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Category:    Home > Reviews > Animation > Fantasy > Action > CG > Computer Animation > TV > Adventure > Mecha > Sentai > Japan > TV > Dragons: Riders Of Berk (2012/Fox/DreamWorks DVD)/Power Rangers: From Mighty Morphin To Lost Galaxy! (1993/Shout Factory DVD Box Set w/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – Season One, Vol. 2)

Dragons: Riders Of Berk (2012/Fox/DreamWorks DVD)/Power Rangers: From Mighty Morphin To Lost Galaxy! (1993/Shout Factory DVD Box Set w/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – Season One, Vol. 2)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-/C+     Extras: C/B-     Episodes: C+/B-

 

 

Now for some new DVD releases of interest to TV fans of children’s adventure, fantasy and action.

 

 

First we have Dragons: Riders Of Berk (2012) a TV spin-off of DreamWorks Animation’s hit CG animated How To Train Your Dragon and it is not a bad show for what it is, a way to continue the film’s ideas in a watchable series.  We get four episodes here and it is not bad or badly done throughout, plus you don’t even have had to see the actual feature to enjoy it.  It is also done intelligently, respecting its intended audience.

 

It likely would work better in conjunction with the feature, but this is one of the only TV shows I know of from the company, so that in itself is a plus.  As shown on Cartoon Network, we’ll see if this one takes off to be a hit.

 

Extras include collectable trading cards inside the DVD case, plus featurettes on the new stage show based on How To Train Your Dragon and a sneak preview of Madly Madagascar.

 

 

Coming on its 20th Anniversary (yikes) is Power Rangers: From Mighty Morphin To Lost Galaxy!, a new 40-DVD box set of all the original episodes of the original hit TV show, plus its Zeo sequel series.  We specifically got to look at the 3-DVD Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – Season One, Vol. 2 set and I have to say I was never a fan of this show, though we have several writers on this site who are and never totally understood its appeal.  That it has made a comeback is even more surprising.

 

I can see it as an Ultraman (reviewed elsewhere on this site) for its time, but is so bad to me that it plays like Super Inframan (also reviewed elsewhere on this site) minus the ironic comedy, even in its lesser U.S. version.  Either way, it is back and maybe here to stay.  That makes the set the first seven seasons worth of the franchise plus extensive DVD bonus content (from the press release) that includes Morphin Time! – A look back at Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with members of the cast, crew and creative team, A Morphenomenal Cast – Casting director Katy Wallin and the show’s stars recall what is took to become Power Rangers, The Fans Power Up – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fans remember the series, Lord Zedd’s Monster Heads, Alpha’s Magical Christmas, Rare Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Fan Club Video, MMPR Karate Club: The White Ranger Kata, Power Rangers Live: The World Tour, Tales of The Giant Bonana – Paul Schrier and Jason narvy look back at the fun and chemistry behind fan-favorite characters “Bulk” and “Skull”, Behind The Mask: Celebrating The Stunt Team – Stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt and stunt team members Bridgett Riley and Sophia Crawford recall what it really took to be a Power Ranger, A Conversation with Attitude – An intimate look into Power Morphicon – a fan-created convention exclusively honoring Power Rangers!, The Last Episode – hosted by Austin St. John and Walter Emmanuel Jones and Power Playback: Power Rangers’ Funniest Moments hosted by Johnny Young Bosch.

 

All that at least has some curio value for non-fans, but will likely be must-haves for fans which is why the box should sell very well and you can get it by going to the link at the end of the page.

 

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Dragon is decent for a DVD of CG animation that is some of the better on TV today with good color and definition throughout, though it makes me curious to see a Blu-ray version.  The 1.33 X 1 on all the Rangers DVDs show their age, shot on film (likely 35mm) but finished extensively on low-def analog video and establishing Saban’s cheap look forever.  If we ever see these on Blu-ray, it will take more work and compromises than what CBS has been doing in their impressive Star Trek: The Next Generation upgrades.

 

The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on Dragon has some nice surrounds and is not badly recorded throughout, while the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on all the Rangers DVDs show their age and bit and can be a little bright and harsh at times, but this is the way they were recorded and presented to begin with, so that is the way they are.

 

 

You can order the Power Rangers DVD box at this link:

 

powerrangersondvd.com

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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