SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
DVD Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *1/2 (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
Robert Rodriguez has one of the strangest track records in cinema history. On one hand, he’s been responsible for some pretty amazing films for an adult audience. These movies include the “El Mariachi” series, “Planet Terror” and the fantastic “Sin City.” He’s also done some decent kids movies, like the first two “Spy Kids” movies.
However, sometimes the child inside of him takes over a little too much, and the result is films like “The Adventures of SharkBoy and LavaGirl,” “Shorts” and the other “Spy Kids” movies. I don’t have anything against Rodriguez; I just think that when he’s making movies for children under 10, he uses a different set of standards.
That said, I’m not under 10, so I might not be the best judge of “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.” In this movie, he continues the gimmicks he started with “Spy Kids 3.” However, now that digital RealD 3D technology is available in theaters and in the home (which was not the case when he made “Spy Kids 3,” released in anaglyph format for both theaters and home video), he could really go off the chain. To compound the gimmick, and to keep the film aligned with its number 4, Rodriguez presented it in 4D in the theaters, which included Aroma-Vision cards.
The story of the film follows a new generation of Spy Kids, since the original ones are grown up now. Retired spy Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) is trying to raise a family while her husband (Joel McHale) is hosting his own reality series called “Spy Hunter.” A maniacal villain who calls himself the Timekeeper threatens to take over the world, which brings Marissa back into the spy game, and her kids come along for the ride.
“Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” comes with all the silliness and sugar-coated pop fanaticism that is found in Rodriguez’s lesser kids films. There’s more in common with the manic “Shorts” than there is with the first “Spy Kids,” a clever movie that seems downright low-key compared to his latest films.
But like I said, I’m not the target audience. While I found the plot, characters, dialogue and logic of the film practically unfollowable, my kids loved the movie. It caters to young minds, with plenty of fart jokes included.
While the gimmicks can be found in the higher end Blu-ray releases, the bare bones DVD comes with no 3D and no Aroma-Vision. That leaves the only home video special features to be an interview with Rodriguez, deleted scenes, video diaries, featurettes on “Spy Kids Passing the Torch” and “Spy Gadgets” and some spotlights on Ricky Gervais playing the robotic dog.
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: SEASON ONE
DVD Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars)
With Steven Spielberg’s big budget, mo-cap blockbuster “The Adventures of Tintin” coming out in a few weeks, Shout Factory has dropped the first season of the 1991 animated series “The Adventures of Tintin” into the marketplace. Based on the Belgian comic, this series follows a young reporter and his dog who get into a variety of adventures and scrapes.
Thirteen episodes of this series are available on two discs, most of them comprising multi-part episodes. Some of the more famous stories, including “The Secret of the Unicorn” and “The Blue Lotus,” are included in this first season.
The hand-drawn animation style of these shows is charming and nostalgic. Made at a time when most television cartoons saw a low-rent style, “The Adventures of Tintin” retain the charm and simplicity of the original Belgian look. The closest American counterpart might be the style of E.C. Segar, who drew the original Popeye cartoons. Such a style is a welcome change from the overused Flash animation of today and the cheap assembly line look of many cartoons from the 80s and 90s.
Even though these cartoons are only 20 years old, they feel much older, which goes back to the flavor of the original “Tintin” series. I had not seen many of these source materials, but I fell in love with it upon watching these episodes of the show.
At the very least, “The Adventures of Tintin: Season One” has whetted my appetite for the upcoming Spielberg film, which is based on the second serial on the first DVD. These are stories of pure adventure that capture the flavor of pre-WWII filmmaking. They’re simple, yet very satisfying.
THE AVENGERS: EARTH’S MIGHTEST HEROES!, VOL. 3 & 4
DVD Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars)
Now that Disney owns Marvel outright, the Avengers are assembling under the new umbrella of the Mouse House. “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!” has two new volumes of animated episodes hitting the streets. Volume 3, subtitled “Iron Man Unleashed,” follows the greatest Marvel heroes fighting against an alien invasion. Volume 4, subtitled “Thor’s Last Stand,” see the Avengers fight against an army of robots.
Each volume contains a half-dozen or so episodes form the television series to produce a long-form story. Volume 3 features episodes 14 through 19, while Volume 4 takes us from episode 20 through 26 to wrap up the season.
The fun part of these shows is the combination of heroic forces. The biggest names in the Marvel universe (with the exception of non-Disney film properties like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four) have assembled: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk.
I know that the big budget films are where the money’s at, but for quality of storytelling, comprehensive character use and respect for original source material, the animated series are the best places to find your comic book heroes. “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!” continues that practice.
Both DVD sets come with animated in-episode comic book experiences with fun facts about the heroes and villains of the Marvel universe.
THUNDERCATS: BOOK ONE
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars)
I was just a little too old to really get into “ThunderCats” when they first came to America. I remember buying a comic book or two in middle school, but that was more for investment purposes than for love of the stories. It was a similar experience with “Transformers,” which is why the Michael Bay movie series has been of little interest to me. I suppose if they ever get that live-action “ThunderCats” movie going, I’ll have a similar reaction.
However, there is a new television series produced by Warner Bros. which brings these classic feline heroes to life again on Cartoon Network. And like the animated series based on the comic book heroes in the Marvel and DC universes, “ThunderCats” works exceptionally well.
The story follows the cat civilization of Thundera who have been under attack by the evil Mumm-Ra. The young prince Lion-O must step up to be a leader of the last survivors Tygra, Panthro, Snarf, Cheetara, WilyKit and WilyKat. This is a series of finding the power in yourself to stand up to your enemies and lead your people.
Stories set entirely on a different world with entirely non-human characters can be a challenge, simply because they are harder to relate to. However, “ThunderCats” manages to make the cat characters human enough, both in action and problems to overcome, that this doesn’t harm the series.
Geared towards an age range in the upper elementary grades, “ThunderCats” captures the imagination and sets up a long-form story that can keep the interest with action while dispensing some good messages and lessons throughout.
The 2-disc DVD set comes with the first eight episodes of the series, including the two-parter “Omen,” which sets up the series. Even with no prior “ThunderCats” knowledge, these are easy to follow. And while they have the same 80s-era silly elements that “Transformers” has (which is apparent by looking at some of the character names), it’s an entirely enjoyable series for kids today and their parents who may have watched the original “ThunderCats” in the 80s.
