Search This Blog

Thursday, 12 November 2026

The Incredible Hulk 1996 "Raw Power" Review


Much like how DC sill does dominate with there animated shows and direct to DVD movies in the early to mid nineties Marvel was giving them a pretty good run for there money. With X-Men and Spider-Man being pretty good shows yet there are are a few shows that Marvel did around that time that alot of people seem to have forgotten about with one of those shows being the 1996 version of The Incredible Hulk and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Hulk gain , loose and then gain another friend again with the episode in question being called simply just "Raw Power" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when The Hulk is spotted in a nearby town General Ross has to team up with SHIELD to take hm down and Bruce Banner finds a friend who tries to help him get rid of The Hulk for good. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that good. Look to be honest here the main reason as to why this episodes plot isn't as good as it could have been is due t the fact that the episode does seem to light on plot with not alot actually happening for a good portion of the episode. The episode doesn't seem to be all that focused on plot as the episode does pick up and drop of its plot alot which for a film is pretty understandable but for a TV show episode is not something that you can afford to do with it getting so bad that at times it was hard to work out just what the plot of this episode was even meant to be in the first place however tho in saying this the general idea of someone befriending The Hulk first and not Bruce Banner was a good idea as does give the episode the chance to hit home the fact that The Hulk and Bruce Banner are two completely different people but the episode and it's plot doesn't fully explore that and like alot of things in this episode it does get dropped for literally no reason when that is the most interesting part of the episodes plot as a whole with the plot of this episode also not really being really rather entertaining and nor it is really rather engaging either in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this episode is Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk , Neal McDonough as Dr. Bruce Banner and Genie Francis as Betty Ross. Also starring in this episode is Luke Perry as Rick Jones , John Vernon as General Ross , Thom Barry as Gabriel Jones , Shadoe Stevens as Doc Samson , Michael Bell as Mitch McCutcheon / Zzzax , Leeza Miller McGee as A Co-worker / Zzzax and Kevin Schon as Major Talbot / Zzzax.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty pretty good. Unlike this episodes plot this episodes acting was actually pretty decent as all of the episodes actors are doing there best to turn in a good performance and while yes this is only the third episode of the show and therefore of course the acting won't be as good as it is in later episodes the fact that it is still pretty decent in the first place is still a good thing as given the episodes plot the acting could have been pretty bad very easily with his natural charm really shining through in this episode. With the best actor in this episode being quite hard to say as none of the episodes actors really stood out in this episode but at a push it would have be Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk as not only is he reprising the role that he helped to make famous in the seventies live action show but the Hulk oddly plays a bigger role then Bruce Banner does while this is something that very easily could have exposed Lou's lack of good acting the fact that the character only spoke very few lines in this episode helped to make Lou come across as being all the more better as an actor with the few lies that that he does say appealing to the characters childlike sense of wonder and nature. With the acting that's in this very episode not really being helped by the fact that this episodes script really is really bad as it gives none of this episodes actors anything to work with interms of what it is that there actual characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does harm the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.


Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the greats that are currently over at Saerom Animation. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty pretty good. This episodes animation whilst it is still really good it's more on the same level as the episodes plot as you don't get the sense of there being alot thought and effort being put into the episodes animation as all of the episode is set at night and is mainly set in a baron desert with very limited buildings. This might not seem like much but it does then mean that the episode can't be as highly detailed with its animation and whilst this is fair enough as the show would need to spread its animation budget across an entire thirteen episode first season there does however still need to be some amount of effort put into making the episodes animation look good with even the inside of the building looking baron and deserted so such so that you wouldn't be able to tell just what type of building they are in as the animation doesn't give you any clues but on the plus side tho all of the characters do have very distinctive designs about them that do help to make them truly stand out from one another and the characters do have some really good movements that are fluid as they could be given the fact that this is a TV show but there's no getting away from the fact that the animation does look and feel cheap when this is something that really shouldn't be the case or this obvious for that matter.


Just to be honest both Betty and Doc Samson do next to nothing in this episode with Betty's role in the episode being to convince The Hulk to go after Zzzax and that's it. Which given just how close she is to The Hulk does feel like a waste of her character and while you really couldn't have her d all that much given the plot of this episode she could have done something more even if it's just trying to convince both SHIELD and her father not attack Bruce which yes granted isn't that much but it's still better then her convincing he Hulk to do the thing that he was going to do in the first place as that's just stupid and it makes it feel like the that the makers of this episode really had no idea o what to do with her character and therefor they just gave her the bare minimum to do in the episode. Yet she gets the goldstar treatment as both Doc Samson and Gabriel Jones just straight up disappear after The Hulk attacks the armies helicopters with there not even being a reference to either character being made in the rest of the episode this is despite the fact that both characters were set up to be major characters in the episodes plot and yet they just get dropped this goes back to what was being said about the episodes plot as much like the plot of the episode these characters get dropped which is something that would be OK if the episode didn't set them up to major characters heck with Doc Samson they literally have him trying to talk to General Ross about a device he's working on and they never bring it up in the episode granted they could pay that off in a later episode but if that is the case then why drop his character in this episode and with Gabriel Jones they set up that SHIELD is now helping General Ross take down The Hulk and yet when The Hulk defeats SHIELD we never see Ross chew him out for it which his inclusion in the episode seem pointless.

