Rating: 
Summary: Technically astounding but what happened to fun?
Review: I Love "Thunderbirds," "Supercar," "Stingray,"and "Fireball XL 5." Those series are loaded with great sets, special effects, and even some humor. "Supercar," the most primitive of the above (It was made in 1958-59) is a delight because it is an early children's show (of my youth) beautifully transferred to DVD. Captain Scarlet is technically amazing. The marionettes have been perfected to look more human. The vehicles, crafts, and special effects are slick and convincing. My problem with this series is that it is so, so serious. The earlier series could be enjoyed by anyone, not just sci-fi nuts. 'Captain Scarlet" has all of the ponderous heaviness of the worst of sci-fi movies. The earlier series were human and you coudl tell that the humans behind them were having fun. "Captain Scarlet" never lightens up. Watching it, I feel as if the series was hijacked by technically skilled robots instead of humans. Gerry Anderson was divorcing his wife and partner, Sylvia, at this period. She was th eone responsible for the character stylizations. This may explain why "Captain Scarlet" is a cold affair.
Rating:
Summary: Technically astounding but what happened to fun?
Review: I Love "Thunderbirds," "Supercar," "Stingray,"and "Fireball XL 5." Those series are loaded with great sets, special effects, and even some humor. "Supercar," the most primitive of the above (It was made in 1958-59) is a delight because it is an early children's show (of my youth) beautifully transferred to DVD. Captain Scarlet is technically amazing. The marionettes have been perfected to look more human. The vehicles, crafts, and special effects are slick and convincing. My problem with this series is that it is so, so serious. The earlier series could be enjoyed by anyone, not just sci-fi nuts. 'Captain Scarlet" has all of the ponderous heaviness of the worst of sci-fi movies. The earlier series were human and you coudl tell that the humans behind them were having fun. "Captain Scarlet" never lightens up. Watching it, I feel as if the series was hijacked by technically skilled robots instead of humans. Gerry Anderson was divorcing his wife and partner, Sylvia, at this period. She was th eone responsible for the character stylizations. This may explain why "Captain Scarlet" is a cold affair.
Rating: 
Summary: S. I.G.! - Spectrum Is Green!
Review: I remember this being shown first run on WPHL-TV 17 in Philadelphia as part of the Wee Willie Weber Show (along with Ultraman & Speed Racer).I had the Dinky Die Cast Vehicles that were only available at FAO Schwarz. Some 35 years later it still is cool! Wish they included extras like 1967 Kellogs commercials, CGI Pilot(s), and the BBC cult tv promo's.
and more behind the scenes stuff. Buy the book too!
Rating:
Summary: A hit with the boys
Review: I remembered Captain Scarlet from TV, and wondered if it would stand the test of time. It does ! My sons, age 4 to 10 are all captivated by it. And its obvious why - the plots are novel and exciting because the good-guys dont always win, there are clear good-guys trying to save lives against the bad-guys, and although its only puppets its tons better than today's TV cartoon diet.
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenally Creative
Review: In his commentary track on "The Mysterons"--the pilot episode for the series--series co-creator Gerry Anderson remarks that in today's dollars, "Captain Scarlet" would cost the equivalent of three-quarters of a million dollars an episode to produce. You can see it. The dedication to quality in this series is nothing short of amazing: the miniature sets include shielded gun emplacements, moving sidewalks, and entire city skylines, and the special effects undoubtedly had some of the Hollywood masters scratching their heads, wondering how Anderson and his crew managed it. As realistic as it seems, though, you can never quite forget you're watching marionettes, but Anderson makes that work FOR the show rather than against it: with complete control over the construction of Scarlet's world and every "person" in it, the crew had the skill and foresight to create a consistent, substantial feel, resulting in a show that is engrossing, visually compelling, and sometimes downright creepy. On the surface, it looks like a four-color superhero show for children, which probably led to its downfall: the show explores themes too sophisticated for most children using plots that are often too byzantine for casual adult viewers--"Captain Scarlet" requires the sort of dedicated attention only children seem to be capable of these days. Adults will dismiss the show (or embrace its kitsch value) because of the puppetry and obvious miniatures. As good as this show is, it could never have found a wide viewing audience. But, artistically, it does succeed, and magnificently. The cheesiness of previous Anderson Super-marionation series is minimized in favor of a more realistic, dramatic tone. Take away the rainbow uniforms and code names and you've got a legitimate spy series that focuses on preventing terrorism and assassination attempts, and engages in elaborate manhunts and undercover missions. This is truly the gem in the Andersons' crown...the show that legitimized their efforts to create drama using the most unlikely approach. Without "Captain Scarlet," there would have been no "UFO" or "Space: 1999."
