Dynomutt312000 Reviews

Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (1994–1996)

It was a joke and the 2nd season was too late!!!

[24 June 2004]

This show was unwatchable in its first season, absolutely horrendous and another fine example of why Marvel should just stick to comics! If you look at any real success that Marvel has had outside of comics (Blade-Wesley Snipes) has almost nothing to do with Marvel's direct involvement with the projects. Marvel has continually treated their characters like bastard children, giving them to any idiot with a paycheck to use them as they will (Only Disney has treated their characters more shoddily!) The second season was what the first season should have been if anybody at Marvel had given a damn!!! It was much improved over the first season and was at least a more serious attempt at trying to catch the flavor of a comic book series which was hands down the most innovative, creative, and adventure-filled read of its time!

Gargoyles (1994–1997)

I watched the entire run on Toon Disney, Not to be MISSED!!!

[13 June 2004]

This is perhaps the best American cartoon series ever produced. Even though Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, Exo Squad, Mighty Max, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Bionic Six, Batman, and G.I. Joe are all personal favorites of mine. This show did what they often failed to do on so many levels. The show had far-reaching consequences for every character's actions, it showed some characters pushed to their limit (Goliath in the final episodes of the first two-year run), it tackled themes other shows avoided like the plague, it had a tight continuity that the creators were not afraid to exploit or stick with (Hey, idiot comic-book publishers and their marketing staffs, pay attention and see how it is done), and it ended the series where all the characters, in one way or another, saw the worst in themselves whether they accepted it or not (Poor Demona.) I only have 1,000 words to lavish praise on this series, so the last thing I want to get in is that this show featured some of the deepest characterizations I've ever seen in an animated program.

While some episodes were poorly animated (it seems no animated show-American or otherwise-can avoid this production flaw), Disney should have turned out some other shows like this one and other animation studios should have taken the high road and followed suit. How the same company that came up with series (for television, no less) is now churning out some of the most insipid, pandering, soulless crap in animation history is beyond me?!?? This series is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a well-told, well-thought out saga, not a story, a saga!!!

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Always getting a bad rap... why?

[10/10 · 24 May 2004]

I don't know why this movie is always underrated by so many including famed "Lord of the Rings" director, Peter "I'm going to bore you to tears" Jackson. It was a good movie.. sorry, it was. The lines were memorable, the action was well-choreographed (without the hyper-kinetic, excessive editing of today's films... you can actually see what's going on), and it was true to the source material (Read the source material, kids, this was meant to be simple and straightforward.) And as for the charges that it is self-important or takes itself too seriously, that's the problem with most genre films of late, they don't take themselves seriously as the actors, writers, and everyone involved seem intent on letting the audience know that the film they are presenting is based on source material that, as far as they are concerned, is a joke. The only real blight on "Conan" is the fact that it produce a throwaway sequel in "Conan the Destroyer." Now, that was garbage.