If this episode is anything to go by then it's easy to see this show isn't talked about all that much as this episode doesn't really have alot of things going for it. With it feeling like that it was added to the episode just to fill out a season order and not because of the fact that the makers of this show had anything to say as the episode does feel like a cheaply made episode that was rushed into production as there's nothing really to this episode it's just there and while pretty much all kids nineties animated shows where very episodic in nature here it feels like that was being used as an excuse and not as an advantage as that is something that could have been used to tell a really dark story and yet it was instead used just to tell a bland story that doesn't really have alot of things that are truly going for it which does hold the episode back quite alot. Heck the nineties Iron Man show wasn't that good either but it was at the very least memorable you will remember somethings about that show after watching here less then thirty minuets after watching the episode I had forgotten the vast majority of it as that's how little of an impact it leaves you on and yet if the makers of this episode truly cared about making the episode be as fun as it could be then they would have gone the extra mile to but more effort and focus on the things that work like the relationship between Bruce and Mitch as seeing them as friends is a good idea and put less effort into just being bland and boring as on paper this episode could have worked as it had all of the ingredients there for for it to work but no one involved with the making of the episode from a writer or director standpoint cared enough to make it work in the first place.


Zzzax the episodes main villain is a pretty good idea for a main villain and yet for one reason or another this is the only episode in which the character appears. As while they do have Mitch get cured at the end of the episode it would have been great to see him come back as you very easily could have said that Zzzax was just laying in wait and just waiting for the perfect time to come back and then explain that like The Hulk there's no true way to get rid of him as he is someone that does challenge The Hulk as he can't hit him as he's pure electricity and therefor The Hulk does have to find a unique way to beat him or even do some damage to him which is something that he doesn't have to do for alot of his foes and yet with Zzzax he does and that is something that will challenge him and really make him grow as a hero. The characters plan whilst it is simple given the fact that he is only introduced in the final few minuets of the episode however this is something that is understandable as the characters plan is just to get some electricity for a local power station to keep his current form and that's really it which is a simple plan and if the character was introduced alot more earlier in the episode and not later then it is something that would have held the character back but given the fact that he was introduced just when the story was good as well wrapping up it does in its own way make sense that he would have this small scale plan that is simple but in saying this tho as this is only the third episode of the show his plan should have been alot more bigger and epic just to make it look like he's a big threat to this character as by having his plan be this small scale it doesn't make him out to be that much of a threat it just makes him out to be a badly done villain and that's it.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty one minuets and fifty four seconds. Which to be fair to this episode is pretty much the bogstanderd running time not only for this show but for alot of other animated shows from around that same time period but in saying this tho this is an episode that really didn't need to be as long as it is as you very easily could have told this episodes plot in about five minuets and have it be apart of a much more larger plot for a better and yet it wasn't and it really should have been as that is something that would have fixed alot of the issues with the episode right away as then it would be seen as being nothing more then a small part of a bigger episode with this episode not really having the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place. This episode really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely as the episode really doesn't take the time to fully develop its plot as the episode just moves from plot beat to plot beat so fast that it doesn't take the time to ear those plot points rather it just expects us to be along for the ride and while a more established show like X-Men: The Animated Series for example could do that this show that at this point in time was only three episode into it's first season really couldn't do that with the makers of this episode putting more thought and effort into having Betty be apart of the episode for no good reason then they did into giving this episode some much needed plot development. This is also true for the episodes character development altho here you do have the excuse of the main characters could also get there development in future episodes which is understandable as this is a TV show afterall but it still would have been nice if we got to the see groundwork being layed for that development with the makers of this episode being more focused on rushing to plot points then they were in giving its characters some form of character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.


So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. The episodes action was to be frank here the best part of the episode as it will always be fun seeing Hulk smash things and just go nuts on things that are trying to do him and it does make sense that the episode would focus alot of it's action on exactly that as that is what we've come to this show to see with the episodes animation really shining through and making the action leap of the screen. With the best action scene in the whole episode being the fight between Hulk and Zzzax as we first see Banner struggle to maintain control and not let the stress of having to fight his friend Mitch but when that does get to be to much we see him Hulk out with the fight at fist taking place inside of a laboratory before ten making it's way to the outside with Zzzax starting to get some power with Hulk only just finding away to hold him down by throwing a fence at him and while of course General Ross does interrupt the fight and try and kill Hulk after a brief chat with Betty Hulk then fights Zzzax at a damn only just managing to beat him by throwing them both into the water below, that fight whilst it's not that good of a fight interms of hero battles it is still alot of fun to watch as we get to see Hulk try and and work out how to even hit Zzzax without hurting his friend with the rest of the episodes action being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall there really isn't all that much to this episode as it does feel like an episode that was just there with the episode getting alot of things wrong which do make the episode feel like a chore to watch however tho the things that it does get right do more then make for it in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then ad for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk , the official Marvel Animated Universe fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Wednesday, 11 November 2026

Visionquest TV Series SPOILER FILLED Review


Marvel Studios very rarely if ever get a live action TV show right with Daredevil: Born Again one of the few examples of them doing a good live action TV series. Well now we have another one to add to that list with this one closing out a quadrilogy that started out with Wandavision and carried on through Doctor Strange And The Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along and so then join me as I give you my SPOILER FILLED review the show that might set up something for Avengers: Doomsday with the show in question being called simply just "Visionquest" enjoy.

