Rating: 
Summary: "Do I Get a Coconut?"
Review: Since I was riveted by this show as a kid, I thought my own two sons ages 6 & 9 might enjoy it. We were all captivated! The supermarionation techniques were much refined by this series, and you won't see the troublesome "big heads" and exposed wires as on Thunderbirds. Captain Scarlet's storylines are a bit serious, much cold-war angst and very James Bondish. Count on the best of impecible British manners from all the SPECTRUM gents! Each of the captains has unique character qualities as well as colored boots to match their vests... even the kids will not lose track of who's who. Too bad there was little effort made to distinguish personalities of the 5 female pilots, known as the the "angels", other than their being each a blond, redhead, brunette, and gratuitously thrown in, an Asian and African-American. Usually the Angels seem to simply hang about the modernistic lounge, reading magazines and filing their nails, while awaiting the next assignment. You'll have to count on the male forces of SPECTRUM to provide all the intrigue.In the episode "Craterville 101", watch for normally reserved Captain Green to enigmatically blurt out "Do I get a coconut?", when he is being praised by his fellows, Captain Scarlet and Blue for having just destroyed a Mysteron aggressor tractor! This caused a huge laugh and it is now an often used family statement. The series ended without explanation after episode 32. Too bad as everyone was ready for more!
Rating:
Summary: "Do I Get a Coconut?"
Review: Since I was riveted by this show as a kid, I thought my own two sons ages 6 & 9 might enjoy it. We were all captivated! The supermarionation techniques were much refined by this series, and you won't see the troublesome "big heads" and exposed wires as on Thunderbirds. Captain Scarlet's storylines are a bit serious, much cold-war angst and very James Bondish. Count on the best of impecible British manners from all the SPECTRUM gents! Each of the captains has unique character qualities as well as colored boots to match their vests... even the kids will not lose track of who's who. Too bad there was little effort made to distinguish personalities of the 5 female pilots, known as the the "angels", other than their being each a blond, redhead, brunette, and gratuitously thrown in, an Asian and African-American. Usually the Angels seem to simply hang about the modernistic lounge, reading magazines and filing their nails, while awaiting the next assignment. You'll have to count on the male forces of SPECTRUM to provide all the intrigue. In the episode "Craterville 101", watch for normally reserved Captain Green to enigmatically blurt out "Do I get a coconut?", when he is being praised by his fellows, Captain Scarlet and Blue for having just destroyed a Mysteron aggressor tractor! This caused a huge laugh and it is now an often used family statement. The series ended without explanation after episode 32. Too bad as everyone was ready for more!
Rating: 
Summary: Possibly the best of the Anderson series
Review: The four Gerry/Sylvia Anderson series with which I am familiar ("Thunderbirds", "Captain Scarlet", "UFO", and "Space 1999") all have much in common. At their best, they have high-spirited adventure, good character situations, campy humor, and gee-wiz sets, costumes, and gadgetry. At their worst, they have jaw dropping logical flaws, stock footage overused to the point of obvious inconsistency, and excruciatingly painful sci-babble. "Captain Scarlet" is quite possibly the best produced of the four series. It achieves a rare balance of dark adventure with humor and interesting character relationships. The puppets are nicely lifelike, but at the cost of some expressiveness. The shorter format lends itself to concise, well-constructed stories, and that is really the series' strong point. Unfortunately, the central theme of the Mysterons' quirky vendetta against humanity is difficult to sustain, and by the time I've seen a few episodes I've pretty much had my fill of it. Had the series not chained itself so tightly, it could have expanded to become a true masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best of the Anderson series
Review: The four Gerry/Sylvia Anderson series with which I am familiar ("Thunderbirds", "Captain Scarlet", "UFO", and "Space 1999") all have much in common. At their best, they have high-spirited adventure, good character situations, campy humor, and gee-wiz sets, costumes, and gadgetry. At their worst, they have jaw dropping logical flaws, stock footage overused to the point of obvious inconsistency, and excruciatingly painful sci-babble. "Captain Scarlet" is quite possibly the best produced of the four series. It achieves a rare balance of dark adventure with humor and interesting character relationships. The puppets are nicely lifelike, but at the cost of some expressiveness. The shorter format lends itself to concise, well-constructed stories, and that is really the series' strong point. Unfortunately, the central theme of the Mysterons' quirky vendetta against humanity is difficult to sustain, and by the time I've seen a few episodes I've pretty much had my fill of it. Had the series not chained itself so tightly, it could have expanded to become a true masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A childhood fantasy relived!
