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Todd McFarlane's Spawn - The Ultimate Collection (Animated Series)

Todd McFarlane's Spawn - The Ultimate Collection (Animated Series)

List Price: $37.92
Your Price: $34.13
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I Like Spawn¿, But Gimme More Sam and Twitch¿!
Review: Although I quite enjoyed the Spawn animated series, my fave characters in these adventures are the seemingly-mismatched NYPD detectives Sam and Twitch. Sure, Spawn is the star, but it was the back-and-forth between the loud and bearish Sam and the anorexic, combo Albert Einstein/Don King 'fro-sportin' Twitch that made the show truly entertaining for me! Fortunately, their roles increased with each new series as they got themselves drawn further into the intrigue surrounding Spawn and his being stuck in the middle of the inevitable final confrontation between the forces of Heaven and Hell. Hopefully they'll have even more things to do if & when the next series comes out!

I found the animation to be pretty good, but not consistently so. There are a few great parts featuring great detail, but for the most part the toonage here is decent-to-good. As far as hired-for-American-release Japanese animation goes, I'd put this one right above Batman Beyond™, and a fair ways below Transformers™ The Movie. The sound quality of the DVDs are pretty good, though not especially spectacular. For all the comic-book & animation geeks out there, this is definitely worth at least a rent!

'Late!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: not consistent quality
Review: Basically the quality of this set is okay. Disc 2 sounds horrible. What did they do to mix it? You can hardly hear
Spawn when playing through a 5.1 system. You have to turn it up and then down etc. Also, why aren't all the discs mixed in 5.1? Maybe that's a good thing because at least when it is in 2.0 you can hear what Spawn is saying. Because it is a great show that deserves five stars, I won't give my review less than three stars. But come on, give me the quality this series deserves. At least I could hear on the video tapes(which I sadly gave away because the DVD set was on it's way.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Big Mistake
Review: Besides the fact that all of the commentary by McFarlane is completely deleted from this release, each episode jumbled together on the DVD so there is no way of knowing when one episode ends and the other begins--better remember exactly how much time was on the player when you stop so next time you know when to start again. Silly errors when compiling an otherwise excellent work.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It all depends upon your tastes...
Review: Does violence, especially graphic violence, bother you?

Then do not, under any circumstance buy this set.

What about sex? A couple of girls kissing (and playing, but nothing more), an implied threesome in a casual sex bar? Would that offend you?

Then do not, under any circumstance, buy this set.

It is not, as many others have pointed out, a cartoon for kids. Graphic sex and violence are the norm. These elements are essential to the story.

On the other hand, if these things don't offend, and you would like to watch an animated film that, to some degree, tackles what real evil is (and its place in the world), this series might be of great interest.

And it is highly entertaining.

But only if graphic sex and violence are, to you, entertaining. Otherwise, you will most likely be offended.

I suspect that is where the divide between the reviewers comes, although no one has specifically addressed it. This series can be harsh, if one is not expecting it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spawn the animated series Rocked
Review: Forget the movie, Spawn the animated show is great. The movie kinda ..., and didn't come close to the level of the comics. The comics were always violent and awesome. The movie was not. But the HBO mini-series Spawn came much closer to the comic books, and achieved brilliance in American anime. The story was great, the animation was great, the voice acting was great- the whole series was put together fabulously, and it didn't go commercial like the movie. It stayed true to Spawns roots, it was dark, it was emotional, it was violent, it had a sick sense of humor.(it was not intended for kids- there is alot of cursing, nudity, violence, etc). All-in-all Spawn was one of my all-time favorite animes, American or Japanese.

What about this DVD collection? Well the fact that all 3 seasons of Spawn are put into one shiny box is enough to make it great. Don't expect too much out of the bonus disc. It is an added feature but in no way should be the reason you buy this set. Buy this set because Spawn the anime was insanely good, it will put you in a dark world of intrigue that only the best movies and stories can achieve.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Much better than the live action movie
Review: Havig only been a fan of the work of Todd McFarlane for a short time now, I don't have that "Spawn expertise" that other long time fans of the series/ his work may have. However, I can easily say that the HBO animated series was far superior to the movie released in 1997 in the way it was able to convey the truly dark and menacing atmoshpere of the streets of New York City. The Spawn comic book series has a certain style that a live action movie just cannot express properly because the intricate story would just get lost in the special effects. I would highly reccomend the animated series to anyone who felt somewhat of a let down from the movie. Truly a unique and submersive experience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Much better than the live action movie
Review: Havig only been a fan of the work of Todd McFarlane for a short time now, I don't have that "Spawn expertise" that other long time fans of the series/ his work may have. However, I can easily say that the HBO animated series was far superior to the movie released in 1997 in the way it was able to convey the truly dark and menacing atmoshpere of the streets of New York City. The Spawn comic book series has a certain style that a live action movie just cannot express properly because the intricate story would just get lost in the special effects. I would highly reccomend the animated series to anyone who felt somewhat of a let down from the movie. Truly a unique and submersive experience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: SPAWN: Ultimate animated series.....
Review: Having not heard what this 'SPAWN' thing was, nor having seen the movie, nor knowing who Todd McFarlane was or what he did - I bought 'SPAWN: Ultimate Collection' ( on DVD ) with a completely open mind.

Why did I buy it ? Well, why is the sky blue ? All you meteorologists out their can give me an answer I'm sure, however, I can only say that my curiosity had the better of me.

Having browsed in DVD stores and on the Internet I remembered that I heard of a movie called: SPAWN. I'm not sure how the hell I remembered such a thing - but I did.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I bought SPAWN: Ultimate Collection ( The three series shown on HBO in the United States ).

Back to the story.

