Blackstar – The Complete Series (Animation/Fantasy/Action)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: C
John
Blackstar is the title hero who goes from astronaut to sword-welding,
dragon-riding and freedom battling good guy when his Space Shuttle model (he
was riding it all by himself?) is sucked into a black hole. Instead of having al of his mortal self torn
to shreds and warped to death, he survives (Wow! Those space shuttles do have their
strengths!) to become part of a new world no one has ever heard of before in
all 13 episodes of Blackstar – The
Complete Series.
Originally
broadcast in 1981, John lands up on the planet Sagar, befriends the Trobbits
and is joined by some uniquely talented with a dragon, sorceress and human-like
shape-shifter to take on the evil kingdom trying to enslave and rule over the
planet. Though I could forgive the show
for its derivative nature and comic book simplicity, even as well done and
un-joking as it is, Blackstar did
not add much new and that is why it was not a big commercial success despite
the ambitions of the creators and studio.
The title character looks (and sounds?) too much like the Filmation Tarzan and having just done Flash Gordon so well a few years before
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) had little new room to go.
However,
the ultimate appeal is simply that it does all the genre trappings correctly
and without stupid humor or (most importantly) being silly and condescending
with the audience. That respect for
audiences of all ages is all too rare and is above all the primary reason take
a look (first, second or otherwise) at Blackstar.
The 1.33
X 1 image is not bad for its age, with some good color and detail, but nothing
overly impressive. However, it is
competent and solid. The Dolby Digital
2.0 Mono is also decent and the combination is just fine. Fans will be more than happy with the
fidelity, especially versus previous times they have seen it. Extras include trivia section, DVD-ROM
accessible versions of all 13 scripts, interviews segment, two stills sections,
two audio commentary tracks, the great Magic Of Filmation featurette and a
foldout inside the DVD case with episode guide, glossary and a few other
details about the show. It is nice once
again to see a short show with a fan base getting such deluxe treatment, but
Ink & Paint/BCI Eclipse have done it again.
- Nicholas Sheffo
