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First broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1967,
Captain Scarlet was the most grownup of all Gerry Anderson's SuperMarionation adventures. Of course there are gadgets and toy-friendly machines galore--like the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, the Angel Aircraft, and Cloudbase itself--but, unlike the colorful fantasies of
Stingray and
Thunderbirds, this series' concern with an implacable, vengeful enemy, conspiracies, and double agents drew its inspiration from James Bond and the cold war spy dramas of the 1960s. Special effects whiz Derek Meddings instills the action sequences with a truly Bondian grandeur and, like the sinister SPECTRE of the Bond films, the Martian Mysterons seem all the more hostile for their unseen presence, their agents infiltrating every organization dedicated to their destruction, just as it seemed the Soviets were doing at the time. The indestructible Captain Scarlet is killed then resurrected every week (though not like
South Park's Kenny), and more often than not the Mysterons emerge triumphant, and always undefeated. The varied cast of Spectrum agents and their voice characterizations also aim at verisimilitude (Captain Scarlet, voiced by Francis Matthews, sounds like a grim Cary Grant), while the puppetry is more realistic than ever. Now with newly remastered picture and Dolby 5.1 surround sound for the DVD release,
Captain Scarlet still looks and sounds like the epitome of '60s cool. For Americans, this is the first time the show--consisting of 32 episodes--has been available.
--Mark Walker