The plot of this show is when someone starts hunting down Vision he must team up with a London outcast and Ultron to find out who is doing it and why. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very show well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very show was in all honesty really good. To be honest here this shews plot is really good and is alot more better then what it really should have been as the show does take full advantage of the fact that it's a TV show and not a movie with this plot being one that really works best as the plot of a TV show. Whilst yes there could improvements made to the shows plot just in things like catching up with characters and not giving Vision and Ultron kind of dull character arcs where we know the outcome this is a plot that is still ten times better then the plot of Agatha All Along with it being clear as day that there is alot of thought and effort being put into this shows plot and it is something that you do see not only in the final episode but in all of the episodes as the show will set up something minor at the start of an episode and then will bring it back in to play in a major way later on in the show and it is something that does work for this show, with the shows plot being something that on paper shouldn't work as Vision himself is a character that you don't really picture leading a solo TV series and yet it is something that does work with the show full on embracing the fact that it's main characters are AI and having fun with that with this shows plot also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this show is this shows executive producer Paul Bettany as Vision and James Spader as Ultron. Also starring in this show is Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff , Todd Stashwick as Paul Denning / Paladin , T'Nia Miller as Jocasta / Jo Carrington , Orla Brady as F.R.I.D.A.Y. , Henry Lewis as Dum-E , Jonathan Sayer as U , Emily Hampshire as E.D.I.T.H. , Lauren Morais as Lisa Molinari and Michael Akinsulire as Ashford.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very show well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very show was in all honesty really good. The fact that we have some really good acting in not only this final episode of the show but in the show as a whole is something that was kind of shocking as while yes this show does have some some really good and at times funny actors it heck heck we have two of the creators of The Goes Wrong Show playing minor characters and yet everyone in this show gives some truly wonderful performances. With the best actor by far in this whole entire show and episode quite easily being Paul Bettany as Vision as to be honest here he really does kill it every single chance that he gets with a good example of this being in the previous episode where he gives this powerful speech to another AI and my god did he act his socks of during that scene as he made you feel every single emotion that you was meant to feel and it's something that does remind you that you can have good acting in comic book shows as alot of people to tend to think that you can just phone in your performance in these types of shows and films as there not high art and aren't going to be seen that many people and yet here we have an actor that gives you a great performance in every single episode of the show so much so that he should at very least be nominated for his acting in this show with his own natural charm really coming through in this show and episode. With the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so good that all this episodes actors have to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.


It's unknown who did the CGI effects for either this show or this episode as there no effects companies listen anywhere online. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in this very show well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual CGI that's actually featured / presented to us in this very show was in all honesty really good. Again much like with the shows acting this shows CGI didn't have to be that good as both the show and the episode would have done just fine if the effects where sub-par and yet it's the fact that the makers of this show did go the extra mile to give us some really good looking effects that do help the show stand out a little bit more. Whilst yes this show and episodes effects aren't on the same level as something you'd see in the movies but that was always going to be the case as this show would have had to have had to spread it's effects budget across several episodes and therefor there will be episodes in this show where the effects aren't that good and yet the show still did manage to turn out some really decent effects with the only sort of bad looking effect is Ultron himself how does a little bit unfinished alot of alot of the time this might have been due to the fact that the effects team might not have had the time to finish working on him but given the fact that he's a main character then there should have been more time to getting his finished effect looking as good as as it did in Age Of Ultron but do be fair he doesn't appear in robot form all that often with the overall majority of the shows effects being really good almost to the point where you couldn't really tell what was done for real and what was done inside of a computer.

SPOILERS START HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



As with alot of the Marvel TV shows not only where there cameos in the final episode but also two credits scenes. As we have Joe Locke back as Billy Maximoff and in the second credits scene we have both Elizabeth Olsen back as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom weather or not Robert was actually physically playing him or just doing the voice is hard to say but the fact that they are in the episode in this end credits scene is a big deal as we see Doom resurrect Wanda from the mountain top where she sacrificed herself at the end of the second Doctor Strange movie with this being something that might set up her appearing in either Avengers: Doomsday or quite possibly Avengers: Secret Wars with now seemingly willingly helping out Doctor Doom. With Billy tho he appears in a minor role in the episode as Tommy gets the idea to see him by drowning himself thus forcing a connection between the two of them with the two of them having a conversation before Tommy is pulled back to the real world by Lisa but it doesn't stop there for Billy as he does come back later on in the episode to help Tommy resurrect Vision with all three of them being reunited in a pretty sweet scene with it being nice to see alot of the family being back together with this meaning that you don't really have to have seen Agatha All Along as Billy does explain where he is in this episode and what he's been up to but it is nice to see that two of the three shows telling this story focused on one of the Maximoff kids it will be even nicer tho to see them all back together as a family as that is the only thing that will bring this whole saga for lack of a better word to a close and given then fact that both Paul and Elizabeth could be in the next Avengers movie it does make sense that Vision would mention to her that there kids are safe in this world.

