Review of Cult (Sci-Fi) Legends

Introduction

Compilation DVDs are often very difficult to get excited about. On the one hand, they are giving you a chance to see a few episodes of show that you might never have known existed if it hadn`t been for such an introduction, but more often than not, they are usually slightly over-priced selections of random episodes which provide no clues as to what a series is about, let alone genuinely enticing the viewer.

This, however, seems to be a gamble that the `Metrodome` label are prepared to make. Throwing together various episodes from six different series, and pricing the disc at a penny under ten of your English pounds, the hope is that children of both the eighties and nineties will be drawn to its animated charms. Going way back to the heady days of 1984, (just as Orwell`s Totalitarian nightmare was gripping the nation under the Conservative Government - Arf!), in the form of the seminal `Transformers`, and working its way through the years to 1998 (just as Orwell`s Totalitarian nightmare was gripping the nation under the Labour Government - Arf!) and the CGI masterclass of `Shadow Warriors`.

In between, the bus of nostalgia stops off at nonsense cartoon `Inhumanoids` (1986), Hologram-obsessed `Visionaries`, the incomprehensible Japanese version of `Transformers` (`Transformers: Victory`) and Buck Rogers-but-with-animals guise of `Bucky O Hare`. It should come as no surprise that all have their own designated `complete series` DVDs also available from Metrodome.

Video

As this is a variety of different shows, spanning 14 years of production, then as you might imagine, the quality of both animation and picture varies greatly. Although the Computer Generated Images of `Shadow Raiders` look fantastic (and even though it is completely Mac-produced, it still looks less so than `The Phantom Menace`!), `Inhumanoids` and `Visionaries` look embarrassingly dated, in terms of both their animation and picture quality.

Wait - there`s more. Not content with providing some visually poor examples of the genre, the transfer is deplorable in places - most notably on `Transformers: Victory` (to which 2 of the Disc`s 8 episodes are designated) and `Inhumanoids`, where glitches and faded colours make for a not-very-enjoyable watching experience.

Audio

Likewise, the audio quality varies considerably and doesn`t seem to have been really adjusted or anything of the type before the episodes have been plonked onto the DVD. I don`t think it would be shocking you if I remarked that `Shadow Raiders` comes out top, with everything else in its wake. The Dolby 2.0 doesn`t really help when the source material is so poor in places.

Of course, most children`s shows have great theme songs, and there are some great examples of that in evidence. Both `Transformers` ones tick the right boxes, whereas `Bucky O Hare` is unmatched in its lyrical superiority. The line `If your Righteous Indignation has suffered a hit, and your photon accelerator`s broken a bit` deserves an Ivor Novello award in itself.

My MAJOR problem with the audio on this collection is that for about three seconds on `Inhumanoids`, a cartoon which is unwatchable as it is, the sound completely cuts out! This is hardly symptomatic of something earning the `legend` tag, and I hope to god that this was an error with my review disc only.

Features

Just like the vast vacuum of space, there is nothing.

D`you think that was intentional? No, neither do I

Conclusion

`Legends` is a bit of a strong word to use. This ain`t Sleepy Hollow, King Arthur or Robin Hood - hell, this aint even The Legend of Zelda! A more apt title would have been `Cult Sci Fi shows that we have the rights to issue on DVD`, but that doesn`t really have the magical ring to it that most PR companies will insist on.

First, the good news; `Shadow Raiders` is a revelation. It`s usually a given that computer generated animation will be soulless, but this is simply not the case. From the one episode that was provided, it seems to be a great, involving series for kids, and one momma and papa should enjoy too. Holding strong for the old guard is the original `Transformers` - or `G1` as the afficianados (megageeks) call it - showing why it was so popular in the first place. What a shame that the toys broke so easily …

`Disappointing` is how you`d describe, well, everything else included! `Inhumanoids` seems to be some sort of Cold war cyber-story about rock monsters being utilised or discarded by both the Russians and Americans, but that`s only a guess. For the full twenty minutes of its screen time, I remained flummoxed and perplexed. If this is the `introductory` episode, then one only presumes that the rest of the show is akin to having your head put in a vice and being read the entire breadth of human knowledge, volumes 1- 8795743673597034, at the speed of three million words per second.

`Transformers: Victory` will be of some interest to those who are hooked on anime, and of none whatsoever to those who aren`t. `Visionaries` comes across as Catherine Tate`s `Am I bothered?` character to `Thundercats` Vicky Pollard, and `Bucky O Hare` has a super-magnificent theme tune at the front and back of the program, but nothing for the 19 minutes in between.

Having grown up watching some of these cartoons, and liking them almost as much as `He-Man` and `Ghostbusters`, it`s difficult to get excited about this DVD. As much as it pains me to say it, anyone wanting a hit of retro-cartoon-age should look elsewhere. With `Shadow Warrior` outshining anything else included, an investment in the two series available would be far preferable to purchasing this set.