|
|
 |
Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series
R1 - America - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (6th August 2007). |
|
The Show
 Before he became a noted lawyer, Birdman used to save the planet on a seemingly weekly basis. With his trusted friend, Avenger, a purple eagle, Birdman fights evil in the hopes of ridding it from the world. The Galaxy Trio does the same thing, but with Vapor Man, Gravity Girl and Meteor Man (great names!). Alex Toth, who also designed 'Space Ghost', designed the characters and the resemblance can really be seen. The problem with this show is that it's not as the character isn't as interesting as 'Space Ghost'. Birdman gets his powers from the sun and this is the show's greatest downfall. Because every bad guy knows this, there are no surprises to any of his adventures. Every single show can be summed up in one line: evil attacks, somehow blocks the sun from Birdman, who then weakens, gets saved by Avenger and ultimately beats the bad guy. That's not to say the show is boring. Segments like 'Avenger for Ransom' in episode 3 and 'The Wings of Fear' in episode 12 are pretty fun. The overall series seems a bit repetitive, though. Actually, I find the B-story, with the Galaxy Trio, better than the 'Space Ghost' B-stories with Dino Boy. Although the heroes' biggest offensive weapon consists of them shooting power beams of various functions to stop the bad guys, I didn't find this as repetitive. Maybe it's the sci-fi aspect of those segments that I like, or the idea that they're less repetitive but I seem to prefer them. It's certainly not the logic, that's for sure. Isaac Asimov would have a few things to say about 'Revolt of the Robots' in episode 1. I'm sure physicists would be very interested in Gravity Girl's reverse gravity beam. There's also a pretty big continuity error in 'The Bird Girl' in episode 8, with disappearing and reappearing wings. These, though, are minor problems and don't take away from the show. What surprised me about the Birdman segments is that it has a somewhat disconcerting political agenda. It's not trying to be subversive, quite on the contrary. It gets, for a kid's show, pretty patriotic. It doesn't border on propaganda, but I find it interesting to see a television show trying to get kids to be so patriotic. I guess I find it disconcerting because it promotes the idea that America is the best and strongest country in the world (and so, for example, has to have all the gold from an ocean-floor deposit). Overall the series is enjoyable, though not much more than that. If I were young, I probably would skip the show because they come in very short segments. I never liked that and I find it short changes the viewer and the characters. Not that there's much to get from Birdman. I suppose he's ultimately a better lawyer than superhero. Here's a listing of each episode, broken down by disc: Disc 1, Side A 1. X the Eliminator / Revolt of the Robots / Morto The Marauder (21:09) 2. The Ruthless Ringmaster / Battle of The Aquatrons / Birdman vs. The Mummer (21:07) 3. The Quake Threat / Galaxy Trio vs. The Moltens of Meterous / Avenger for Ransom (21:10) 4. Birdman vs. Cumulus, The Storm King / The Sleeping Planet / Serpents of The Deep (21:04) 5. Nitron The Human Bomb / The Peril of The Prison Planet / Mentor, the Mind Taker (21:09) Disc 1, Side B 6. The Purple Moss / Drackmore, The Despot / The Deadly Trio (21:11) 7. The Brain Thief / Titan, The Titanium Man / Birdman vs. The Constrictor (21:09) 8. Number One / The Dubplitrons / The Bird Girl (21:07) 9. Birdman Meets Reducto / Computron Lives / Vulturo, Prince of Darkness (21:08) 10. The Chameleon / The Eye of Time / The Incredible Magnatroid (21:05) Disc 2, Side A 11. Hannibal the Hunter / Galaxy Trio and the Cave Men of Primevia / The Empress of Evil (21:09) 12. The Wings of Fear / The Demon Raiders / Birdman Meets Birdboy (21:08) 13. The Mennace of Dr. Millenium / The Rock Men / Birdman Versus Dr. Freezoids (21:05) 14. The Deadly Duplicator / Space Fugitives / Professor Nightshade (21:09) 15. Train Trek / Space Slaves / Birdman Meets Moray of the Deep (21:08) Disc 2, Side B 16. Birdman and the Monster of the Mountain / Galaxy Trio Versus Growliath / The Return of Vulturo (21:08) 17. The Revenge of Dr. Millenium / Return to Aqueos / The Ant Ape (21:06) 18. Birdman Versus The Speed Demon / Invasion of the Sporoids / The Wild Weird West (21:11) 19. The Pirate Plot / Gralik of Gravitas / Skon of Space (21:07) 20. Murro the Marauder / Plateus the Pirate Planet / Morto Rides Again (21:05)
Video
1.33:1 full frame. As with the simultaneous release of 'Space Ghost and Dino Boy', this set looks pretty good. There are very small specks here and there in some episodes, but for the most part everything is clear. The picture is a bit soft, but for the time of release of the show, it's more than acceptable. The colours are bright and accurate, though they do flicker in a few shots. There's no grain to speak of, giving the show a pretty sleek look. The picture is actually quite good.
Audio
The only audio track is a very nice Dolby Digital 2.0 mono track. The range isn't too big, but the show is pretty limited in its range. Everything is pretty consistent, with good levels among the voices, effects and music. The dialogue is always clear, and you can hear all the repetitive dialogue very clearly. The track never gets screechy and all the possible pops and hisses have been removed. It's a very nice audio track and never has a problem delivering for the show. English (hard of hearing) subtitles are provided for those who require them.
Extras
The only real extra comes in Disc 2, Side B. It's a featurette called Birdman: The Forgotten Hero (10:09). It's pretty slime and the documentary on the 'Space Ghost' set is much, much better. A couple of people talk about how 'Birdman' came to be and where its influences were. Some fanboy gushing follows. It's not too informative, but at least it’s nice to have an extra. Also in the bonus features section are a few Trailers. 'Wait Till Your Father Gets Home' (1:23), 'Popeye The Sailor Man' (1:51), 'Classic Cartoons from the Vault' (1:22) and 'Cartoon Network' (0:34). These trailers are nothing special but the do their job pretty well. The third one is an ad for the 'Birdman', 'Space Ghost' and 'Droopy' sets.
Packaging
Warner released this 2-disc set in an ultra-slim digipak with both discs on one side, overlapping each other.
Overall
|
|||||
|