Review: The year is 2068. On an exploration of the Martian landscape, SPECTRUM agent Captain Black mistakenly fires on and decimates a Martian city. The residents of the city are the Mysterons. An invisible race that now declares war on the inhabitants of Earth. After they destroy Captain Black and his team, the Mysterons use their powers to re-create Captain Black and set out to lay waste to mankind. The Mysterons are able to recreate anyone and everything they destroy. Their first target is the President of the World Government. Captains Scarlet and Brown, agents of the Global protection agency SPECTRUM are en route to provide protection for the President, but before they arrive, they are killed by the Mysterons. Their perfect replacements pick up where they left off and escort the President to the World Government HQ. Once there Captain Brown attempts to kill the President but to no avail. Captain Scarlet also tries but is shot by Captain Blue and plummets 800 feet to what is sure to be his death. Amazingly, Captain Scarlet recovers from his injuries and becomes Spectrum's most valuable agent in the fight against the Mysterons! September of 1967 saw the introduction of Gerry Anderson's most adult oriented and easily most ambitious series to date. Unlike Stingray and The Thunderbirds Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons introduced graphic violent content including the deaths of several characters in each episode. Anderson has been a staple of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for almost 40 years. In that time he has produced twenty series, five of which made it to American Television (XL5 in 1963, Thunderbirds in 1994 and Space 1999, UFO and Captain Scarlet in the 1970's). One of the hallmarks of Anderson's series was the use of something called "Supermarionation". Essentially, the coolest puppets in the world coupled with the coolest miniature sets, made children's imaginations run wild, not too mention bringing their wildest dreams to life. In the Stingray, and the Thunderbirds series, the heads of the marionettes were clearly out of proportion to their bodies, which while not distracting did give a more fanciful look to the production. In Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons the process of Supermarionation was perfected in that the heads of the puppets could now be made proportionally correct as the solenoid chips (computer controlling elements that controlled the synchronization of the mouths of the puppets with the dialogue) that were once housed in the heads of the puppets were now small enough to fit in the chest cavity of each marionette. Given the current improvements the puppets were now 1/3rd human scale. Newer problems however, arose, as these new "stringless" puppets controlled from the bottom of the stage as opposed to the ceiling could not be made to walk convincingly. The problem was fixed by the incorporation of moving sidewalks, differing camera angles and the addition of sounds of movement. I.E. shoes "clicking" on pavement. Supermarionation was a resounding success and Captain Scarlet went on to become one of Anderson's highest rated entries. A&E has again put together a fabulous multi-disc (four) entry. Available in the U.K. for some time, on PAL encoded VHS and recently DVD, Captain Scarlet has finally made it to America and in the best shape since its original run. The original soundtrack for Captain Scarlet is included as well as a beefed up DD5.1 platform. The 5.1 presentation is on par with that of the platform for the Thunderbirds. The surrounds are used for both atmospheric and directional movement and the sub tends to be very active. The dialog is all very clear and easily understood. There are two commentary tracks provided by series creator Gerry Anderson. The first is on the pilot episode "The Mysterons" and the second is on the 30th episode entitled "Attack on Cloudbase". The commentaries sound scripted and tend to fall on the dry side. They're informative but not very interesting. The video is presented in its original 1:33.1 full frame. The colors are all rich and vibrant. Black levels are good and saturation levels are good. There are a few moments of artifacting throughout the series but they don't at all detract from the visual presentation. The extras included on the discs are photo galleries, character bios, vehicle guides and SPECTRUM ID cards for all of the Spectrum agents including Captain Black and DVD-ROM interactive vehicle diagrams. 32 episodes in all, Captain Scarlet has been never before been made available on this side of the pond. The "truest treat", if you will, is this domestic release of the entire series. As a kid this was always my favorite TV show. Now that they have finally landed in Region 1 in a most handsome 4-DVD set, I am ecstatic! While there is word that Captain Scarlet is being brought into the 21st century via a new CGI series, it will be hard pressed to equal the sheer joy and delight these programs have offered. The storylines are cohesive and the presentation makes for wonderful viewing!
