Reviews by Craig Byrne
This week’s DVD review column spotlights two recent DVD sets that, aside from comic-inspired influences, are complete opposites content-wise.
The 12-episode Human Target: The Complete First Season was one of the DVD releases this year that I anticipated the most. After enjoying the first several episodes (and even running the related fan site Target419) I admit I fell a little behind this Spring, so this was the first time for me to see some of these episodes.
My initial reaction to Human Target is mixed. On the very bright side, it’s a very good show. On the down side, I was a little disappointed that aside from the character name of “Christopher Chance” and the name of the show, there was very little to no connection with the Human Target comic books from DC Comics. I liked the whole “disguise” angle from the comics and it bummed me out a bit to have that missing.
That was a limitation I really should have put out of my mind sooner. As I said before, Human Target is a very good show and it might be best to approach it with a unique view, unaffected by the comics.
Mark Valley seems to eat up the screen as Christopher Chance; it is clear from watching the show that this is a role he is thrilled to play, and he gives it 100%. As the first season goes on, we do learn little by little about Chance’s past; usually with return appearances by folks from Chance’s past. The first season finale, appropriately titled “Christopher Chance,” tells a bit of an origin story. With the whole backstory of Chance’s name, I’ve realized that although he might not be immortal or omnisexual, Christopher Chance really is the “Jack Harkness” of this world. The action hero. Part of me would love to see how he’d mix with other DC characters, like those on Smallville, just to see Chance’s reaction.
Almost every episode is like a mini-action movie, and the presence of Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley in Chance’s supporting cast give the show a consistent feel.
I’ve seen the second season premiere (airing November 17), and as good as the show is in Season 1, I think the show gets even better in Season 2 with the additions of Indira Varna and Janet Montgomery. Chance’s headquarters gets a bit of a new look as well that we can look forward to.
DVD extras include two featurettes with interviews with cast and crew. Although there is a feature on the action of the show, the “Confidential Informant” feature is my favorite. Even Human Target comic co-creator Len Wein gets in on the action, and he seems to be cool with the show’s abandoning of the disguise concept.
One last comment or two: I am totally going to miss Bear McCreary’s score for Season 2. He did a great job, and I love the show’s opening titles. Human Target returns to FOX on Wednesday, November 17; you can order your DVD set from Amazon.com here. The set is also now available in the Blu-ray format.
He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown is a “Deluxe Edition” release of 1968 special, remastered and released (again) by Warner Home Video. It’s apparently historical as it is the last special to feature the voices from the famous Peanuts Christmas Special; being so early in the run, it also means that although it’s not The Great Pumpkin or something else like that, it’s still quite good, especially if you have memories of the swirly “A CBS Special Presentation” and grew up watching “Charlie Brown” specials on TV.
This special is one of the few that remembers that Snoopy is actually a dog – information that seems to have eluded Peppermint Patty. In this one, Snoopy is a bit more mischievous than I ever remember him being, but all of his human-like mannerisms make this one fun. Eventually, Patty (who thinks he is a kid) puts him to work in her house, and Snoopy has a fit that he is being treated like a maid. If you can revert to your inner 5 year old and remember what these specials were like to watch, you’d appreciate this.
Picture quality is excellent. If you have kids, I still wonder if the tone and pacing might be too slow for today’s children, but it’s worth a try and definitely not something that would require parental supervision.
An extra on this one-disc set is the 1980 special Life Is A Circus, Charlie Brown. While it explores a similar theme of Snoopy being away from his owner, it isn’t nearly as good. There’s also a featurette about the Redwood Ice Arena which was very special to Charles M. Schulz. While I think I’d enjoy this as part of a biographical DVD about Schulz, I found it to be kind of irrelevant to the animated material within.
He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown is already available, and can be purchased from Amazon.com or many other retailers.
