Customer Reviews

Captain Scarlet - Complete Series (4DVD) (1967)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

I can't say anything about this DVD format, because I don't have it (Yet :-), however, I can say a lot about the series. The first time I saw it was when my grandfather bought me a transtlated to Hebrew video cassete of two episodes when I was 5. Since then I didn't get the chance to see any other episodes. Today, 14 years later, it arrived to the TV here, and I LOVE it, I watch it every day! It's a cool program, a lot better that 'Thunderbirds' (That is also on here, but I don't watch it.)

The great stroyline and the general coolness of the program cover some basic naivity and a couple of lousy effects, yet the idea to show the mysterons as circeles of light is geniuse.

I wouldn't say it is "A Must" some of you out there might find it silly, boring and unrealistic in today's world of fast action, amazing computer effects and the fact that we know that there are no Mysterons on Mars. All I can say is that I bet that your kids, from 5-10 would love it, and I know that I, at the age of 19, really really enjoy it and would love to have this DVD so I could watch it over and over again.

I agree with all of the other reviews on here...but...
The packaging is far lacking compared with the Thunderbirds DVD's. It might as well be wrapped in brown paper. I have also had problems with the dvd discs. The first and last episode on each disc will not play using a remote. I have to
manually search through each chapter to get these episodes to play.
Never mind that the A&E packaging is basically a throw away, buy it for the show.

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.