SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 2 Hours, 57 Min.
Originally aired on ABC-TV in 1979, this installment of Hanna-Barbera’s “The World’s Greatest Super Friends!” (aka Season 4) consists of eight episodes, each 22-23 minutes in length. The Super-Friends appearing are: Superman; Wonder Woman; Batman & Robin; Aquaman, and The Wonder Twins (with Gleek). The single-disc DVD consists of these adventures:
- “Rub Three Times for Disaster”
- “Lex Luthor Strikes Back”
- “Space Knights of Cameleon”
- “The Lord of Middle Earth”
- “Universe of Evil”
- “Terror at 20,000 Fathoms”
- “Superfriends Meet Frankenstein”
- “Planet of Oz.”
Note: Similarly packaged, the Season 5 DVD is dubbed “Dangerous Fate;” and the Season 6 DVD is “A Legacy of Super Powers.”
REVIEW:
Aside from these Super-Friends being too easily overpowered on a regular basis, these eight episodes deliver nostalgic super-fun.
Beyond taking obvious inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, and Arthurian legend, the Lex Luthor caper even includes a Margot Kidder-like Lois Lane and his dim-witted sidekick, Orville, closely resembles Ned Beatty’s Otis. The unique sight of a super-charged Robin utilizing Superman’s powers is explored in “Superfriends Meet Frankenstein.” Another treat is the “Universe of Evil,” where DC’s first animated equivalent of Earth-Three’s Crime Syndicate is depicted. Hence, the inspired scripting powering several of these episodes is impressive.
At a minimum, these Saturday morning capers live up to the Super-Friends franchise’s legacy of kid-friendly entertainment.
BONUS FEATURES:
The DVD can be viewed in English, Spanish, & Portuguese, with available subtitles in either English or Portuguese. There are two DC Comics-related trailers: one for various DC animated titles and the other is ‘the real-world-needs-heroes’ PSA.
PACKAGING:
The DVD is solidly enclosed. For the most part, the contents are accurately listed.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
