Justice League - Secret Origins (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)As the ads for the original comic book said, Just Imagine! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more on one team. Well, actually as a child of 1970s, I can imagine it quite easily. On TV, it was called The Superfriends. But in the comics, these heroes were The Justice League. Now, they are back!
This DVD is the first three episodes of a new cartoon series which at the moment isn't being shown in my country of Canada.
First the good, the cartoon is exciting. It's a fast-moving plot -- which as others have stated owes a debt to Wells's War of the Worlds (as well as some Justice League comic books, where the invaders were White Martians and Apellaxians.)
For an action-driven movie, the character interplay is very good. Flash is an impulsive joker, Green Lantern a military type, Hawkgirl a fierce warrior. Relatively simple characterization but they blend fairly well.
And I like the composition of the team. With several Green Lanterns to choose from, they picked John Stewart. I see that a former reviewer complained about this. Well, essentially, GL is just a name and a power. So, why not pick the black (or African American, as Americans say) one? The same with Hawkgirl? I really don't see the big deal here. It makes sense. After all, Kryptonians and Thanagarians and Martians --- well, that really isn't diversity.
My problems? Well, the plot is a bit thin. I think this comes from being a "widescreen" (well, full frame in this case) epic battle. But the bigger problem? I know who John Stewart is (originally a social activist with a chip on his shoulder, and an architect). I know who the Wally West Flash is. But I doubt the non-comics reader does. Sure, the DVD has a character bio section. But I think with newcomer Wonder Woman, someone could have given her a brief description of the heroes. It's called Secret Origins, but really, the only origin we get is J'Onn J'Onnz's origin. I'm not even sure anyone ever calls Green Lantern by his superhero name once.
But if their names don't come through, their characters do. Much more sharply than they did on the old Superfriends.
Still... my biggest problem? That it doesn't contain all those cool adventures I've been hearing about? Manhunters? The Injustice Gang? A Pseudo-Earth 2? Metamorpho? Bring them on!
Oh, and as for the person who said this was DC's answer to the X-Men? Well, the Justice League came first.

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WHEN GLOBAL CATASTRPHE STRIKES, SOMETIMES THE JOB IS TOO BIGFOR A SINGLE HERO. THIS IS WHEN THE WORLD'S GREATEST SUPERHEROES ANSWER THE CALL TO JOIN THE JUSTICE LEAGUE. MEMBERS OF THE JUSTIC LEAGUE MUST LEARN TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM TOOVERCOME A DANGEROUS ARRAY OF INTERSTELLAR INVADERS.

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Superman & Mole Men (1951) Review

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(More customer reviews)Sorry, but this has to be a dissenting opinion. As some of the other reviewers have noted, "Superman and the Mole Men" was later edited into a two-part episode for the George Reeves TV program, now rechristened as "The Unknown People." Sorry, folks, but in this case the "edited for TV" version is a distinct improvement and for one reason: THE MUSIC! The score used in the original movie is a pallid, third-rate job that does nothing to advance the action or to support the eerie, "film noir" feel of the camera work. But when the film was mixed down for presentation on TV, the show's producers had the genius to replace the film's soundtrack with some of the scariest, most vivid background scores then available. (As a matter of fact, this weird and wonderful music - used over and over again as background music throughout the first, black-and -white season of the 1950's "Adventures of Superman" TV show - has been helpfully collected on CD by the Varese-Sarabande label. You can order it right here, at Amazon.com!) I only wish the edited TV version was made commercially available; anyone who gets to know "Superman and the Mole Men" only through this original theatrical release will have no idea of how good it really is, or understand how the effective use of great background music can turn a third-rate movie into a very good film.

