| Captain Scarlet - The Complete Series | 
| Actors: Lian-shin, Neil Mccallum
Studio: A&E Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $79.95
Buy New: $39.99
You Save: $39.96 (50%)
Buy New/Used from $35.88
Avg. Customer Rating:   (34 reviews)
Sales Rank: 44617
Format: Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 832 minutes
Number Of Items: 4
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 1.6
MPN: 70470
ISBN: 0767045831
UPC: 733961704709
EAN: 9780767045834
ASIN: B000065Q9A
Release Date: June 25, 2002
Theatrical Release Date: 1967
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
"This man will be our hero, for fate will make him indestructible." Earth is under attack by the ultra-powerful Mysterons and one man holds the key to survival--Captain Scarlet! During a mission to Mars in 2068, agents of earth's Spectrum security force start an interplanetary war when they demolish the ancient city of the Mysterons, an invisible race with the ability to assume the form of any object or person they destroy. But their attempt to take over Spectrum's top agent--Captain Scarlet--fails, and he becomes their most powerful and implacable enemy. With stunning special effects, a new generation of realistic "Super-marionation" puppets, and a darker, more serious tone than its predecessors, CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS was producer Gerry Anderson's (Space: 1999, Stingray, UFO, Thunderbirds) most ambitious series. This exclusive DVD set includes all 32 episodes, available uncut and digitally remastered for the first time.
Amazon.com
First broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1967, Captain Scarlet was the most grownup of all Gerry Anderson's SuperMarionation adventures. Of course there are gadgets and toy-friendly machines galore--like the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, the Angel Aircraft, and Cloudbase itself--but, unlike the colorful fantasies of Stingray and Thunderbirds, this series' concern with an implacable, vengeful enemy, conspiracies, and double agents drew its inspiration from James Bond and the cold war spy dramas of the 1960s. Special effects whiz Derek Meddings instills the action sequences with a truly Bondian grandeur and, like the sinister SPECTRE of the Bond films, the Martian Mysterons seem all the more hostile for their unseen presence, their agents infiltrating every organization dedicated to their destruction, just as it seemed the Soviets were doing at the time. The indestructible Captain Scarlet is killed then resurrected every week (though not like South Park's Kenny), and more often than not the Mysterons emerge triumphant, and always undefeated. The varied cast of Spectrum agents and their voice characterizations also aim at verisimilitude (Captain Scarlet, voiced by Francis Matthews, sounds like a grim Cary Grant), while the puppetry is more realistic than ever. Now with newly remastered picture and Dolby 5.1 surround sound for the DVD release, Captain Scarlet still looks and sounds like the epitome of '60s cool. For Americans, this is the first time the show--consisting of 32 episodes--has been available. --Mark Walker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 Worth every penny May 2, 2008
I enjoyed this show when I was younger and it was brought back on TV in the 90's and I bought it more as a nostalgic thing but I have watched every episode and have even got my Fiancee into it. The series has some good stories and some great unintentionally funny moments, because you know they are puppets.
"We are the Mysterons. We know you can hear us Earthmen." January 13, 2008
In 1967, Gerry & Sylvia Anderson created another of their wonderful sci-fi TV series using puppets (referred to as "Supermarionation") for the characters. The futuristic, sci-fi plot of this series takes place circa 2068, approximately 100 years ahead of the time that the series was produced. The first episode begins with a human mission to Mars, lead by the characters Captain Black (voice of Donald Gray), Captain Scarlet (voice of Francis Matthews) and Captain Brown (voice of Charles 'Bud' Tingwell). Looking rather dark and bleak as they drive their vehicle on the Martian surface, they happen across a brightly-lit, alien-constructed base. The aliens, calling themselves the Mysterons, are curious about the humans and turn cameras to gaze more closely at the visitors, but Captain Black mistakes the cameras for weapons and opens fire. Destroying the Mysteron base, the base suddenly starts to be resurrected by a mysterious light. The light originates from the Mysterons' greatest technological accomplishment: the ability to resurrect not only destroyed objects, but dead beings as well. The Mysterons, now resurrected, take over the minds of Captain Black, Captain Brown and Captain Scarlet. Unbeknownst to their agency, known as Spectrum, the trio are under orders to take vengeance upon Earth for the attack on the Mysteron Martian base. However, Spectrum, with its Cloudbase (essentially an airborne, hovering aircraft carrier), Angels (fighters manned by female pilots) and other agents, including Captain Blue (voice of Ed Bishop) and Colonel White (voice of Donald Gray), is able to combat the Mysterons and capture Captain Scarlet who regains his human mind, but is, thanks to the Mysterons, virtually indestructible.
