ye5man
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Post by ye5man on Jun 30, 2011 8:05:58 GMT -5
I finally made it through all 15 or so eps of the first Kirk Allyn serial. It was OK really, quite fun and harmless. Some parts reminded me of SR: Quite repetitive, Superman flying was obviously fake (cgi or cartoon, unconvincing as each other) and changed the rules about Kryptonite; also, Superman was portrayed as an archetype with little subtlety to the acting (which is why hiring George Reeves and Reeve, both classically trained actors, was perfect). Alyn was pretty good though, good take on Clark Kent: meek not weak or nerdy. Noel Neill was far better in this as she was later on with Reeves IMO.
Good depiction of the Daily Planet newsroom (sadly lacking in the Reeves TV show apart from 1 or 2 eps). Jimmy getting knocked out by gangsters in every episode became genuinely hilarious and I gave a good belly laugh the last few times it happened.
Bit of an anti-climatic ending, but I guess its more to do with the journey
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Post by Valentine Smith on Jun 30, 2011 8:40:58 GMT -5
Not a huge fan of this, and I think Alyn is one of the worst live-action Supermen. However it does have its moments. The sequel is MUCH better!
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cypher85
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Back off, man. I'm a scientist
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Post by cypher85 on Jun 30, 2011 9:03:02 GMT -5
I got the dvd bot set with both serials that came out a few years ago. IMO these are great fun.
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ye5man
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Post by ye5man on Jun 30, 2011 9:36:47 GMT -5
To be fair to Alyn, the character was kind of new and the writing didn't really allow him to do much acting
Looking forward to the sequel. Will start it next week
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Post by Valentine Smith on Jun 30, 2011 9:38:41 GMT -5
You're right. And I do enjoy Alyn's VERY physical Superman. Alyn comes off as extremely athletic and graceful and I love the way he runs and leaps around whenever he's in the suit.
I DO enjoy these (Atom Man vs. Superman is better), but they're not a fraction as good as the best Republic serials...particularly The Adventures Of Captain Marvel, which I still consider to be one of the finest live-action superhero things ever made.
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ye5man
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Post by ye5man on Jun 30, 2011 9:44:03 GMT -5
Got hold of Universal's "Green hornet" serials; will check out some day.
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Post by Jor-L5150 on Jun 30, 2011 16:56:29 GMT -5
i enjoy it, and i'm asahmed i havent seen the sequel.
alyn is allright, he was the first so i want to give him a lot of latitude.
int he first few ep's he's a bit flamboyant. he runs like a ballet dancer.
overall, fun to watch, gievn the format. lois is a BITCH in this.
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ye5man
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Post by ye5man on Jun 30, 2011 18:30:34 GMT -5
Lois purposely getting Kent arrested and thrown in prison just for the sake of a scoop was a bit OTT, lol
Yeah, he was very ballet like, I caught that. I LOL at how (cos of effects constraints) he landed behind a car on the other side of the road and ran the rest of the way where he wanted to go even when he had seconds to save someone.
Pretty good music. Classic 3 note theme that says the word.
Quite remarkable that was 1948 and here we are in 2011 and a new film in production with the same characters.
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Post by jak321 on Jun 30, 2011 20:19:11 GMT -5
Only saw the first episode, it was OK. But I kinda wish that Republic had made their Superman serial.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2011 0:31:59 GMT -5
Not my favorite serials, but I have them to have them. I still prefer the two Batman serials and The Shadow serial. Unfortunately, The Shadow is still only on VHS (unless you want a shitty DVD bootleg transfer), but I have a VHS player, so no big deal. But, damn, two cassettes and rewinding the things are a bitch.
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Post by Valentine Smith on Jul 2, 2011 9:45:10 GMT -5
I've actually never seen that Shadow serial. Every now and then an episode or two pops up on YouTube. Always wanted to see that.
I'm gonna give these Alyn serials another go at some point this summer. I think I'm a bit harsh on them. They're good fun. But, quality wise, they're not a patch on stuff like Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, King of The Rocket Men, etc...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2011 1:01:00 GMT -5
There were a lot of Shadow serials and movies in the 30s and 40s, but the specific one I have (and the only one I like) is the 1940 version with Victory Jory. Cranston was a "criminologist" who also assumed many other identities throughout for reconnaissance purposes, so it wasn't the lazy playboy persona that the Batman serials later used for Bruce Wayne. Cranston was portrayed as a respected forensic scientist who could mix it up just as well when he wasn't the Shadow. Also, the Shadow is spot-on with the pulps, so no invisibility or mind control. Just lots of gunplay and fisticuffs. I like that word. Fisticuffs!   |
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