What was kind of a bad thing for the show was the fact that they reveal that the client who first hired Paladin was someone that we've never seen or heard of called Virgil Horton whom is also played by James Spader. The reveal of this character is just so bad as he's someone that we never really find anything out about nor even know that he exists period until the episode where he's revealed with him being the base model for Ultron and yet a reveal that's this key to the show is something that could have been done alot more better like maybe they have him appear in silent flashbacks with Jo Carrington which would make sense as they are meant to be husband and wife rather then just having him appear in the ending moments of the second to last episode. This is made worse by the fact that his debut is treated as this big shocking thing by the show and it just doesn't work as the show prior to that never mentions or even shows us him with the character character only appearing in silhouetted form prior to that when it is something that should have been better handled but on the plus side while he does have a typical plan as he just wants to kill every single human by using these tiny nanobots to kill us from the inside out which yes is a stereotypical plan for a villain to have given the fact that he's not meant to be that good of a villain in the first place with even the show treating him as an afterthought you can kind of forgive him for having this kind of a dull plan and heck the constant switch between who the main villain is meant to be was more good as they all had good plans about from Virgil with Paladin just wanting to kill Vision because he was being paid to do it and Jocasta doing it because she wants to use the nanobots to control humans and make them like puppets on a string all of which are better plans that Virgil's main plan of killing us all for literally no reason whatsoever. 


The main theme of this show is oddly enough fatherhood and what it means to not only be a father but also be a parent. As all of the AI's in some weird way are all the children of Tony Stark , with Ultron is the father of Vision and Vision has to learn to be a dad for Tommy this was kind of an interesting theme for a Marvel show to tackle and to be fair it's not one that they've done before and yet here with the characters of Vision and Ultron it does make sense as as we see in Age Of Ultron that Ultron did make Vision thus technically being his father and while in the show Ultron is more then happy to step into that role in his dark way Vision isn't willing to accept him as his father as it's something that the old him might not have done. This is also something that fully stops him from forming a bond with Tommy with it only being at the end of episode seven when Vision does fully except Tommy as his son as he accepts the fact that this new version of him ad the old version are one in the same which granted is something that you do see coming but it is also something that does tie into the main theme of the show and heck it's not until the final episode when Vision finally excepts Ultron as his dad something which he has been hesitant to do up until them. This is a theme that does work perfectly for a show as there can be more time dedicated to it whereas with a movie it would need to be stopped every few minuets to fit in a long action scene with it also being something that does make sense as the Vision was saw in Wandavision never really spent much time with Billy and Tommy before Wanda removed The Hex and to be fair the scenes with him and Tommy bonding all throughout the show are perhaps some of the best scenes in the show itself as it's not just two people trying to connect it's a father trying to forge a relationship with his son.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly one hour and nine minuets and twenty one seconds. Which to be fair was a pretty long running time for this episode to have but also given how much plot it had to wrap up not just from Wandavision but also Agatha All Along and possibly set up something for the next Avengers movie it does kind of make sense that this episode would be the longest episode of the show but in saying this tho all of the episodes had running times ranging from thirty five minuets to fifty nine minuets with all of those episodes putting the plot first and the set up for other things and pay off from other shows second with this episode episode having the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place. Yet this episode really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely as the episode doesn't take the time to fully develop it's plot which granted is something that you could argue is because alot of the plot development was done in the other episodes but given the fact that this is the episode where we get alot of scenes with Virgil and it's the last episode of the of the show that then that does speak wonder to the episodes plot development with the makers of this episode being more focused on giving us a pretty funny scene with Tommy using his super speed then they were in giving the episode some much needed plot development. The same thing is also true for the episodes character development which again could be argued is due to the fact that alot of them got there development in the previous episodes which is something that would be fair enough where it not for the fact that outside of a few of the AI's none of the other AI characters get any character development and heck the same thing is also true for Lisa and to a lesser extent Tommy with it rightfully being both Vision and Ultron getting alot of the character development with the makers of this episode being more focused on giving us some pretty good cameos then they were in giving its characters character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 


So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With the action in the show as a whole being really good as you can tell right from the first episode that there is alot of care going into this shows action and it's something that is thankfully being the case for alot of the live action Marvel shows as while they can't top what the movies are doing effects wise they can still match what there doing with the action and this is something that does make the episode in not only this show but this episode alot of fun to watch as you do get to see just how strong this new Vision is. Wit the best action in this episode being when Visio and Jocasta and later Ultron fighting Virgil in his family home with Virgil getting the upper hand after he fatally shoots and kills Jocasta with this being something that sets Ultron off an reaffirms his belief that all humans are bad as he then sets about killing all the human race with it only being Vision who can stop him not by punching or kicking him but by talking to him and helping his father through his own grieve and who better to do that then someone like Vision who did loose Wanda with that whole sequence of them talking and having a battle of the minds being something that does help to set this episodes action apart from anything else seen in the show thus far with the rest of the shows action being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

SPOILERS END HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Overall this show is so good even if your not the biggest Marvel fan and just want to see what the fuss is all about this is a show that I could easily recommend as it does give you all of the things that you expect from the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the show itself being really good and fun to watch in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very show in this very review and as such that really does mean that this episode really does earnt itself a grand old score of exactly an 8.5 out of 10 and the show as a whole earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images hat I personally used in this very review from IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Thursday, 5 November 2026

