SWAT KATS THE RADICAL SQUADRON: THE COMPLETE SERIES (DVD)
1/5/11
Felix Vasquez Jr.

 

Bad Cat puns in 3, 2, 1...

Bad ass thy name is "Swat Kats." What is "Swat Kats," you may ask? Well, for the nineties kids like yours truly, this series was no catastrophe, it was an action packed purrfect blend of Disney pandering and adult action edge that ended up being one of the more fantastic relics of the decade that very few are aware of. And that's a disaster mainly because everything about "Swat Kats" is so furrocious from its sharp animation, slick character designs, and top notch science fiction fantasy story that's so unique it's almost impossible to not pine for the days of the Kats and dig your claws in to this veritable fancy feast of imagination and action packed entertainment strictly for the preteen boys of the audience. Mainly living on through syndication on the Cartoon Network in America, and in the memories of fan boys, it's now offered in to a complete collection from the Warner archive.

"Swat Kats" ran from 1993 to 1995 and is the story of Chance "T-Bone" Furlong and Jake "Razor" Clawson, two hard nosed cat mechanics living out of a junkyard fixing old heaps of junks they can find from customers. Their mundane lives aren't all yarn and milk as they secretly venture out in the air as the Swat Kats in their high powered fighter Jet the TurboKat. Once military cats for the Enforcers that watched over Megakat city, the two pariahs operate under their guises that feature rad bandanas, and pilot gear that allow them to coordinate search and rescue operations from their bad ass jet that is never in short supply of amazing gadgets and missiles.

All the while they dodge the Enforcers who are led by the militant Feral, and save the city day in and day out always on the brink of pure catastrophe under the clutches of various threats that include robotic Kats, alien beings, and Dark Kat. Constantly eluding the authorities which include the hapless mayor Manx and deputy Calico Briggs (the independent heroine of the series who is always in need of rescue but is hardly helpless), the Swat Kats come in for the save when the city needs them the most. "Swat Kats" is filled with an array of great villains, some of whom are branched off from the DC Comics mythos, particularly the metallikats, two mobsters with robotic shells prone to giving the Swat Kats a hard time.

There's also your typical B movie monster episodes with aliens and slugs, and blob monsters, all the while our two heroes are very entertaining to watch in and out of costume. And you can't underestimate the Pastmaster, a villain who is deadly and constantly giving the Swat Kats difficult times, threatening to bring the world to its knees. Obvious clones of Batman, the Swat Kats have an entertaining and wicked setting around them where they can live among junk, and use that scrap from the military to benefit their quest to fight against evil, donning their costumes and bad ass bandannas. This series set comes with the final three episodes never aired, and beyond that there is nothing here for anyone looking for special features. This is "Manufature on Demand" so there's no restoration, and no widescreen, but they are transferred from high quality masters without edits or truncation. Nostalgia buffs will probably find amusement in their favorite nineties show being on DVD finally, and for those waiting for a special edition, you'll have to wait a very long time. For what it promises, it's an excellent set for fans of the series, and for those with kids looking for nonviolent, action packed, entertainment, this is your best bet. You can't not love the Swat Kats.

 

 

Reproduction and reprinting should only occur with express written permission
and proper credit to Cinema Crazed and its authors.
 

Have something to say about this article? Pop on over to Cinema-Lunatics
and speak your mind in our
Answer Back! Forums >>

 


[   Digg!   |   Link to Us   |   FAQ   |   Top^   |   AddThis Social Bookmark Button   ]

All written reviews material and content are a copyright of Felix Vasquez Jr. and Cinema Crazed.
Content borrowed without written permission will not be permitted.

¤ ¤ ¤