Swamp Thing: The Series – Volume 3 (Shout! Factory DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: D Episodes: C+
Just when
you thought you escaped the swamp those murky waters pull you back in. For its third and final release Swamp Thing: The Series returns to
DVD. This release caps off the last 24
episodes of the 50 episode Third Season run. This season sees the coming of new enemies and
odd situations that put Dr. Alec Holland (Swamp Thing) between a swamp and a
hard place.
The first
episode on this set entitled Lesser of
Two Evils has a new villain coming to town as Arcane’s rival Carla
Jefferies (Tyne Daly) takes over his company, forcing Swamp Thing to chose “the
lesser of two evils” as he may be forced to team up with Arcane. We soon discover that nothing is as simple as
it seems and as the episodes develop the battle between Arcane and Swamp Thing
heats up as never before.
These
last 24 episodes are by far the best the series has to offer; as the crazy gets
crazier. I don’t want to call it a soap
opera…so I will call it a swamp opera.
This swamp opera has the series going off in all crazy directions as it
develops the characters in ways audiences could have never imagined. There are alliances and betrayal, but it is
the hardcore science fiction that is the most gripping. This season allowed the writers to do what Swamp Thing was meant for as we
experience demonic transformations, mummies, poltergeists, infectious diseases,
half-plant-half-robots and much more.
This season is all out crazy and oh so wonderful as it takes us on a
journey through the swamp like never before.
The series does have an ending that is quite …revealing, though not what
I was expecting. Swamp Thing was and is a wonderful series. Whereas at times it can feel quite dated,
overall I found it enjoyable and attention grabbing.
The
technical features fall in line with the previous two releases; as they are far
from good, but not all out awful. The
picture continues to be presented in its original 1.33 X 1 Full Screen aspect
ratio and remains murky and disappointing. The colors and contrast are
skewed having distorted skin tones and an overall flat presence; all while the
picture quality seeming has some serious light/dark issues throughout.
The picture is not horrid, but the light/dark issues can be frustrating and I
know it all can be better. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo sound quality is again better than the picture presentation
having little to no distortion and only occasionally having a distant
quality. Overall, the sound presentation is surprisingly nice when
compared to the picture.
The
extras are no where to be found.
If you
have been enjoying the series all along, now is not the time to stop. The end of Season 3 contains some of the best episodes the series has to
offer. Swamp Thing has always been a bit of an odd series, but that is
what makes it so memorable and worth watching.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