Clangers: Flying Review


Usually when we think of British animated shows even those from long ago we usually think of something that is 2D animated or has some form of 2D animation in it. Yet that is not the case with the episode that i'm going to be talking to you all about today as here the characters where all knitted with there being no 2D element to it all and yet the episode still has alot of charm to it and so then join me as In review the episode that is very charming with the episode in question being called simply just "Flying" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when Major Clanger hurts himself testing out his flying machine Small Clanger and Tiny Clanger have to go to the soup dungeons to get him some soup. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this vert episode was in all honesty really good. The best word that could be used to describe this episodes plot is simple as that is exactly what it is in the best sense of the word it's a simple plot that is very easily to follow along with with the characters having a clear goal in mind. Yet this doesn't take away from the episodes plot and doesn't stop it from being good rather it adds to the charm of the episode as due to the episodes documentary feel having a more simple plot is something that would work to the episodes advantage and while plots for first episodes of kids TV shows today prefer to have these big epic plots that introduces all of the characters there's something about the episodes more simpler plot that oddly makes something that your not only going to remember but also something that both kids and grown ups will find enjoyable as there are things in the plot that both age groups will like and will have fun with as there's nothin harmful in this plot and there's nothing that will confuse kids in it rather its just a plot that's not afraid of being a simple plot with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this episode is this shows creator and writer Oliver Postgate as The Narrator with him being the only person in the show. While this is wasn't an uncommon thing back in those days as alot of British kids TV shows did have just the one actor in them nine times out of ten they were just playing different characters here due to the fact that the characters speak using slide whistlers Oliver is the one that is purely just The Narrator with him being the one to explain alot of who alot of the characters and set the scene for the episode and this is something that he does do wonderfully with his voice making the series and the episode for that matter oddly sound alot more adult due to how he says certain things which is something that is missing in alot of kids shows today. This is something that does add to the documentary feel to both the show and the episode as the whole thing does feel like a documentary with Oliver being the Sir David Attenborough of the show and it is something that does work for this show and for this episode with it having the added advantage of making this show well and truly stand out as the show would have become just like every other kids show out there at the time if they did have just the one actor voicing all of the characters but due to the fact that they didn't take that approach it is something that makes the episode stand out from all of the rest with the same thing also being true for this show, yet one can't help but wonder what this episode would sound like if it was fully voice acted as while the slide whistles do add charm to the episode episode they also make it hard to tell which character is which but in saying this tho the episode could very well loose that extra something if it was fully voice acted.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this vert episode was in all honesty really good. To be frank even tho there isn't acting in the typical sense as no one is playing a character in this episode one could argue that there is still acting as The Narrator still does have to tell the story in this regard Oliver Postgate does do a really good as afterall who else to better narrate this series then the person that not only wrote the series but also created it as he does have perhaps the best understanding of how to narrate this episode better then anyone else. With the best actor in this episode by default being Oliver Postgate as he does have the right voice for his show as this is a show and an episode that requires more of a serious voice and a voice that can make this episode feel both childlike and adult and this is something that he does do beautifully with it being a wonder that the show isn't that more well known just for just acting alone as it is something that does help to bring the overall expirence of this episode to life with it even making the show on the whole feel alot more like documentary and alot less like every single other kids TV show out there. With the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so good that all this episodes actors really has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance really will come out pf them them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode. 


Doing the animation for this episode is the legends and the really greats that are currently over at Smallfilms. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this vert episode was in all honesty really good. The fact that this episode does gave some really good looking animation in it was something that was quite surprising as by all rights this episode shouldn't have that good animation in it due to the fact that all of the main characters are knitted characters with that being something that doesn't really lend itself to animation. Yet here it's something that does work as do the characters mouse like designs as they are simple enough or kids to recognise what they are and yet there distinct enough for them to stand out and not be compared to something like The Wombles for example which they very easily could have done with the fact that they are knitted characters also makes you wonder how they managed to animate the characters as there would need to be something underneath the fabric for the animators which in this case was Oliver Postgate himself there would need to be something there that would enable him to animate the characters and to make the show in the way that he wanted to and while the movements aren't as fluid as they could have been this is something that really doesn't harm the episode, rather the whole animation process in this case does add to the charm of the episode as it wonderful just thinking about how they would have been able to animate these characters and make them come alive in the first place and the fact that the revival series stuck to this method and didn't use CGI does prove that it is a charming thing that does work. 


The best word that could be used to describe this episode is imaginative as the episode is full to the brim with creativity as it does take as full advantage of the fact that it's not only an animated series but its also an animated series thats made for kids and happens to be set in outer space. With the Clangers living on the moon and having an entire home underneath the moon's surface but then on top of that they have a room where they can get green soup from a dragon that is just such a creative idea and it's one that could only work in an animated form and it's something that doesn't really need explaining as this is meant to be a kids show and therefor you do end up just accepting it as that's just how life is for these characters. While yes it would have been nice if the makers of this episode did take the time to explain things like why these characters live on the moon or why they have a dragon that only gives them green soup it's not really something that's needed and it is something that very well could take all of the fun out of the episode as the episode would then need to spend vast amounts of time in just explaining that very aspect, on the other hand given the fact that this show does kind of have a universal appeal to it as you could show this episode to both a kid and a grown up and still get the same level of enjoyment out of it it still would have been nice if some of those things would have been explained as while the kids will accept those things for what they are the adults might have a harder time with that and therefor it would've been nice if the episode did take a few seconds to just to explain those things away even tho it would stop the episode from being as fun as it could have been on the other hand tho given how whimsical and imaginative the episode is those things don't need to be explained and they should just be accepted as they are.

