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I tuned in to Marvel's new animated "Spider-Man" television series after being hooked by the intriguing promos I've been seeing for the previous couple of weeks. I have got to admit I am impressed after watching the first two episodes. Each half-hour episode was fast moving, well acted, and had a tight, concise plot. These are not stand-alone episodes; character development is carried over from episode to episode. The main foreseeable pitfall that I hope the writers avoid is the "Supervillian of the Week" cliche. It's been done in every superhero show ever, and it's a show element that gets tired REAL quick. It might be easier to avoid in "Spider-Man" than in most other shows because as a character Peter Parker had always been at least as interesting as his alter ego Spider-Man. It is not hard to envision entire episodes where Spidey makes not a single appearance.
The show is aired on MTV, which should be a surprise but isn't. It should be surprising because MTV is renown for having a broadcast schedule filled entirely of utter crap. It isn't surprising because although it has been on a steep downward spiral for well over a decade now, MTV has had a rather impressive history of bringing quality post-adolescent animation to the masses. From "Aeon Flux", to "Beavis and Butthead", to "Daria", to the under appreciated "Undergrads" (now seen on Comedy Central), to their current hilarious show "Clone High", when it comes to animation MTV has the goods. Ironically, when it comes to MUSIC, MTV (MUSIC Television) is still sorely lacking.
The show features some relatively big name acting talent giving voice to the show's characters. Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, Starship Troopers) and Lisa Loeb (a singer known more for her bespectacled look than her songs) take the lead as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Mary Jane, while other actors of note include Michael Dorn, Michael Clarke Duncan, Eve, and Ethan Embry. I hope they are not paying too much for this star power. If they are that means this must be a rather expensive show to produce. These days that seems to mean short runs and early cancellation. Who wants to pay a small fortune for a well-made show when they can just cobble together yet another "reality" show for a mere pittance?
Adding to the costs (...or perhaps cutting it nowadays) is the animation itself. "Spider-Man" is one of the earliest examples of true 21st Century animation. It is CGI from top to bottom. No farming out the tedious animation work to Korea or the Philippines, where folks would toil away for hours upon hours drawing one animation cel at a time. Now everything is done on computers, to dramatic effect. The look is unique, and the animation and special effects are seamless and super smooth.
Overall I'd rate "Spider-Man" an 8/10. However, that is only after two episodes and is certainly subject to change depending on where the series goes from here.
score /10
kevjohn 12 July 2003
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0827121/ |
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4-5-2020 02:44:10