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Superman - The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection (1948) Review

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(More customer reviews)How lucky are we to finally be able to enjoy these two classic Superman serials now available on DVD. These have long been around on bootleg VHS or home-burned dvds, with poor picture quality and sound. The home-burned dvds I got off Ebay did not have the capability to fast forward or rewind, and were not formatted chapter-per-chapter. It's possible that only the die-hard Superman fans and fanboys alike have ever seen Kirk Alyn's portrayal of Superman. Most people think that George Reeves was the first screen Superman not realizing that there were two complete chapter serials starring Alyn as the Man of Steel long before the iconic tv show of the 50s.
That being said, this is a real delight to watch! The fanboys, to this day, continue to cry over the fact that in these serials, Superman's flying sequences were animated. Okay, so it wasn't the high-tech CGI of today's production capabilities. If you're able to get past that, you can enjoy these serials for what they are; pure escapist fun! It's a comic book that's come to life! Kirk Alyn's Superman is not like George Reeves' or Christopher Reeves' or anyone else who ever donned the cape and tights. You've got to see him and judge for yourself. His portrayal of Clark Kent is a little more "mild-mannered" in keeping with the character from the comics, and that's nice to see. Tommy Bond, who played "Butch" in the "Our Gang" and "Little Rascal" shorts is awesome as Jimmy Olson. For me, the real delight was Noel Neill as Lois Lane, the FIRST screen Lois Lane! She was about 27 or 28 when first cast as Lois and she is just too darn cute! She's absolutely adorable with her big hat that she wears in nearly every scene. She's assertive and risk-taking, just like the Lois in the comics of that era, while still remaining feminine. Her Lois Lane of these serials are night and day from her Lois Lane of the tv show and once again, it's very interesting to see both and make the comparison yourself.
The first serial, has Carol Forman, as the Spider Lady. The 1950 Serial, Atom Man Vs. Superman is a better serial than the first one in my opinion. The production values and the writing are a little better and more developed than the first. The flying sequences were still animated but there were "close-ups" of Alyn flying, which were actually him standing upright with his arms extended over his head and the camera laid over on its side to give a horizontal effect. Lyle Talbot's Lex Luthor/Atom Man is great! Talbot was a veteran screen and television actor and many fans will immediately recognize him as Police Commissioner Gordon from Columbia's 1949 chapter serial, "Batman & Robin." In fact, if you're a fan of old movie serials in general, you'll recognize some of the faces of the actors who play Luthor's goons and thugs from other serials. One of the Atom Man's chief lackeys is an actor who is Dr. Daka's henchman in Columbia's 1943 chapter serial, Batman...too cool!
These serials were made on shoe-string budgets in 1948 and 1950 and weren't meant to be more than what they were. They weren't designed to be big screen blockbusters, and they were made for the kids of that time. We've become so sophisticated and demanding of "our" superhero movies, that to me, it seems to quite unfair to deride these two works because of shortcomings with special effects, writing or even the acting. Indeed, how lucky we are to finally be able to enjoy these two classic Superman serials now available at long last on dvd! ENJOY!!!

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Batman and Robin - The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection (1949) Review

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(More customer reviews)How does Bruce Wayne convert his car into the Batmobile? Why, he simply puts up the rag-top, of course! Yeah, okay, so the 1949 Batman Serial was not exactly "cutting edge" or "mind-blowing" or "good", but it has its charm. The dialogue is ridiculous, the fight scenes are clumbsy, and the costumes are ill-fitting at best, but for some reason, I absolutely love it. This floppy-eared incarnation of the Dark Knight is more a film noir private investigator than the shadowy, rooftop avenger that we know today. He and the Boy Wonder spend less time lurking in the Bat Cave and more time beating up the Wizard's greasy haired, fedora wearing thugs. Oh...and the Wizard! This guy is actually a pretty good villain. He is cloaked head-to-toe, has blank, glowing eyes, appears from time to time as a phantom, and remains a mystery through most of the serial. Pretty creepy dude, if you ask me, and a fitting opponent for Batman and Robin. If you're thinking about buying this one, take off your critic's hat and enjoy this gem for what it is: an old-school Bat-brawl. It's fedora bashin' fun!

