Official Synopsis:
Centuries ago, the cosmic computer entity known as Sentinel One transported three young Earthlings to his domain, granted them powers and eternal youth. Now, they protect the human race from super-villains, marauding aliens, tampering time-travelers, and vengeful deities. The trio of heroes – super-strong Hercules, shape-changing Astraea, and lightning-fast Mercury – have become legends guarding mankind as – the Space Sentinels! Headquartered in the sandswept Valley of Time, five legendary heroes also defend humanity, using their awesome powers to defeat magical menaces, rampaging robots, and mythological threats. Joining the familiar strongman Hercules are the magician Merlin, super-adventure Sinbad, armored giant of the east, Super Samurai, and the beauteous Egyptian heroine known as Isis, they are the Freedom Force!
Our Take:
Now this is a cartoon I don't remember at all. Actually, I don't remember either of the cartoons that make up this set, The Space Sentinels or The Freedom Force. Both shows fit nicely into that Herculoids/Space Ghost/Teen Force milieu, and they're a fair amount of fun. Like so many properties from this era, the shows have that semi-limited style of animation, and pretty much everything in the show is right out of the vaults. Stock voice actors, stock sound effects, stock backgrounds... there isn't much original going on here. Maybe that's why each show lasted such a short time.
Of course, this is BCI Eclipse, and no matter how short the shows' runs were, they know how to cater to the fans, so this two-disc set comes with some really great extra features. They really dug into the well for this one, too, and came up with some really rare live-action footage that ties into the show.
* The Magic of Filmation (33 minutes) - The same documentary about the animation studio that appears on the Blackstar DVD, but still a fantastic feature.
* Interviews With The Creators of Space Sentinels (22 minutes) - Learn more about the creation of the show.
* Interviews With the Creators of Freedom Force (13 minutes) - Lou Scheimer and company talk about the show.
* Young Sentinels Original Presentation (3 minutes) - An early rough animated pitch for The Young Sentinels, a precursor to Space Sentinels.
* Young Sentinels Live Action Audition (5 minutes) - Audition footage for a proposed Young Sentinels live action series.
* Image Galleries - A nice collection of conceptual artwork for each series.
These shows aren't going to blow away any modern audiences, but they should more than satisfy the nostalgia fan. If you have a special place in your heart for The Space Sentinels or The Freedom Force, this DVD set is a must have.
Overall Picture:
Shows: C+
DVD: A-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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