“The New Adventures of Superman” are mainly just shorts trimmed from the series “The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure” from the sixties, and given their own spotlight. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but you can sense that the shorts here were once a part of something bigger and more diverse. That said, “The New Adventures of Superman” works considerably well if you’re okay with crude animation.
Tag Archives: Adventure
“The Burka Avenger”: Fighting Ignorance with Knowledge
Knowledge is true power and Miss Jiya, a teacher for a local school in Pakistan wields her knowledge with the ferocity of the superheroine “The Burka Avenger.” In a world where heroines are sexualized, it’s interesting to see that the Burka Avenger primarily clothes herself from head to toe in a burka, which allows her a stealth and grace that make her a deadly opponent; but definitely not deadly in the violent sense, but deadly in implementing non-violence and her intellect to defeat her foes.
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985) [Fair is Fair Edition Blu-ray]
You could likely consider “The Legend of Billie Jean” a precursor to “Thelma And Louise.” It’s a film about female empowerment, and young women dealt terrible injustices that become folk heroes. Not to mention “The Legend of Billie Jean” has every chance to become exploitative man hating trash, but very cleverly straddles the line between goofy eighties adventure, and compelling coming of age drama. I won’t claim “The Legend of Billie Jean” is a straight faced character study, but it’s a fun and often exciting tale of a young woman who takes the world by the balls when she stands up for herself.
Son of Batman (2014) [Blu-Ray]
I’ve admittedly never read the graphic novel upon which “Son of Batman” was based on. I highly doubt I’m missing much, since “Son of Batman” is an unpleasant, tedious, and boring affair that offers little in entertainment value. I’m not sure why, but Damian Wayne, the son of Batman, is apparently very popular with Batman fans. But I can’t really figure out what his appeal is. Damian is obnoxious, irritating, and I really wanted to see him perish at the hands of Deathstroke.
Batman The Brave & The Bold: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]
For Batman fans that prefers their Batman with less substance and much more of the Adam West camp and adventure, “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” is right up your alley. With unique animation and solid voice work from Diedrich Bader, “Brave and the Bold” is mostly fan service, teaming Batman up with some of the most obscure and interesting Batman superheroes, while celebrating the more serial oriented side of the characters. There’s less of Bruce Wayne and his world involved in the series, with Batman mainly playing center to most of the events that occur.
Adventures of Batman (1968) (DVD)
For fans that enjoy Batman, repackaged or original, “Adventures of Batman” is a suitable animated fix that hearkens back to the cheap animation of “Scooby Doo” and the silly adventures from the Adam West series. Less campy and more adventurous, the series from Filmation sets down on Batman and Robin as they battle all of their famous foes, from the Joker, and Mr. Freeze right down to the Riddler. Anyone expecting the complexities and dark themes from the Bruce Timm series should look elsewhere, as “Adventures of Robin” feels a lot like a facsimile of “Scooby Doo.”
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
One of the hallmarks of my youth in the nineties, “How I Spent My Vacation” was the credit Tiny Toons finally got, even if it was just on home video. That was okay, since the real fans of the series could take home their favorite Tiny Toon pals and re-visit their wacky summer time and time again. I must have seen “How I Spent My Vacation” a hundred times on VHS, and thankfully (much like the series) the movie holds up surprisingly well, and is still very funny. “How I Spent My Vacation” follows the group from “Tiny Toon Adventures” as they all are pulled in various directions for their summer vacations.