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High Voltage Villains: “The Party”, “When Sparks Fly”, “Keeping Secrets”
The
Mutant Menace: “Tight Squeeze”, “Law Of The Jungle”, “Sword Of Shikata”
The
Ultimate Face-Off: “Spider-Man Dis-Sabled”, “Mind Games – Part One”,
“Mind Games – Part Two”
Starring The
Voices Of: Neil Patrick Harris, Lisa Loeb, Ian Ziering, Rob Zombie, Eve, Gina
Gershon, Kathy Griffin, and Stan Lee
Writers: Brian
Michael Bends, Morgan Gendel, Marsha Griffin, Greg Johnson, Todd Felderstein,
and Rick Suvalle
Directors: Audu
Paden, Vincent Edwards, Alan Caldwell, Brandon Vetti, and Tim Eldred
Executive
Producers: Avi Arad, Rick Ungar, and Stan Lee
Feature length: 64
minutes per disc
Extras: Trailers
Languages: English
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles: English
Closed Captions
Packaging: Amaray
Keep Case
Chapter Stops: 5
Per Episode
Sound: Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Year of DVD
Release: 2004
Home Video
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment
TV Rating: TVPGV
For Parental Guidance and Moderate Violence
Reviewer: Mark A.
Rivera
In 2003 MTV aired
a new animated series based on Marvel Comics’ “Spider-Man” with Neil
Patrick Harris providing the voice of Peter Parker, Ian Ziering as Harry Oswald,
and Lisa Loeb as the object of Parker’s silent affection, MJ. The series
bought together talents from Marvel Comics as well as talent that helped make
the CGI animated series “Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles” a hit on
both the Sci-Fi Channel and DVD. Earlier this year Columbia TriStar Home
Entertainment released a Special Edition two-disc set that featured all thirteen
episodes from the series as well as an English DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical
Surround Sound option and lots of extra features. Now with the theatrical
release of “Spider-Man 2” just a few weeks away, Columbia TriStar Home
Entertainment has re-released select episodes from the CGI animated series’
first season that were previously available on the Special Edition DVD release.
These groupings
feature Spider-Man encountering super villains like Electro in the “High
Voltage Villains” set, a scientist whose experiments with reptilian DNA turns
him into a deadly man sized Lizard in “The Mutant Menace” volume, and a
bounty hunter seeking vengeance with the assistance of mind altering criminal
twins in “The Ultimate Face-Off” DVD. These three volumes present
“Spider-Man: The New Animated Series” in a crisp anamorphic widescreen
(1:78:1) aspect ratio with a well rounded English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Soundtrack as well as optional English Closed Captions for the hearing impaired.
Unfortunately none of the other extra value features, including the DTS
Soundtrack option are included in these three volumes. There are also four
additional episodes that are only available in the two-disc set as well.
Considering
consumers can get all of these episodes and more within the two-disc set that is
already available, I do not understand the logic of releasing bare bones
separate volumes unless the two-disc set was a limited release. I thought the
three discs were going to include episodes I never saw before and was somewhat
disappointed by the fact that these were just nine of the thirteen I already
had. The discs are single layered and I did not notice any difference between
the picture qualities on these three volumes as compared to the previous set.
Columbia TriStar is also releasing a Deluxe Three-Disc Edition of
“Spider-Man” as well as the film as a “Superbit” DVD so I don’t think
they need to remind anyone that “Spider-Man 2” is just a few weeks away.
Perhaps these discs are aimed more for kids while the original release was
targeted for fans that want to know more about the new animated series? I
honestly do not know the reason.
Trailers for
“Spider-Man: The New Animated Series: Special Edition” (2:00),
“Spider-Man” (1:20), “Spider-Man 2” (2:10), “Steamboy” (2:10),
“Tokyo Godfather” (1:38), “Osamu Tezuka’s Metropolis” (1:41),
“Cowboy Bebop” (2:05), “Cyborg 009” (2:05) “Memories” (: 57), and
“Stan Lee’s Mutants, Monsters And Marvels” (3:14) are included on all
three volumes.
“Spider-Man: The
New Animated Series: High Voltage Villains”, “The Mutant Menace”, and
“The Ultimate Face-Off” will be available on DVD-Video at retailers on and
offline on Tuesday, June 1, 2004 from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.
© Copyright 2004
By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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