having such strong female characters, like Claudia, who is a solid rock to all around her.
Although the Sentinels return to some of the old Macross characters with new and interesting ones, I don't think it's as good as Macross. So it makes me sad everytime I watch the very last scene of Macross and hear Minmei's song bringing it all to a close...
"...a world of things we've never seen before
where silver suns have golden moons
each year has thirteen Junes
that's what must be for me
to be in love..."

I'll have to admit being a bit biased here since I ordered all 3 Macross boxed sets at once. After watching the first 2 boxes the last still managed to come up with a surprise for me. Ofcourse it features the last episodes of the Macross saga, but the bonus DVD is also worth some attention IMO... Ever heard of Robotech II (the original feature length film produced for the aborted 65 episode of Sentinels) which has the marriage between Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes ? I once had this film on VHS and now I'm glad that I regained it since it makes a good addition to the Macross collection.

To put it blunt (damn, this almost sounds like some commercial yet isn't intended that way): if you got the 1st 2 boxed sets then its hard to get around this one since its a must have. If you got that far its time to complete it, you'll regret it otherwise.. I took these steps myself and I never regretted it.

One small advice; be prepared for a shocking ending....