Over the course of the 32-episode series, Spectrum occasionally discovers secrets about the Mysterons that help them foil more Mysteron attacks, but Spectrum is not always successful in stopping the Mysterons and their guerrilla-style warfare, which could also be described as terrorism. The Mysterons, feeling a strong sense of superiority, go so far as to inform Spectrum and the world what their next attack is going to be, giving Spectrum time to act. Overall, the series was very good and deserves a rating of 4.5 (rounded to 5) out of 5 stars. The series did have a few flaws, though, such as Captain Scarlet sounding too much like Cary Grant, Spectrum not always recognizing easily-identifiable security flaws, and the knowledge that the Mysterons are going to use their same modus operandi. People familiar with other Gerry & Sylvia productions will no doubt recognize similarities between the music & sound effects of this show with earlier & later Anderson productions. Also, anyone familiar with the Anderson's 1970, live-action, sci-fi TV series "UFO" will recognize that the actor who did the voice for Captain Blue, Ed Bishop, played the main character of Commander Ed Straker in "UFO".
 I expected to like this more November 13, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
And I'm not sure why I don't. Maybe it's the tone--very dark, none of the humor that you see in all the other series. Maybe it's because in comparison with the other shows, there aren't as many cool gadgets, which is the real appeal of Anderson for me. One example--in one episode, the only special effects, other than stock footage of the angels landing, are a house sinking into the ground and a very boring car chase. Or maybe it's the fact the the Mysterons, who are never seen, are the most boring villians to appear in an Anderson series. Not the most obnoxious though--that honor would have to go to Zelda and her cronies on "Terrahawks."
 It's OK but the stunning new 21st century series is far better than this puppet original for todays kids January 12, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I never really completely enjoyed 'Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' as a kid (I was 11 when it first aired in Sept 1967). I think it was a bit too dark and often the episodes never resolved with a happy ending, plus the break neck action often exposed the limitations of the model/puppet special effects of the time. I did sit down and watch most epsiodes, but it didn't attract the entire family in the way Thunderbirds had done earlier. However this series has just been remade by Gerry Anderson using computer animation and this new series is first rate, Angels really do look like they could fly, spectrum pursuit vehicles do just that, and the charactor's are naturally more fluid and far less wooden. This leads to an even darker storyline and fantastic action sequences, although perhaps for the very young the body count is a bit high - leading to a 12 rating in series two. Despite Destiny Angel putting in a strong show for the ladies, my daughter has shown no interest, prefering the likes of Worst Witch and My parents are aliens. If your kids (and probably their dads) like Thunderbirds, then I'd skip this old puppet version and look out for the 'New Captain Scarlet' DVD set (seasons 1 & 2 were released in region two last year). TVTome probably says it all when they write "Gerry Anderson's classic cult 1960s TV series, `Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons' is getting a 21st centry make over in the most impressive animated series to hit kids' TV this century". However for adults of a certain age this original puppet series will no doubt be the bees knees for childhood nostalgia - although being a bit older I invested in Fireball XL5 instead (I do miss the glorious colour of later 60s series Captain Scarlet & Thunderbirds though).
Gerry Andersons most ambitious series??? December 26, 2006
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
This series is very clearly the work of Gerry Anderson, but the writing and production values are way off the mark... seems almost like it was done BEFORE Thunderbirds rather than after, and to think he abandoned Thunderbirds second season to make this ???? The marionettes look better, more in human scale, but are far more stiff and nearly totally inarticulate. Infact they never walk but always use convienient airport style moving walkways and seats and desks etc... kinda like old fashioned Barbies in sci fi sets and backrounds. These sets are intially very cool, but upon closer examination look pretty cheesey.. but the worst thing about this series is the plot. Horrible!!! For instance, at the beginning of each episode you hear a voice over with the same stock footage again and again...
" This is the voice of the Mysterons. We know you can hear us Earth men.. Our retaliation against your unprovoked attack will be slow.. painfully slow... infact we will BORE you to death..."
I changed the last line or so.. but its true.... the show plods along with the enemy "Mysterons" from Mars ( dumb ) giving away their plans at the start of each episode.. still the models are fun and puppets die all the time, sometimes horribly... so it's an ok ride when there is nothing else to watch.
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