| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Spiderman - The Ultimate Villain Showdown
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // Unrated // April 30, 2002
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
An instance of a tie-in that can be excused due to coolness, Buena Vista has smartly decided to package together a group of "Spider Man" cartoons for DVD. While I've never really been a comic book fan myself, "Spider Man" was certainly a nifty superhero who took on memorable villians. Included in this DVD edition are four epsiodes (a total of 79 minutes) where Spider Man takes on the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus and Kingpin. These episodes are from the 90's action series, while there is also an additional episode from the 60's.
These original episodes are nicely plotted, with solid action sequences and some fun moments, but the dialogue is clearly targeted towards a younger audiences. Rather than the clever self-referencial dialogue that is peppered throughout the recent feature film, these shows provide more of the usual action-hero soundbites. Still, there are some interesting similarities and a scene or two that are almost duplicated in the feature film.
These episodes don't present remarkable animation, but they are entertaining and enjoyable. While Buena Vista likely wanted this to serve as a tie-in (and it's a successful one - it seems to be selling very well) for the release of the feature film, they at least haven't simply packed a bunch of episodes together - there is also a 1967 episode ("The Origins of Spider Man") complete with an introduction by legendary animator Stan Lee.
The DVD
VIDEO: Buena Vista presents these episodes in their original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The image quality is perfectly fine; the animation is not that detailed, but appears crisp and well-defined throughout these epsiodes. I noticed no artifacts or wear and colors looked well-saturated and clean. Buena Vista has done a very fine job here.
SOUND: The soundtrack is presented in Dolby 2.0. It's really a rather simple offering, presenting the action, music and dialogue with fine clarity.
MENUS: Some minor animation livens up the main menu, while there are some animated transitions between menus.
EXTRAS: The classic epsiode "Origin Of Spider Man" is offered with a Stan Lee introduction. There are also Stan Lee optional introductions for each of the other four episodes. Also "comic-related" are "Stan Lee's Soapbox", a 20-minute featurette that offers Lee's discussion of the origins, history and reaction to Spider Man as well as some of the other characters he has created. Rounding out the disc are "Sneak Peak" trailers of "Spy Kids 2", "Snow Dogs", "Max Keeble's Big Move", "Power Rangers: Time Force", "Digimon: Birth of Gullimon" and "Teamo Supremo", as well as bios of the "Spider Man" villians.
Final Thoughts: While I can't say that I'm the target audience for this cartoon series, I certainly thought these episodes were entertaining and I'm sure the large fan base will be pleased with how they are presented. Hopefully, further episodes and possibly full-season sets will be eventually offered, given how well this disc seems to be selling. Recommended.
An instance of a tie-in that can be excused due to coolness, Buena Vista has smartly decided to package together a group of "Spider Man" cartoons for DVD. While I've never really been a comic book fan myself, "Spider Man" was certainly a nifty superhero who took on memorable villians. Included in this DVD edition are four epsiodes (a total of 79 minutes) where Spider Man takes on the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus and Kingpin. These episodes are from the 90's action series, while there is also an additional episode from the 60's.
These original episodes are nicely plotted, with solid action sequences and some fun moments, but the dialogue is clearly targeted towards a younger audiences. Rather than the clever self-referencial dialogue that is peppered throughout the recent feature film, these shows provide more of the usual action-hero soundbites. Still, there are some interesting similarities and a scene or two that are almost duplicated in the feature film.
These episodes don't present remarkable animation, but they are entertaining and enjoyable. While Buena Vista likely wanted this to serve as a tie-in (and it's a successful one - it seems to be selling very well) for the release of the feature film, they at least haven't simply packed a bunch of episodes together - there is also a 1967 episode ("The Origins of Spider Man") complete with an introduction by legendary animator Stan Lee.
The DVD
VIDEO: Buena Vista presents these episodes in their original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio. The image quality is perfectly fine; the animation is not that detailed, but appears crisp and well-defined throughout these epsiodes. I noticed no artifacts or wear and colors looked well-saturated and clean. Buena Vista has done a very fine job here.
SOUND: The soundtrack is presented in Dolby 2.0. It's really a rather simple offering, presenting the action, music and dialogue with fine clarity.
MENUS: Some minor animation livens up the main menu, while there are some animated transitions between menus.
EXTRAS: The classic epsiode "Origin Of Spider Man" is offered with a Stan Lee introduction. There are also Stan Lee optional introductions for each of the other four episodes. Also "comic-related" are "Stan Lee's Soapbox", a 20-minute featurette that offers Lee's discussion of the origins, history and reaction to Spider Man as well as some of the other characters he has created. Rounding out the disc are "Sneak Peak" trailers of "Spy Kids 2", "Snow Dogs", "Max Keeble's Big Move", "Power Rangers: Time Force", "Digimon: Birth of Gullimon" and "Teamo Supremo", as well as bios of the "Spider Man" villians.
Final Thoughts: While I can't say that I'm the target audience for this cartoon series, I certainly thought these episodes were entertaining and I'm sure the large fan base will be pleased with how they are presented. Hopefully, further episodes and possibly full-season sets will be eventually offered, given how well this disc seems to be selling. Recommended.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||