Rating:
Summary: Too Cool!
Review: They're puppets! Puppets! You wouldn't think this would hold the attention of anyone over the age of ten - but it does! It's so bizarrely fascinating I can hardly comprehend it. Everything about it is incredible, the characters, the costumes, the vehicles, the production design - unbelievable! Scarlet is more enjoyable than most live-action Hollywood blockbusters! Get the DVD set - S.I.G.!
Rating:
Summary: Gerry & Sylvia Andersons AMAZING PUPPETRY now on DVD!
Review: This review is in recognition of Gerry & Sylvia Andersons amazing talent/devotion of bring puppets to life (1967)!!! Their vision and magical ability to breathe life into fiber glass is still a monumental pain staking task to say the least. Even today this scifi series "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons" stands the test of time for entertainment, special effects and delightful color. Summary - Captain Scarlet for 32 amazing episodes battles the invisible "Mysterons" a Martian race who was mistakenly attacked by Spector (Scarlets military organization). The Mysterons have the ability to assume any human body and animate objects. This cat & mouse game keeps us on our toes. The storylines, meticulous minature model sets, the special effects (explosions/destruction galore), and the puppet realism (their mouths, eyes and bodies move very realistically - remember this is 1967 and everything is hand built - no CGI). Bonus Features: Gerry Anderson Commentary on premiere episode 1 (very informative - many of the shows 1967 inovations stood the test of time ie, the helmet micro microphones), Introduction to Captain Scarlet, Photo Gallery and DVD Production Credits. Again, Thank You & Congratulations to the Andersons for an introducing us to the world of advanced pupperty & outstanding entertaining show/series. Now digitally remastered picture & sound gives a very presentation. This Full Screen vivid COLOR 4 DVD Box Set gives us 32 episodes in detailed color & crystal clear sound. This is fun stuff to watch! Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Gerry & Sylvia Andersons AMAZING PUPPETRY now on DVD!
Review: This review is in recognition of Gerry & Sylvia Andersons amazing talent/devotion of bring puppets to life (1967)!!! Their vision and magical ability to breathe life into fiber glass is still a monumental pain staking task to say the least. Even today this scifi series "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons" stands the test of time for entertainment, special effects and delightful color. Summary - Captain Scarlet for 32 amazing episodes battles the invisible "Mysterons" a Martian race who was mistakenly attacked by Spector (Scarlets military organization). The Mysterons have the ability to assume any human body and animate objects. This cat & mouse game keeps us on our toes. The storylines, meticulous minature model sets, the special effects (explosions/destruction galore), and the puppet realism (their mouths, eyes and bodies move very realistically - remember this is 1967 and everything is hand built - no CGI). Bonus Features: Gerry Anderson Commentary on premiere episode 1 (very informative - many of the shows 1967 inovations stood the test of time ie, the helmet micro microphones), Introduction to Captain Scarlet, Photo Gallery and DVD Production Credits. Again, Thank You & Congratulations to the Andersons for an introducing us to the world of advanced pupperty & outstanding entertaining show/series. Now digitally remastered picture & sound gives a very presentation. This Full Screen vivid COLOR 4 DVD Box Set gives us 32 episodes in detailed color & crystal clear sound. This is fun stuff to watch! Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Indestructable!