Rating:
Summary: Everything Old Is New Again
Review: In the post-9/11 world, how do you educate kids about certain ugly realities in a not-unsettling - and even genuinely entertaining - manner? Why, with Captain Scarlet, of course. I recently re-watched this entire series, and was amazed how relevant it's suddenly become. Of all Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's kid's puppet shows, this was always the most adult, and now more than ever performs remarkably well. Set in 2068, the series story concerns man's first landing on Mars, where expedition leader Captain Black misunderstands a friendly overture from the locals - the ubiquitous but never-seen "Mysterons" - and orders a destructive strike on one of their cities. The Mysterons are not amused. With their superior technology, they can reconstruct any destroyed person or object for their own purposes, and they use this ability to engage Earth Defense Forces (called Spectrum, whose members go by color-coded secret names) in an ongoing terrorist war of nerves. From episode to episode, the Mysterons begin by announcing in Tokyo Rose style what their next intended target will be, and Spectrum applies its resources to preventing the coming attack. Title character Captain Scarlet is the only man upon whom Mysteron takeover has failed, leaving him with the unique ability to regenerate from nearly any otherwise fatal wound and making him Earth's best single defense against the invisible threat of the Mysterons. This is a beautifully produced show, especially given that its primary audience is kids. It broaches the ugly subject matter of terrorism in the best of all possible ways, which is to emphasize courage, companionable solidarity, and good moral human values in opposing it. Ironically, it also doesn't paint the protagonists and antagonists entirely in black-and-white terms, but maturely demonstrates that bad decision making even on the part of good people - or nations - can have disastrous consequences. But best of all, Captain Scarlet isn't so simplistic that the adults won't enjoy it too. It's gorgeous to look at, and is surprisingly entertaining - for all ages, in different ways.
Rating:
Summary: Warning on Content
Review: Just a warning to others who may choose to get this set,
While the Thunderbirds is all about rescue and stuff, and enjoyed by millions of children. Captain Scarlet is about killing and mayhem.
Children under the age of 15 might need supervision while watching this show.
If you are looking for more Gerry Anderson stuff for
children. Joe 90 and Stingray maybe better.
As an Australian i'm not sure if you can get these in the USA. Type Captain Scarlet into a search engine and you wil
find many Websites where you can get more info.
Rating:
Summary: Warning on Content
Review: Just a warning to others who may choose to get this set,
While the Thunderbirds is all about rescue and stuff, and
enjoyed by millions of children.
Captain Scarlet is about killing and mayhem.
Children under the age of 15 might need supervision while watching this show.
If you are looking for more Gerry Anderson stuff for
children. Joe 90 and Stingray maybe better.
As an Australian i'm not sure if you can get these in the USA. Type Captain Scarlet into a search engine and you will
find many Websites where you can get more info.
Rating:
Summary: Great Series, Slightly Problematic Discs
Review: P>I wanted to add a couple fo points on the discs themselves: Disc 3 seems to have a problem when trying to navigate to the first epsiode on the Disc; "The Trap". It's as though the episode's menu itself is "a trap". On my DVD player at least, it seems there was no default selected button and no way to navigate the menu. In short, I was unable to play the episode "The Trap". A work around seems to be to use the numeric keys on your DVD remote. I hit the "1" button and I was able to select Chapter 1 of the episode. The evening was saved! Finally, because of the amount of material they cram on these DVD's, the compression can be sort of un-nerving. You will see whole portions of a frame "stick" and it can be quite distracting once you notice it. I had to move back from the TV in order to not see the compression artifacts. It's difficult to describe if you haven't seen it, but since high DVD compression relies on "frame differencing" the looser you define "sameness" between frames of the movie, the more you can compress. On a perfect DVD, you simply won't notice the "sameness". But when it's defined loose enough, it can begin to draw attention to itself. Whole portions of the scenes will appear to freeze. Sometimes characters mouths will move but the entire rest of the frame will be static - static in an artificial way. All in all, a great set. I just wish they had spread the material out over a few more discs.
Rating:
Summary: Great Series, Slightly Problematic Discs
Review: P>I wanted to add a couple fo points on the discs themselves: Disc 3 seems to have a problem when trying to navigate to the first epsiode on the Disc; "The Trap". It's as though the episode's menu itself is "a trap". On my DVD player at least, it seems there was no default selected button and no way to navigate the menu. In short, I was unable to play the episode "The Trap". A work around seems to be to use the numeric keys on your DVD remote. I hit the "1" button and I was able to select Chapter 1 of the episode. The evening was saved! Finally, because of the amount of material they cram on these DVD's, the compression can be sort of un-nerving. You will see whole portions of a frame "stick" and it can be quite distracting once you notice it. I had to move back from the TV in order to not see the compression artifacts. It's difficult to describe if you haven't seen it, but since high DVD compression relies on "frame differencing" the looser you define "sameness" between frames of the movie, the more you can compress. On a perfect DVD, you simply won't notice the "sameness". But when it's defined loose enough, it can begin to draw attention to itself. Whole portions of the scenes will appear to freeze. Sometimes characters mouths will move but the entire rest of the frame will be static - static in an artificial way. All in all, a great set. I just wish they had spread the material out over a few more discs.
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