Does it come as a huge surprise that Swamp Thing: The Series isn’t all that good? There seems to be a comic book following for everything these days (whether for good or bad), but while the story behind the mythos of Swamp Thing is undoubtedly interesting, this execution is less than stellar.
I feel it’s only fair, though, to preface any analysis of the show by saying that I’m not a comic book guy. I love the first two Tim Burton Batman movies (and, on a splinter away from the genre, I truly dug Ghost World), but for the most part, comic books – and comic book-based films – are beyond me. I found myself scratching my head during the X-Men movies trying to figure out who was who, and don’t even get me started about Spider-man.
Yet it wasn’t that I didn’t understand what was happening on these first two volumes of Swamp Thing – it’s simply that I didn’t really like it. I mean, the whole backstory of Swamp Thing (Dick Durock) is nothing if not unique. The ex-scientist was doused with a nearly-lethal dose of his own biological experiment and became a man/plant hybrid with the brawn of a superman and the interconnectedness with biota of mother nature. But the adventures of Swamp Thing in this series are downright ludicrous.
The story revolves around Tressa Kipp (Carrell Myers), a nice woman who moves near Swamp Thing’s home only to find herself privy to all sorts of drama between the title hero and the neighborhood mad scientist, Dr. Anton Arcane (Mark Lindsay Chapman). He’s hell-bent on finding Swamp Thing and figuring out a way to genetically clone him to build himself an army of Swampies.
The first season of the show – comprising the first half of Volume 1 – spends an episode or two setting everything up and then spends much time just treading water. Even as a non-comic fan, I was appalled as to just how little the title character actually showed up on screen. By the time the second season begins, things improve marginally. We get a little more X-Files-type conspiracy (Dr. Arcane actually works for somebody else) as well as the always-delicious Kari Wuhrer, who pops up as a genetic experiment gone awry.
But by the first half of the third season (this takes up the entirety of Volume 2), we’re back to square one. There are a few tendrils of conspiracy that pop up here and there, but overall, we’re back to the episode-by-episode dumbness that plagued the show’s initial go-round. Again, Swamp Thing hardly ever shows up. One thing’s for sure; Swamp Thing ain’t all that good with its lead character actually participating, but when he’s AWOL, it’s dead in the water.
However, there’s something refreshing about these early-‘90s basic cable series; I remember being quite taken with Xena when reviewing its many volumes. Sometimes dumb sci-fi TV is just what the doctor ordered. But without Adrienne Barbeau’s ample assets from the film version of Swamp Thing or any stories that really succeed, this show’s pretty much a stinker.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Swamp Thing fans had better be happy that they’re seeing their beloved series on DVD at all – these 1.33:1 transfers are simply bad. Nothing more than simple syndication-grade presentations, these transfers showcase painfully inconsistent color accuracy (flesh tones are pink one moment; orange the next), fluctuating black level punchiness and – most unimpressive of all – truly undernourished fine detail. And for a show like this that isn’t exceptionally old, the amount of heavy grain is nothing short of unforgivable. Definitely not good.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
There are fewer problems with the stereo sound mixes. Dialogue and music come through appropriately. Even though there’s not a whole lot of breathing room in the mix, things are, at the very least, capable in their presentation. Nothing will impress, but these tracks get the job done.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
We get a couple interviews with cast and crew members on the first volume, but there isn’t anything at all on the second set.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.
Final Thoughts
The news ain’t good. Swamp Thing looks poor on DVD, although it sounds okay, and there really aren’t any bonus features to praise. I say revisit the original Wes Craven flick before tracking these turkeys down.
