SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, THE [TV SERIES] - DVD review

As I wrote in a previous review it's apples and watermelons trying to compare the Sony live-action "Spider-Man" trilogy to this WB Kids TV show, also from Sony, so I won't even try. But for an animated TV show "The Spectacular Spider-Man" is pretty decent.

Promo for the series indicates that while this one is pitched at kids, the producers expect that a fair amount of teens and adults will also follow along. I could see that. The show stays pretty true to the Spider-Man mythology, the animation is decent, and creator Stan Lee is onboard again. This is the tenth time Spider-Man has been the subject of a TV show, and it gets back to basics, with Peter Parker (voiced by Josh Keaton) as nerdy as his live-action counterpart. Peter is forever getting picked on by Flash Thompson (Joshua LeBar) and his bully friends, but the real shocker is that Harry Osborn (James Arnold Taylor) is also a nerd with freckles who looks a little like a cartoon Ralph Malph. Gwen Stacy (Lacey Chabert) isn't as glam, either, and in this package Peter has to choose between her and Liz Allen.

All of the characters have those big round eyes and minimalist angular features that betray an anime influence, but the drawings and backgrounds are detailed enough to simulate an energetic and believable cartoon world, and the animation itself is more fluid than anime. Whether Spidey is scaling a building or slinging a web, there are scenes that also will call to mind the Sam Raimi films, and those allusions have to be deliberate.

Though the look is slightly different, the tone and content and spirit of animation easily evoke the comic-book hero and his stories. The wry wisecracks are here, along with the web shenanigans and the cops arriving just in time to unwrap another "package." Old-timers like myself will have flashbacks to the old Dick Tracy cartoon series because of the angularity of some of the villains and the quick way that Spider-Man dispatches the bad guys. The fun is watching him do all of this without breaking a sweat, and because he's never really in the battle of his life and because of all those wisecracks, the cartoon violence is tame enough for young viewers.

People who grew up watching the old animated Spider-Man ("Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can . . .") will probably be disappointed by the theme song from The Tender Box, but you can't have everything. Overall, this is one of the stronger animated Spider-Man TV shows.

Volume Five contains episodes 14-17 from the series, which is to say episodes 1-4 from season two of the show.

1) "Blueprints." Features new enemy Mysterio, who keeps spouting Latin and unleashes a flock of bats at Spidey. Meanwhile, Peter keeps looking for Eddie Brock, suspecting that the Symbiote has found a host in him. True, because Venom turns up here too.

2) "Destructive Testing." The scene shifts to Africa, where we see Kraven the Hunter playing WWF with a rhino and later going up against the ultimate challenge: Spider-Man himself. In this episode, things peak and Peter has to pick either Liz or Gwen.

3) "Reinforcement." The two main villains this outing join forces with the Sinister Six, figuring that solidarity will help them finally defeat Spider-Man. So you get characters like Lizard, Sandman, Rhino, Vulture, and Electro doing their thing.

4) "Shear Strength." But too many supervillains spoil the plan, and it takes a new villain, Master Planner, to pose the biggest threat thus far . . . and on New Year's Eve, no less.

There are some nice pyrotechnics and villainous battles in this quartet of episodes, which rank high on the series quality-meter.

Video:
The production values are excellent--perhaps because of the Marvel "quality control." Rather than the typical 1.33:1 aspect ratio you normally get for a TV show this one is mastered in High Definition at 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are screamingly bright, and the video really approximates those old, richly colored and cluttered Spider-Man comic books. Edge detail is very good, too, for a DVD.

Audio:
The audio is also a surprise. Rather than a token Dolby Digital Stereo there's a full English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that, like Spidey himself, is ready to rumble. The bass is robust, the treble is bright and peppy, and there's even some rear-speaker involvement. There's not much of a choice in subtitles--just French--but for a kids' TV show that's still pretty good.

Extras:
If you're like me, you don't really consider music videos legitimate bonus features--just throw-ins. And the single throw-in this time is "The Spectacular Spider-Man Music Video as seen in theaters!" The exclamation point doesn't help much. The Tender Box video is still only so-so, and besides, who cares?

Bottom Line:
Stan Lee must hold his breath every time somebody approaches him wanting to do yet another variation on Spider-Man. But as long as he's involved, you know that the production has a good chance of capturing at least some of the original comic-book hero. "The Spectacular Spider-Man" goes beyond that. It's probably the best animated adaptation. Rabid fans will have already bought the first season set, and we can only presume a second-season set will eventually follow. But if you're assembling your collection via volumes, or just looking for a stocking stuffer, this one is as good as any.