The Adventures of Captain Marvel [Serial]

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Superhero DVD's from the 20th Century!
Review: No, there's no Dr. Sivana, Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel or even Uncle Marvel...but you do have the prototype for which all superhero movies should be judged. The origin is actually pretty close to the well-known comic origin, with the old wizard SHAZAM, just in a different setting. I grew up watching the CBS SHAZAM! series in the '70's, and actually loved it. But this blows that series away by a mile. The flying scenes, by today's standards, are mediocre...but for someone seeing this in a theatre in 1941, groundbreaking would not begin to describe them. This Cap isn't afraid to get rough with the badguys, and will even use a machine gun when necessary! If you love serials, superheroes, cliffhangers or Captain Marvel, you gotta get this!

Rating:
Summary: The Adventures of Captain Marvel
Review: Shazam! Tom Tyler stars in what is regarded by most as the best serial ever made. If you love cliffhangers, this has to be in your collection. If you're only a casual fan of serials, this is the one to own. Released by Republic in 1941, the story follows Billy Batson played by Frank Coughlin, Jr as he battles evil forces to prevent the Octopus from obtaining the necessary lenses to create a weapon of mass destruction. He wonders into a hidden room where is is given the power to turn into Captain Marvel at will by uttering the word, Shazam! Sometimes you'll wonder why he doesn't use the power, but you have to have cliffhangers in a serial. The interesting thing to me about Captain Marvel is he's one of the only super heroes I can remember who is downright brutal. At one point, he grabs a machine gun and mows down some arabs as they flee, laughing with a gleem in his eye. In another scene he throws a guy angrily off a building to scare his associate into talking. I loved it! An indestructable guy who actually kills his opponents. It's a great story, wonderful cast, and non-stop action. The only thing you'll hate is that there isn't a sequel so you can have more!

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Serial
Review: The 40s serial "The Adventures of Captain Marvel" has to be the "Greatest Serial Ever Made." The special effects, for its tme, are outstanding. The flying scenes stood the test of time until the first Superman movie.

Many in the cast do a fine job. Tom Tyler makes an excellent Captain Marvel. He looks the part and he demonstrates the great athletic ability required of the part. The actor playing Billy Batson leaves a lot to be desired. He delivers his lines as a Junior High student would do in a school play. The "bad guys" are just great. They fill the bill in typical 1940s serial style.

By today's standards, the plot is childish, but for its time and targeted audience it must have proved to be exciting from week to week. Anyone with a penchant for memoribelia would surely want this video in their collection.

Rating:
Summary: A pristine DVD of one of the best movie serials
Review: The serials were an artform unto themselves -- shot very quickly on a miniscule budget, they are of only nostalgic or historic interest to the Star Wars generation, but we loved them, and this is one of the best. You have to make allowences -- (spoilers follow). We see a character walk through an ordindary door, and suddenly he is inside an elevator. A car with no-one at the wheel still follows the curves in the road -- until it goes off a cliff. The villain escapes from a sinking ship with nothing but the clothes he is wearing -- and somehow manages to hide a huge metal scorpion three feet long from the other survivors. What bothered me most, even as a kid: one of the clues as to who IS NOT the arch villian is that the villian has a wounded right hand. We see a character sign his name with his right hand -- can't be the villian, right? But he is the villain. No explanation. And why do they put an end to Captain Marvel at the end of the story, when the kids watching the serial were reading about Captain Marvel's continuing adventures in the comics every month? Having said all that, Captain Marvel flying is, well, a marvel. Even if the script doesn't make any sense, the serial looks great. Watch it one chapter per night, not all at once.

Rating:
Summary: Classic old-style entertainment!
Review: This is not only one of the best cliffhanger serials ever made but it also stands up well today as great escapist entertainment. The flying effects are still impressive and the fight scenes and action setpieces are well handled. The acting is nothing to write home about, but Tom Tyler makes for an impressive looking Captain Marvel. He's also terrific in the fight scenes.

It's worth noting that this has not been completely remastered for DVD, despite the claims in other reviews. The picture looks fine but the audio is slightly distorted. There is no difference between this release and the video version released by Republic about 10 years ago. I have added this to the review because there may be people who are expecting pristine video and audio quality due to the remastering claims made here. Don't let my comments put you off though...what is on offer here is perfectly acceptable considering the age of the source material.

If you're a fan of super-heroes or just a lover of old fashioned Hollywood knockabout action flicks, this will have you grinning ear to ear. It's even better if you watch one episode a week, preferably on Saturday mornings!

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Serial at an Affordable Price
Review: Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Republic Pictures created some of the finest serials in movie history. "Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941) ranks among the studio's top chapterplays -- and it's yours for roughly $1 per chapter. Tom Tyler is ideally cast as "The World's Mightiest Mortal," who battles the evil Scorpion for 12 exciting episodes. The special effects by the Lydecker brothers are terrific -- not to mention the high-flying stunt work from David Sharpe (he's a bit shorter than Tyler, but who cares). The Republic DVD features excellent 35mm prints and the rarely-seen theatrical trailer. "Captain Marvel" may not surpass the thrill-a-minute exploits of "Spy Smasher" (1942), but it comes pretty close.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Serial at an Affordable Price
Review: Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Republic Pictures created some of the finest serials in movie history. "Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941) ranks among the studio's top chapterplays -- and it's yours for roughly $1 per chapter. Tom Tyler is ideally cast as "The World's Mightiest Mortal," who battles the evil Scorpion for 12 exciting episodes. The special effects by the Lydecker brothers are terrific -- not to mention the high-flying stunt work from David Sharpe (he's a bit shorter than Tyler, but who cares). The Republic DVD features excellent 35mm prints and the rarely-seen theatrical trailer. "Captain Marvel" may not surpass the thrill-a-minute exploits of "Spy Smasher" (1942), but it comes pretty close.