Reviewed By Jason LockardSix months ago at the time of this review, Warner Brothers distributed the first live-action full length feature movie of the superhero Shazam. Many people were amazed at the adventures of the young Billy Batson who turns into a superhero! After the film, we wanted more Shazam! Well, Warner Archive has come to our rescue releasing Shazam! The classic 70's TV series on Blu-ray!
Shazam differs greatly from the movie. In the series teenager Billy Batson (Michael Grey) and his adult companion, simply known as 'Mentor' (Les Tremayne), travel in an RV across the country, helping people who are in need. Whenever needed young Billy simply says "Shazam!" and he is transformed into Captain Marvel, who possesses the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. Put it together you get Shazam!
The TV series ran for 3 seasons. Fifteen episodes in season one. Seven episodes in season two. And six episodes in season 3. Twenty-eight episodes in total.
Warner Archive has spread these 28 episodes across four Blu-ray discs. The episodes run 22 minutes an episode. So 8 episodes on the first 3 discs 4 on the fourth disc.
Disc One: The Joy Riders / The Brothers / Thou Shalt Not Kill / The Lure of the Lost (Part 1) / The Road Back (Part 2) / The Athlete / The Treasure / The Boy Who Said 'No'
Disc Two: The Doom Buggy / The Brain / Little Boy Lost / The Delinquent / The Braggart / The Past Is Not Forever (Part 1) / The Gang's All Here (Part 2) / On Winning
Disc Three: Debbie / Fool's Gold / Double Trouble / Goodbye, Packy / Speak No Evil / The Odd Couple / The Contest / Bitter Herbs
Disc Four: Ripcord / Finders Keepers / The Sound of a Different Drummer / Out of Focus
First off I have to say it is so great to see the episodes with Isis in this set. Some people I talked with were afraid those episodes would be missing. They are not! Great news!
Now Shazam TV series is a bit of a strange one. First off Billy Batson turns into Captain Marvel, not Shazam. Younger viewers may not understand this. Here is a history lesson. DC found themselves in trademark issues with Marvel and instead of going to court over it they decided to just change the character to Shazam, no muss no fuss. Thus the reason we have Shazam, not Captain Marvel now.
Another thing that is puzzling in the series is who is 'Mentor'? Does he not have a name? And what is his relationship with Billy Batson? These questions were left unanswered. Unless you count in 1970s Shazam! comic Billy's Uncle Dudley grows a mustache, drives Billy around the country in an RV. But this is not the tv series, so take that with a grain of salt.
Now with these issues, it sounds as though I am not a fan of the series. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I was not born when this series was on the air so I don't have childhood nostalgia for this series, but watching it I found myself enthralled with the innocence of it. The production was high quality for TV and the music was 70's awesomeness.
The episodes in the series always came with a moral at the end brought to us by Captain Marvel himself. Not sure what I mean? Think of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. While for adults these may seem unnecessary, for kids it helps drive home the point of growing up to be better people.
Now as for the episodes themselves. These episodes are in 1080p High Definition they are presented in their original full-screen format 1.33:1 aspect ratio. No stretching of the picture here, thankfully. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. And there are English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
There is some minor video and audio issues in a couple episodes. But they are so minor that most people won't even notice the issue! Let's face it I am surprised we even have this series as many thought this series was lost! So to have it at all is a miracle.
As for the packaging the discs are housed in a hard-shell Blu-ray case. Each Blu-ray disc has it's own hub, no stacking of the discs. But the best-looking part of this set is the amazing artwork (seen above). The artwork deserves to be displayed on the shelf, it looks like a beautiful 70's comic book cover. I love it.
If you grew up on Shazam the series than you know how awesome it was. But if perchance your like me not a child of the '70s yet still love that 70's cinema and TV. I can not recommend this set enough. It looks awesome and is a great addition to anyone's superhero library. Head over to Amazon and get your copy today.
Audiences: Families
Offensive Material: Nothing offensive
Length: 635 Minutes
Genre: Action, Adventure
Blu-ray Rating: A
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