For those of you that don't know Clangers first started airing on BBC1 on the sixteenth of November nineteen sixty nine with it's final episode airing on the tenth of October 1974. With this original series lasting only two years and one special yet the characters did remain in the public conscious tho so much so that in 2015 there would be a revival series with Sir Michael Palin taking over the role of the narrator with that series lasting all the way until 2020 and having three series and two specials weather or not the revival is any good or not is a different story all together but it is something that does show that sticking to what works with these characters and sticking to what people liked from the original show s something that will always bring people into to watch the new show if you want a more modern example of this look at the Scrubs revival as that did the exact same thing it kept what people liked about the original show and gave us good stories out of it. This is series is one that due to the fact there are no voice actors to replace as you only have to replace the main narrator does mean that the show could have universal appeal as alot of the action is told from the characters and not just what the narrator is saying and yet this show does oddly enough seem to be only well known here in the UK this is despite the fact in American the revival series is narrated by William Shatner who is arguably a better for the show then Sir Michael Palin is as William Shatner does have more expirence with TV shows set in space but in saying this tho Sir Michael Palin does have the right amount of charm and wit needed to pull this show of.    


There is one thing that is really annoying about this episode and that's the fact that's there's nothing distinctive about how the characters look. Which is somethin that does make it hard to tell just who is who as there's nothing about the way they look or what there wearing that makes each character stand out again to bring up The Wombles with that show you could tell who is who which is something that does make it alot more easier for us the audience to full get on board with an episode of the show whereas here in this episode it's the opposite thats true as you send more then half the episode working out who is meant to be who and when you do work all of that out the episode is coming to its end whereas if the makers of this episode had added things to either the characters designs or what they wear then it would make them alot more easier to work out just who is meant to be who. Not really helping things in this case is the fact that they have two characters who's names mean the exact same thing as we have Small Clanger and Tiny Clanger with both small and tiny meaning the exact same thing with the only difference in he two characters being the fact that Tiny Clanger is just a few inches smaller then Small Clanger is and even then that's not really something that you pick up on right away and therefor there should have been something added to them to make it more obvious just who is Small Clanger and who is Tiny Clanger like maybe since Tiny is meant to be a baby why not have him wearing something that a baby or a small child would wear like maybe he wears something brightly colored just something would work, yet things get more complicated when you factor in Major Clanger who looks exactly like Small Clanger with this being a case where adding things to the characters designs would have helped to make it more easier for us the audience to work out just who is meant to be who and not leave us wondering whom is who for alot of the episode.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly nine minuets and twenty nine seconds. This is pretty much the bogstandard running time for this show as alot of the episodes do have very similar running times to them and to be frank here you do feel alot of that running time with this being due to the fact that for a large portion of this episodes running time there really isn't alot of happening to further the plot with it feeling like that the makers of this episode are just making the plot up as they went along this is something that obviously wasn't the case but that's what it does feel like as the stuff with Major Clanger gets resolved within five minuets with the rest of the episode having to do with Small Clanger and Tiny Clanger inventing a a flying machine which gets Tiny Clanger stuck to the roof of there home with the episode having more then enough plot to really cover that that amount of running time in the first place. With the episode not really using its running time all that wisely as the episode really doesn't take the time to fully develop its plot which is more due to the fact that the episode is very much done like a documentary but it is something that could have been fixed just by adding something to the plot that would have made the plot of the episode feel more well developed with the makers of this episode being more focused on showing of its space setting then it was in giving us a well developed plot. This is something that is kind of true for the episodes character development as while the episodes characters aren't that well developed this is something that again could be argued is more due to the fact that the show is very much done in a documentary style and those don't typically give the characters character development therefor it wouldn't have made no sense for the makers of this episode to do ether but given that this is a TV show it still would have ben nice if the characters got some form of character development with the makers of this episode being putting more thought and effort into not making it clear just which Clanger is which then they where into giving the episodes characters some character development but i really will admit that this episode really does have some really bad pacing to it tho/  


So now then as this is a comedy show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy tats actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. Much like the episodes plot this episodes comedy can be described as being simple as that's exactly what it is and such like the plot this is something that does work well in the episodes favor as these are characters that are meant to have simple jokes that the whole family can enjoy and get some basic amount of amusement out of and this is somethin that just wouldn't be possible if the jokes where more complex. With the best joke in the whole entire episode being a good example of this as when the rest of the Clangers are trying to get Tiny down from the roof the episodes cuts to one Clanger trying to climb up what might be a plant only for when he gets to the top the plant just bends over causing him to fall to the ground this is a simple joke yes but that's exactly why it works because it is so simple and because of that it is a joke that the whole family can enjoy as little kids will love it because of the fact that it is this silly moment and adults will like it because its a cute joke which is exactly the type of jokes that work best of a show like this as if the episode had more adult type jokes in it they would just feel out of place and yet having cute jokes for the whole family is something that does work with the rest of this episodes jokes being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall this is an episode that is hard to sum as while the more simplistic nature of the show and of the episode is something that does work in the episodes favor the fact that the episode doesn't really make it clear who is who alot of the time is something that does make it hard to fully recommend in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now the i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in his very episode in this very review and a such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Tuesday, 3 November 2026