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Join superheroes Batman and Robin in fifteen action-packed episodes of one of the most thrilling adventure serials of yesteryear. The Dynamic Duo careens from one nail-biting cliffhanger to the next as they combat The Wizard, a villain with all of Gotham City at his mercy. This action adventure was originally shown in movie theaters in 1949, one chapter at a time, in weekly installments.Item Type: DVD MovieItem Rating: NRStreet Date: 03/22/05Wide Screen: noDirector Cut: noSpecial Edition: noLanguage: ENGLISHForeign Film: noSubtitles: noDubbed: noFull Frame: yesRe-Release: noPackaging: Sleeve

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Batman - Return to the Batcave (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this a few weeks ago and I must say it was very interesting. While not nearly as funny as the original Batman show, I liked the flashbacks to what was going on in Adam West's and Burt Ward's respective lives during those days! Some may have been shocked by Adam and Burt's former womanizing but to me, that humanized even more in my eyes and I applaud them for having the guts to admit that.
Anyway, for those familiar with the old series, this is a fun romp as they try to solve who stoled the Batmobile! Still, I wish they could've done it a few years earlier while the two other main villians were still alive. By that, I am refering to Ceasar Romero (The Joker) and Burgess Merideth (The Penguin). Since this film was made, Frank Gorshin (The Riddler) has passed on though I am not sure about Julie Newmar as I think she's still alive (I know that Earth Kitt still is as she's also a former Catwoman).
On a personal note, I also have to applaud whoever picked the actors that portrayed the younger versions of Adam and Burt (especially Burt as it was dead on)! I noticed they did had to pad the stomach a bit for the actor who played Adam West because was physically in much better shape than Adam ever was! LOL!
I also liked the hip-hop version of the old Batman theme. It was an updated take on it BUT still true and respectful to the old theme as well as the more disco type one they played when Adam and Burt first put on their costumes for the first day of shooting. While I have nothing against rap and such, many times they tailor it to "being real" and that nonsense! I am glad whoever made those two pieces of music stayed true to the spirit of the show.
Finally, the references to Lyle Waggoner, the man that ALMOST got to play Batman! I liked seeing that rare footage of his screen test and the fact they almost went with the OLD SCHOOL costume (which was the same as Adam's only it was a big black bat on the chest/must like you see now on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon)!
If you buy this feature, then may I recommend you buy BATMAN - THE MOVIE from the 60's with it. And if you do, watch the movie first and I would recommend watching it at least once with the alternative commentary with Adam and Burt as much of what they talk about on that DVD is on the "Return" DVD! This way, you'll have a better understanding of "Return To The Batcave."
On its own, its a great experience for those who remember the series fondly but may be hard for newer fans to follow. I'd recommend it to die-hard Batman fans or to those that really want to know about the 60's TV show.

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Adventures of Superman: The Complete First Season (1952) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a treat, both for Superman fans and people who just enjoy classic t.v. shows of the fifties. It's pretty much universally acknowledged that season one of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN is far and away the best of the series. George Reeves was a no-nonsense hero, and quite believable in the role. The series had plenty of action and the first-season scripts were usually solid.
And I'm pleasantly surprised to see the rare theatrical feature, SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN included here. Although it's essentially Superman on a b-movie budget, there's plenty to like about this forgotten piece of Superman history.
A common practice in the early days of television was to get a show's actors to endorse the advertisers' products. Perhaps the rarest and most unusual treat for fans of classic t.v. are the orignial Kellog's cereal commercials, featuring cast members from the show. Clark Kent sells Frosted Flakes!
There's an informative documentary, with comments from Superman experts and a VERY old Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen on the show. With all these extras and a first-rate presentation of the episodes, this is a classic t.v. lover's dream come true. Highly recommended.

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The legendary Man of Steel assumes the secret identity of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Metropolis Daily Planet. And with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, he battles for truth and justice as Superman. The first ever Superman TV series! Originally aired in the 1950's, it features George Reeves as Superman and enjoyed tremendous success during its broadcast. The TV series premise was established a year before its broadcast via the theatrical release of "Superman and The Mole Men" in 1951.

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