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So the title animation for this straight to DVD release from Warner Home Animation is the re-envisioning of the Captain Marvel origin- that's Shazam to you folks out there who haven't studied. Yep, the guy in the red suit with the lightning bolt that is kinda like Superman. As usual, Bruce Timm deftly handles updating the character, changing minor elements but keeping the spirit of the character true to form, and while he was initially seen in Justice League Unlimited, this gives him a nice origin story with clean and expressive animation and an action-packed confrontation with his opposite number, Black Adam. George Newburg reprises his role from the Justice League cartoons of his best Tim Daly impression, which adds a nice continuity to the character, and the mighty Man of Steel's vulnerability to magic is showcased a bit, giving us e empathy for the Big S and cheer for the arrival of the Big Red Cheese. The action is catastrophic and displayed on a grand scale, which is needed for characters of such magnitude. While it is easy to look at them slamming one another through building after building and imagining the body count, the alternative would be them fighting in the Arizona desert, and we call that Dragonball. Aside from the main feature, all of the rest of the shorts of the "DC Showcase" line have been included with their animated features as bonuses are included in this disc as well, including Jonah Hex in a tale of murder and greed in the old west, the Spectre in a 1970's period piece that leaves you ready to watch an episode of Mannix, Green Arrow in an airport shootout that manages to make him look competent and vulnerable and gallant all at the same time. All of the shorts are just that- short. The character development is there and the action doesn't disappoint, but none of them has anywhere near the 22 minute running time of the Captain Marvel featurette- though they are advertised as having 'added never before seen footage'- not that I noticed, but I'll take their word for it. And to make sure you feel as though you got enough bang for your buck, Bruce Timm also chose a few cartoons from earlier in Warner's animation history to go onto this disc so that you could see how these characters have been handled before. There's a Jonah Hex spotlight episode of Batman: The Animated Series where Ras Al Ghul relates a tale of one of his schemes of the old west defeated by the then-aging bounty hunter. Flash fact- it is Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched fame's last role as the barmaid who helps Hex in the story. The Spectre is featured opposite the Phantom Stranger as the two wager against Batman's soul, the Spectre hoping top win him as a tool of vengeance, the Stranger hoping that he will stay on the side4 of Justice. With stuff like this out there you come to realize just how good these shorts are, because last time4 I checked, the spirit of vengeance who acts as the agent of wrath for the divine doesn't usually make side bets. Thus we see why many of the die-hards have complaints with the Brave and the Bold- but if you are seven, it works. Then there's Initiation, the first episode of the expanded Justice League Unlimited, wherein Batman recruits Green Arrow for the JLU because someone with the common touch needs to be there to keep the gods above the earth honest and look out for the common man. A very good episode that can get you hooked on the series, and very accessible. Outta words or I'd keep going...Read full review
Shazam/Superman is a great collection of DC characters and entertaining throughout the DVD. Pros: 4 other stories with other DC charatcer and great action. Cons: Thought it would have been just Shazam/Superman, but are all just short stories
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Great entertainment and story tellying
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The extras in this film are great as well. For the price you can't go wrong.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Good DVD
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New