 | Actually one of the weaker entries in the Super Powers series...
rating: 2
Don't get me wrong...seeing the Legion of Doom out there in the swamp is a hoot and a holler. I am a product of the 70's, and it does bring back memories. But, other than the actual physical appearances of Sinestro, Braniac (nice retro look) and the like, the writers of this show obviously had no grasp or love for the DC mythology. There are too many inconsistencies to delve into, such as Flash flying, and teleporting and/or time-traveling heroes and villains. Let's not forget the awful, sloppy artwork (Batman's logo appears on the back of his cape then vanishes; peoples' gloves routinely disappear and reappear) and lazy writing that mar this series. I mean, a broken wooden table can really hold Solomon Grundy? Come to think of it, there are hardly any sustained action sequences, much less specific actions. Over half of the plots involve time travel...which gets tiresome quickly. They even use the insufferable plot device of Superman traveling back in time to prevent a tragedy...aaargh!!! Wasn't the use of that in the movie bad enough? If you want some good Super Power stories, try The Legendary Super Powers, Guardians of the Galaxy or, better yet, Justice League/Justice League Unlimited...
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Step in the Right Direction for the Super Friends
rating: 3
Well I finally completed my tour of the first Superfriends box set and can honestly state that this volume is seriously the equivalent of a caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis. How so? Well it's clear that the early episodes contained residual spillover from the 1977 (and earlier) seasons in that the writers weren't quite familiar with the power of the Legion of Doom at their disposal. As such the initial episodes retain plots with very grand schemes laced with loads of space travel, black holes, inter-dimensional portals and so on. By about the halfway point of the first disc, things take a turn for the better. It's as if suddenly the show's writers realized that they had 13 villains (each with interesting back stories) at their service.
The plots become richer and better fleshed out as the season progresses and the ridiculousness of helmet-less space travel and Flash with the ability to fly along-side Superman begin to disappear.
Interestingly enough, the first 8 episodes of this set have been released before: The first four as Attack of the Legion of Doom and the next four in United They Stand. Despite having purchased both of these stand-alone sets prior, I had to order this one as well so as to enjoy the remaining 8 episodes of the 1978 season.
Also oddly enough, there are special features on the stand-alone sets that, for whatever reason, didn't make it on this complete season box in the form of episode introductions by story editor Jeffery Scott (which was surprisingly interesting). However, I suppose Warner realized that such differences may be beneficial in maintaining sales of the prior releases.
However the good news is that in addition to all 16 episodes from the 1978 season, we are treated to commentary on both the first and last episode of the set by DC writers Geoff Johns and Mark Waid. There is also a nice little retrospective called Saturday: Sleeping bags and Superfriends. While this could have easily been a three disc set, WB decided to instead make the second disc dual-sided to fit the final two episodes and final commentary pieces.
Included on this set are the following episodes:
1 Wanted: The Superfriends
2 Invasion of The Fearians
3 The World's Deadliest Game
4 The Time Trap
5 Trial of the Superfriends
6 Monolith of Evil
7 The Giants of Doom
8 Secret Origins of the Superfriends
9 Revenge on Gorilla City
10 Swamp of the Living Dead
11 Conquerors of the Future
12 The Final Challenge
13 Fairy Tale of Doom
14 Doomsday
15 Superfriends, Rest in Peace
16 The History of Doom
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love it!
rating: 4
We love watching these episodes. They're a flashback to our childhood Saturday morning cartoon viewing. Our son enjoys them, as well. It's classic fun with the superheroes.
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...later...at the Hall of Justice...
rating: 5
I never grew up watching the Superfriends as most of the reviewers have. I do remember catching it in re-runs on weekday afternoons...usually at 3:30...so i never caught it on the Saturday morning line-up. I had always liked the shows...i liked all the versions of SUPERFRIENDS that i have been able to see through the years. The one that sticks out by far is CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS. As one reviewer put it, the villains and their over-the-top zeal at everything they do, make the show even more enjoyable. Another thing i like is the narration by Bill Woodson...his voice is heard in every episode as the narrator plus in several episodes, specifically FAIRYTALES OF DOOM on DVD #2, Woodson gives voice to Captain Nemo. That scene takes place inside the book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Toyman had created a device that inserted people into fairytales and the Superfriends only had a certain amount of time before they become permanent characters inside the fairytales: Jack and the Beanstalk {Hawkman}, Gulliver's Travels {Superman}, and Alice in Wonderland {Wonder Woman}. I love the episode REVENGE ON GORILLA CITY and i also like THE SECRET ORIGINS OF THE SUPERFRIENDS, THE TIME TRAP, INVASION OF THE FEARIANS, and SWAMP OF THE LIVING DEAD. I do however want to clear up something about Flash. Several have noted that he flies...well, in my eyes, he isn't "flying" as Superman would...Flash i think creates enough super-energy to lift himself into the air...especially on the episode when the Fearians and the Legion of Doom trick the Superfriends into changing the atmosphere of the Earth to make it like Venus. In that episode, Captain Cold goes on a freezing spree...Flash defrosts all of the cities which causes the air to become smoggy. In another episode, dealing with an invention called Liquid Light, Bizarro {the backwards version of Superman} dumps it out and it begins to devour everything in it's path. Flash circles around at high speed and it acts as a vaccum and sucks the Liquid Light up and it falls back to the earth "in the form of harmless falling stars" as narrator Bill Woodson explains. Green Lantern's power ring, i think, enables Aquaman and the others to appear to be "flying"...especially in the episode called GIANTS OF DOOM where Captain Cold freezes the regular-size Superfriends and Toyman "airmails" the Superfriends to the planet, Saturn. In that episode, it frequently shows Aquaman up in the air with the rest of them...flying...as with Flash and the others. I liked all of the episodes and i give the entire collection 5 stars. As far as the animation goes, i am aware of the mistakes. There are several...i can't make any excuses for it beyond saying whoever looked over the final cuts before they were aired on Television didn't pay close attention to detail. Outside of those errors that have been talked about, everything else about this series is great. This collection is billed as the First Season but it's the ONLY season...so any newcomers to all things Superfriends, do not look forward to a second season of CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS because there won't be one. Another thing about the animation before i conclude the review...this is 1978 animation...i know how superior and technically advanced animation has become since 1978 so there's no comparison...but the lack of superior animation shouldn't dictate what one would watch...at least for me it doesn't.
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Good for the memories
rating: 3
I get upset with people who slam these collections on the basis of comparing them to today's standards. There is no debate that Justice League and the Unlimited incarnations of these characters are simply wonderful examples of how we've advanced as a culture in the past 30 years.
That said, I have to admit that going back in time through this little collection (4 episodes) while nostalgic, certainly does reveal many of the limitations of 1978 animation. Most notable are the overly simplistic storylines that require thorough narration of what is clearly taking place on screen. Next, after the viewer is brought "up to speed" by the narration itself, we are then treated to another set of explanations usually from the villain at hand who audible hatches his scheme to the rest of the Legion of Doom.
The other major flaw in the Superfriends (aside from the standard Hanna Barbara sound effect library shared with Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, and Captain Caveman to name a few) is the lack of character depth. The unfortunate reality is that all of the members of the Justice League of America are basically cardboard cutouts. There is almost no discernable personality between heroes other than their abilities which are often cheaply used for resolve.
Oh well, it's all in good fun and there is no denying that this is the closest thing to real-life time travel we have. Slipping in the Challenge of the Superfriends simply begs its viewer to get into their pajamas and pour themself a tall bowl of sugary cereal.
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