Review: What a fantastic set. All of the episodes of Captain Scarlet in one set and restored to near perfection! BBC Resources restored the episodes for a 2001 TV run and the restored masters were used for the DVD releases in the US and the UK. These look far more sharp and colorful than the ones run on the SciFi channel a few years ago. The sound is great, and includes a new Dolby 5.1 soundtrack, which isn't too bad. Being a purist, I prefer the original, mono soundtrack. The extras included, for the most part, are pretty good, except for the photo gallery section, which consists of screen grabs from various episodes. There is a very nice production photo section, though, which shows a lot of the things that happened behind the scenes. The vehicle diagrams are great, too. 2 episodes, the pilot 'The Mysterons' and one of the last episodes, 'Attack on Cloudbase'. have commentary by the series co-creator, Gerry Anderson. Gerry isn't very exciting to listen to, but his commentaries are very informative. Gerry, for the most part, gives credit where credit is due to such people as Barry Gray, who composed the music and Derek Meddings, who did the visual effects work. However, he gives no credit or even acknowledges the work of his ex-wife, Sylvia. She co-created the show with him and did many female charater voices, too. The bio of Gerry Anderson refers to a 'bitter divorce' from Sylvia in 1975. I realize that many people never completely heal, emotionally and in other respects, after a divorce. However, I think it is rotten for Gerry to completely ignore Sylvia's contribution to the series. Another thing that I should note is that A&E put the episodes on the discs in a random order. They didn't use the original transmission order or Carlton Media's recomended broadcast order. Not a big deal for the most part, at least they did put the 1st episode first on disc one. However, there is a trilogy of stories about the Mysterons on the moon, the first of which is on disc 2 and the other 2 on disc 3. The first episode of the 3, 'Lunarville 7' is fine on disc 2. The other two are in reverse order on disc 3, with the last episode of the trio, 'Dangerous Rendezvous' being on the disc before the second one, 'Crater 101'. Watch 'Crater 101' first, as 'Dangerous Rendezvous' refers to events that happen in 'Crater'. 'Scarlet' is my favorite Supermarionation series. Not a boring episode in the lot. Very exciting and different from anything that has come before, or since. I like the fact that the Spectrum people don't come out on top every time. The show's realism is one of its strong points. A nice companion to this set, which is available elsewhere on Amazon, is the book 'The Complete Captain Scarlet' by Chris Bentley. The book goes in to a lot of detail about the series, including an episode guide, behind the scenes stories, information about 'Scarlet' merchandise', and stills from a 4 minute CGI pilot for a new Captain Scarlet series which might hit TV screens in 2004. I think A&E made a wise choice in releasing these in one set, as Captain Scarlet didn't enjoy the same popularity as Thunderbirds in the US. This set is missing some of the extras that were on the British DVDs, but A&E would have had to make this a 5 disc set to include everything that was in that set. ...
Rating:
Summary: Spectrum is green!!!
Review: Wow!!! I bought this set a couple of months ago and I've been watching each episode little by little, and enjoying each one of them a lot!!! It's interesting to watch Captain Scarlet again, thirty-something years after the last time I watched it back in the late 60s (when I was 7 or 8 years old)!
I was (and still am) a huge fan of the "Thunderbirds" and became quite delighted when this new series from Gerry Anderson first appeared on TV back in the 60s! The quality of Captain Scarlet's special effects obviously got better since the Thunderbirds, and it really makes a huge difference (as far as realism is concerned) to have the marionettes more realistically proportioned! So much so, that there are times when you can almost forget that they are marionettes!
The production still looks fabulous after all these years! The design of vehicles, machines, personal equipment, weapons, buildings, etc. is quite enjoyable, interesting and sometimes even surprising! The "Angels" (both airplanes and pilots) still manage to look amazingly sharp and contemporary!!! Perhaps only the automobiles give you a hint of the series real age, for they look quite dated indeed! However, now it seems a bit funny to see 1965 Chrysler and Ford lookalikes among the futuristic modernism of the series!
Thirty-something years later, most of the episodes plots seem a bit shallow, almost stupid! But one has to remember that this series was meant for children! So, once you remember this you'll be ready to have a great time watching Captain Scarlet and his fellow Spectrum buddies fight the evil Mysterons (led by the sinister looking Captain Black), just as you did when you were still a child!
Spectrum is green!!!...Enjoy it!!!
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