Power Rangers Dino Charge: Powers From The Past Review


Power Rangers is perhaps the longest kids action franchise in the world having started all the way in 1993 and further back in you take the show it's based off of Super Sentai into account and while right now there are no new episodes of either being made this doesn't mean that we can't look back on older episodes. Back in 2015 alot of Power Rangers fans had lost faith in the franchise as Megaforce and Supermega Force had taken away all of the good will that the previous season had somewhat maintained yet despite this Dino Charge proved to be the best season of the Neo-Saban era and so then join me as I review the episode that only features two of the rangers morphed with the episode in question being called simply just "Powers From The Past" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is millions of years after dinosaurs are entrusted with looking after these powerful artifacts called Energems two people find themselves in need of them when aliens start attacking the earth. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. The episodes whilst it is the just the stereotypical opening episode in that it's just there to set up the characters and the main conflict of the season and that's it bit that's all it needed to be and to be fair it does add enough new things to make it kind of feel new again. Heck even the idea of Tyler looking for his dad is something that would get repeated the very next season in Ninja Steel with the thing that makes this episodes plot standout is the fact that we mostly just follow two of the five rangers a while we do get introduced to two of the others in this episode we mainly follow Tyler and Shelby which is something that hasn't been done before and won't be done after until Dino Fury and while the plot of the episode is one that could have been alot more better handled as alot of the stuff at the start of the episode whilst it is important for the plot of the season it doesn't really add anything to the plot of the episode and therefor would have been better served if it was being handled across several episodes instead of just being dumbed here at the start of the first episode with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Starring in this episode is Brennan Mejia as Tyler Navarro , James Davies as Chase Randall and Yoshi Sudarso as Koda. Also starring in this episode is Camille Hyde as Shelby Watkins , Claire Blackwelder as Kendall Morgan , Richard Simpson as the voice of Keeper , Adam Gardiner as the voice of Sledge , Paul Harrop as the voice of Fury , Estevez Gillespie as the voice of Wrench , Jackie Clarke as Poisandra , Rebecca McFadzien as The Tour Guide , Susanna Tang as A Customer and Gerald Urquhart as the voice of Iceage.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. Whilst this episodes acting isn't good by any means as this is not only still Power Rangers and therefor you do have to accept that the acting won't be that good but it's also the first episode of a TV show and therefor the actors are still trying to find there characters and whilst yes there are some actors in this episode that are better then others the overall quality isn't going to be as high as it would be in later episodes of the show. With the best actor in this episode being Camille Hyde as Shelby Watkins as you do get the sense that she is trying her best to deliver a performance that is better then Power Rangers whereas the rest of the episodes actors whilst they are still good are giving us the exact performances that you think of when you think of Power Rangers with Camille even having a bit of playful energy to her performance that does make you want to spend more time with her with this also being something that helps to make her character all the more likable at the same time with her own natural charm and charisma really shining through in this episode. With the actin that's in tis very episode not really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so bad as it gives none of this episodes actors absolutely anything to work with interms of what it is that there actual characters personalities are even meant to be in the first place which is something that really does help to harm the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.


With this being the first episode we of curse get to spend alot of time with the seasons main villain Sledge. With Sledge actually being an American exclusive villain and yet you really can't tell as his suit looks so good and while Ninja Steel would pretty much nerf his character and make him a comedy one off villain here in this episode we do get to see that he is a threat with him killing one of his own workers just because they blocked his fiancé's view of space and then later on in the episode he threatens to kill one of his own generals those two things right there are things that make him a decent villain as it shows us that he is willing to go to extreme lengths just too get what he wants and that he doesn't really care who lives and dies and while Dino Super Charge gave him more of a comedic edge just seeing him be an outright villain was so much fun to see. Heck it's no wonder that he became oddly enough a fan favorite villain as not only does he have a simple goal of getting these Energems so that he can be more powerful but he also has a great look to him that makes him look really threatening and creepy at times and while it would have been nice if we did get more of him in this opening episode just to set up more of the fact that he's meant to be the main villain of the season what little we do get of him in this episode is alot of fun to watch with it showing us that the makers of episode can still give us some really fun original villains that despite having no ties to the Sentai still fit in really well within the world of Power Rangers as by all rights he could have been a really dull looking villain that was all bark and no bite and yet here with Sledge we do get a villain that could truly be a threat to the rangers of this new season.


Much like every single season of Power Rangers this episode and this season is based off of a Super Sentai season which in this case is Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. However unlike alot of episodes of Power Rangers this episode doesn't actually have any footage from that Sentai with everything in the episode being American exclusive footage which for Saban is a very brave thing to do as it means that thy have to create everything themselves with again Sledge being a prime example of this as due to him being an American only villain every single scene that has him in it has to be created from scratch much like with the episodes action which is where they would normally swap in the Sentai footage here it is American only footage and you really can't tell the difference. While this episode is alot more comedy focused early on in the episode this is something that does make sense as this is meant to be the first episode of a show and therefor it doesn't really harm the episode that the characters are making jokes and heck it's something that was even done in some Super Sentai debut episodes as well with the jokes here not being as childish as you'd think from Power Rangers as they all feel very character driven like with caveman Koda being obsessed with burger for example even to the point that he unknowingly lifts up both a crate and Shelby at the same time with the only person who doesn't get alot of chances to really be all that funny being Tyler as alot of his scenes are more with Shelby when there being attacked by Fury or with him in his own or in one scene with Chase and that's really it which is a shame as he did have the potential to have this optimistic sense of humor that would have worked really well with his character.

