Monster Wars Rocks
R. Polei | San Luis Obispo, CA | 08/25/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"So this is basically the sweetest cartoon ever. I have been a fan of the series since it first aired, and never ever thought in a million years they would release any of the series on DVD. Monster Wars is well worth the wait. This episode follows the H.E.A.T. Team around as they work to stop aliens from taking over the world. This three part episode is actually a sequel to an earlier episode, in which tells the story of how the aliens got to earth and their plans to take it over. These episodes are action packed, and the voice acting is wonderful, along with the animation. One of the best three parts of the series.
As for the DVD packaging, it was actually done quite well. The slipcase is colorful and provides a description of each episode on the back. The insert is a double sided slip sleeve, the front a theatrical poster if you will for the Monster Wars Trilogy, and the other side advertisements for other Columbia Tri-Star productions. The DVD itself features Godzilla on the label.
The menu screen is very basic, letting you choose either to view all episodes, go to them seperately, or turn on or off subtitles.
This DVD is a must have for any fan, and is well worth the money. I am glad that this has been released, and can only hope that someday the whole series will be released on DVD.
"
Only for young kids or fans of this series
John | 08/27/2004
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Since it's now common for an entire season of a TV show to be released at once, it's pretty surprising that this release is only 3 episodes (and with a total running time of barely 60 minutes). Apparently these 3 episodes were chosen due to popularity (and similarity to the 1968 film "Destroy All Monsters") but if you aren't already a fan of this show you're going to be hopelessly lost, since these episodes come from the middle of the first season and make a lot of references to things that happened previously.
Due to the few episodes and the lack of any setup or introduction of the characters, this DVD is only going to be of interest to people who were fans of the original cartoon or to very young children who'll probably enjoy seeing the monsters fight each other (but may be very bored by all the human "drama"). Ultimately this disc seems like a quick attempt to capitalize on the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the original Godzilla."
"Monster Wars" leaves questions unanswered
Laurel C. Schwartz | Raleigh, NC | 03/16/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I've seen this Godzilla cartoon like a hundred times since I purchased it (for my son), and am still plagued with puzzling questions about the storyline. It supposedly takes off where the 1999 "Godzilla" movie staring Matthew Broderick left off; the opening sequince showing bits and charachters recognizable from the movie, and the main charachter having the same name. The credits are decietful. The show opens with Nick Tatopoulos apparently having "tamed," or even acting as a sort of adoptive "parent" to the hatchling child of Godzilla shown in the last scene of the live action film. However, the cartoon takes off with an enormous gap between the film and this new situational setup, making reference to a battle with aliens apparently won by Dr. Tatopoulos and the human race, but not before the aliens implanted mind control devices in several key human scientists and resurrected the original godzilla, assumed dead in the live-action film, via cyborg interface with organic tissue. All of this plot takes place off screen and is only referenced by the cartoon charachters, who I can only gather have been waging an ongoing study of and battle with these alleged aliens, as well as various other mutated creatures in addition to Godzilla that turn up in this animated "series." As well the title "Monster war Trilogy" is an unfit title for this series of animated tidbits. It's more like the middle of a sequil to the 1999 film, where you don't get to see the beginning, and lose interest before the end. I guess the creators felt since the cartoon audience would most likely be attention-lacking youth, and you can't really make a series with no plot, it wouldn't really matter if the one they fabricated made sense or not. There are some good mutant action sequences as a redeeming feature to hold the attention of the aforementioned youth audience, including a giant bat, giant worm, and some cyborg/robot destruction of the world type footage. If you prefer for shows, cartoon or not, to make sense plotwise, this DVD is maddening. If it's less important to know what's going on and you would delight in seeing Godzilla crush the Eiffel Tower...by all means, enjoy."