I opened my package and whacked it in the DVD player. From the moment I put the DVD in the player I was submerged into a dark world. A world where I have never been before. I've seen animated series before but this didn't compare to any of those that I had seen, in my opinion.

SPAWN was better..!!

I have to say that I enjoyed all three series and that each series got better. Just like a good wine, SPAWN matured damn well as the series embarked on its completion.

Each character developed as the shows progressed and it was obvious that SPAWN himself was going to mature as a character. The emotions, feelings, sensations, anguish, anger, hate, love and lust were symptoms of a character that HAD to mature and evolve, otherwise, this could have ( and would have ) turned into a mediocre animated cartoon. Thankfully, as each show progressed so did the characters and the plot. It is such a pity that only three series were made. It would've been interesting to see how all of the characters would have developed over a longer period.

I have to say that it is a violent animation with plenty of adult language and nudity but it fits into what Todd McFarlane wanted for the HBO timeslot ( according to what I heard in his DVD interview on the flip side of the third disc of the series ). A cartoon with content to suit its audience in which case was adults over the age of 18.

All in all it was brilliant and I enjoyed every second of it. The only down side of this is that there wasn't any more after the third series ( I don't think ). Such a pity because as I stated the characters were all beginning to bloom and show their worth. For me, all the three series intertwine and one cannot do without the other, hence, the third series was so good.

I know there have been a couple of people that reviewed SPAWN and rubbished it. Well, to each his/her own is my opinion. You didn't like it then good on you for warning people who don't like this type of animation and content, or lack thereof. My problem is that the people who do rubbish it have to think that we are "under-14-year-old (mentally, if not physically) male? " .

People have opinions, however, this is best kept to oneself. Generalizing in this manner typifies the immaturity of the person who writes it. It is also just pissing other people off who do actually like SPAWN and have the intelligence enough to make their own decisions on what is good and what is bad without the extra dialogue that comes with it. If you don't like a movie point out the garbage within it but NOT the supposed immature and intellectual idiots that watch it..!!

Overall, I found this series d***good and I enjoyed it heaps. If, however, you're a bit worried then I'd rent it out ( if you can...unlike where I am here in Australia ) then get it rented and make up your own mind.

Finally, everything about SPAWN has got me hooked just like a happy fly-fisherman with a 5kg salmon on the end of the line. Well, that is my opinion. I'm sure there are others that will think otherwise.

To each his own........

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: As it should be
Review: HBO Got it right.
Let's face it I'm a hardcore Spawn fan. I have all the movies. All the action figures. All the comic books.

The Theatrical Version of Spawn's story was a Piece of S**t [aka: some of the foulest vomit to spew forth from Hollywood in a long time!]. No question there. It deviated so far from the story. There was little or no character development. It was basically an excuse for a bunch of computer graphics desk Jockeys to whack off onto film.

This version however, The animated version, is perfect. Slightly different from the comic books, yes, but still enthralling.

The animation is superb and the voice talent draws you into the story and the characters as deeply as any live action film ever will. The story remains dark and cynical as I believe it was meant to be and the animation reinforces this with disturbingly graphic visuals and stunning action.

If you thought the movie was "The Bomb!" and have never read the comic books then you should probably stay away from this series. It is dark and disturbing and will likely make you think.

If you are a fan of the Spawn Franchise, buy this DVD set. You will not be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Spawn: The Ultimate Dark Knight
Review: I always liked comic book characters with a dark gothic theme. It is why I liked Batman comics, "Batman" the movie, the Batman animated tv series, and "The Crow" movie. When Spawn came out on Image comics, for some reason or another, it didn't catch on with me as it did with DC and Marvel comic characters. I didn't get any of the comics and I didn't really look into it, to the point of actually starting to collect it. Now that I have seen the animated series, I wish I had. I was familiar with Todd McFarlane's artwork in "The Amazing Spider Man" and "Spiderman" and I thought he was one of the most talented comic artists in the business, the other great talent in my opinion, is Jim Lee illustrator of "The X-men" and "Wildcats". I've since outgrown comics, but a year ago, I rented the movie "Spawn" and I really liked it. So I decided to rent the first animated movie. It was pretty good so I decided to rent "Spawn 2" which I thought was even better than the first. Spawn in the second installment is darker and more powerful than in the first installment. After watching these movies and checking out the reviews on Amazon.com of "Spawn 3", I decided to buy the DVD ultimate collection. I got it and I wasn't disappointed. The third installment was as good as "Spawn 2". The series is not comic book like with heroes fighting the bad guys, but it centers on one character's fight against himself and all the demons that haunt him upon his return to earth after spending 5 years in hell. The series acts out like a drama with violent action sequences and sexual connotations. Al Simmons really loves his wife Wanda and when he was sent to hell, he made a deal with the devil, known as Melboldia, to lead hell's army on earth against heaven, in turn he would get to see his beloved wife again. When he returns to earth as hell's Spawn (offspring), he obtains amnesia and is mentally and emotionally disturbed, taking it out on the criminals that invaded his space, a dark alley he claimed as his domain. The scenes of his presence on the roof of the abandoned Catholic church near the alley are visually stunning. Anyway, he is accompanied by an evil clown, the Violator, which taunts him, invades his dreams, and litterly drives Spawn mad. The Violater makes the clown in the movie "It" seem like a circus side show reject. Anyway, as the series moves on, Spawn seems to get darker and the story gets more involed in the turmoil that plagues Spawn's soul. It's a very complex story line with, Japanese quality animation, also another reason the series is appealing. I reccomend this movie to any Spawn fan or any mature fan of comics and anime. But I must warn that this movie series should only be viewed by adults because it is very violent, has foul language, and contains sexual situations.


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