Outside of the brief bit of plot that we get at the start and at the end of the episode there's not really all that much to this episode. With this episode being viewed by some as being a two part episode due to the fact that it doesn't fully finish establishing everything for the show moving forward this is not the case as the plot of this episode is mostly all wrapped up at the end of the episode with the only reason to view as this as being a two part episode being because as was just mentioned it doesn't fully finish setting everything up which if i'm being honest here is a lame reason to to call this a two part episode as there's no overarching storyline and heck alot of what happens in the next episode could have been added to this episode and nothing would need to change. Even looking back on other debut episodes the very first episode of the original show didn't fully set things up until a few episodes later and it's the same thing with alot of other episodes of the show whilst yes there are some multipart debut episodes like for example "Day Of The Dino" from Dino Thunder and even the debut episode of Ninja Steel could be seen as being a two parter due to the fact that plot elements from that first episode do carry over into the next episode and whilst it could be argued that the same thing is also true for this episode here it's a case of there not being enough plot elements carried over to fully justify it being called a two part episode and heck even how this episode ends with the reveal of Fury being alive and well isn't something that really makes you want to watch the next episode whereas if this was always meant to be a two part episode then it would make more sense for there to be one big overarching plot and have a hook at the end of this episode that right away makes you want to watch the following episode both of which are things that are missing from this episode.


Given the fac that by the end of this show we do pretty much establish that this version of Power Rangers is set in it's own universe the idea of having dinosaurs be the ones to protect the Energems for millions of years is something that does make alot of sense. With it also being something that doesn't mess with the established timeline as now we know that the Energems wouldn't have effected the original Mighty Morphin team when they first got given there powers at the start of the show but there is an issue when it comes to the fact that the Energems are shown to save the person that they bond to as here in this episode we do see them take on the DNA and effectively bond to several dinosaurs and yet the dinosaurs are still extinct when going off of the shows own logic they should have survived the asteroid that killed them. This is something that wouldn't be an issue if the episode didn't later show both Tyler and Shelby almost die before touching there Energems thus saving them yet due to the fact that the episode does show us that we now have to wonder why the dinosaurs weren't saved in the same way as this is something that does crate a small inconsistency with the powers and what it is that they can do with none of the other episodes in both this season and in Dino Super Charge really making things more clearer rather they just straight up forget about it until the final episode of Dino Super Charge when it is something that should have been made alot more clear abut why the Energems save the humans but not the animals as otherwise why bother showing us Keeper giving them to the dinosaurs if your not going to do anything with it until the shows final episode.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly twenty three minuets and thirty six seconds. Which is pretty much the bog standard running time for this version of the sow as all of the shows episodes have very similar running times to them but here's the thing tho this episode really could have done with being a double length episode of the show just due to how much it does have to set up both interms of the plot for both the episode and the show and the things that it has to set up for the rest of the show moving forward and yet all of the key plot stuff is just crammed into the opening several minuets of the episode which leaves alot less plot for the rest of the episode with this episode having the right amount of plot there to cover that amount of running time. The episode doesn't even use its running time all that wisely as the episode just flat doesn't have the time do any of it as the second the shows opening intro finishes the episode just feels like that it's on fast forward hitting you plot point after plot point whereas if the episode did take its time and was a double length then all of those plot points would be all the more better with the makers of this episode being more bothered about cramming as much plot into the first several minuets then they in giving the episodes plot some plot development. This is something that is also true for the episodes character development altho in this case you can make the point that the characters will get there development in later episodes of the show but the episode doesn't even bother to lay down the groundwork for any potential character development which makes any development that the characters might get come out of nowhere with the makers of this episode putting more thought into there original fight footage that then did into giving the episodes characters some character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 


So now then as this is an action show that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us n this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally tought / felt that the actual action that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. As was mentioned earlier on in the review all of the fight footage for this episode is exclusive to the show with none of it being lifted from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger ad much like with Sledge you really can't tell as it just looks so good that you would just automatically assume that it was lifted straight from the original Sentai and yet none of it was with the makers of this episode pulling some really good hand to hand combat with Keeper taking Fury at the start of the episode and both Shelby and Tyler taking Iceage in there morphed form at the end of the episode. With the best action un the while episode being the final fight of the episode as we see Tyler and Shelby morph for the first time and use there powers to beat up Iceage who had previously almost beaten them both with the fact that he is a bit of a handful for them in this episode is something that does make sense as they are new to being Ranger and therefor it does make sense that the only way that they could defeat him or come close to it is in there morphed form with the episode fitting alot of cool moments be it Shelby hitting Iceage with a flying kick or both her and Tyler jumping up as an explosion goes of in the background bottom line being here there is alot of cool stuff to be found in that this episodes action with the rest of the action in this episode being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.


Overall it does go without saying but this one episode is easily better then anything that was done in both Megaforce and in Super Megaforce with this episode being one that does remind you of why we love Power Rangers in the first place as while yes there are moments that are cheesy there are alot of moments just that are just flat out cool to watch and those moments make the episode worth watching in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and a sell as all if the bad things tat are in his very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a gran old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen  personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.