Stan Lee Presents “Mosaic” (Animation/DVD-Video)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: B     Film: B-

 

 

Twenty years ago it was tough to find a wide selection of animated superhero fare, but the last ten years have delivered a bevy of exciting titles, including Justice League, Batman, Teen Titans, and even the recent Ultimate Avengers titles.  Beyond the big-league names a number of other titles have hit the scene, sometimes crossing genres into science fiction and fantasy.  One cannot ignore the vast landscape of Japanese Anime either, but most of that deep fool falls outside of the purview of this review.  Stan Lee Presents Mosaic (SLPM) is a title that falls squarely in the middle of the pack of these many superhero offerings.  It is neither brilliant, nor innovative, but it does provide all of the necessary ingredients for a good superhero yarn.

 

Writer Scott Lobdell and director Roy Smith combine to get the most of what we are told is a Stan Lee creation.  Mosaic is a powerful young girl gifted with incredible powers in a freak accident involving a strange, mystical artifact.  If that origin sounds familiar its because it is one so oft repeated in comics as to elicit both a chuckle and a grown from the audience.  Indeed, SLPM delivers a series of alternately pleasing and irritating moments throughout its 72 minute run time.  Lee and Lobdell provide a few interesting twists, chief among them the young female protagonist ably voiced by Anna Paquin, but this feature never rises above its standard superhero genre conventions.

 

The animation, like the story and dialogue, represents a yeoman effort. It is similar in look and quality to the Ultimate Avengers films released over the past two years, but it never rises quite to their level.  It does share one thing with them in that the energy and dynamism of its animation never approaches the level of DC Comics/Time Warner’s Justice League and Batman shows.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound are adequate and support the solid animation.  Perhaps the best thing about SLPM is its interesting music by William Kevin Anderson.  His punchy score provides just the right tone and really delivers during the feature’s more tender moments.

 

The extras include some interviews, including a funny one with the ageless wonder himself, Stan Lee. Also included are a stills gallery and the now-obligatory DVD-game.  Does SLPM deliver enough animated thrills and spills for the diehard comic book fan?  Definitely, and if you collect the genre it’s a must buy disc.  However, those in search of animated innovation of the genre may find it lacking.

 

 

-   Scott R. Pyle