Swing into action with America's most amazing superhero as Spider-Man faces off against arch-rival The Green Goblin and a host of his most evil foes in "The Ultimate Villain Showdown." Bitten by a radioactive spider while ... more »on a high school field trip, young Peter Parker is transformed into a human web-slinger with incredible spider strength. Now, for the first time on DVD, you can discover how the Spider-Man legend began and watch as he learns the dark origins of The Green Goblin and wages spectacular battles with supervillains Dr. Octopus and Kingpin. You'll get caught in a web of excitement with this thrilling animated adventure.« less
J. Wagner | Oil City, PA United States | 04/25/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Morbid curiosity - that was the sole reason I considered picking up this DVD especially after reading that the Mouse House had did a cut and paste job to what is easily one of my favorite cartoons of all time. When I found it released early I couldn't pass it up. Let me say one thing - I was wrong. The chapter sheet features the cover art for the front and back of the DVD and the disk is just a picture of the Spider-Man face reflecting back the Green Goblin. When I put the disk in I found something else to be amazing - no forced trailers, something Buena Vista home video is notorious for. The menu opens with a bunch of screen caps of villains flashing onto the screen and eventually leads into the city with a still Spidey in mid crawl on the side of a building. Starting the movie will lead you to the long opening theme for the Spidey toon and only has one change - an added "The Ultimate Villain Showdown" label under the Spidey logo. By now you probably want to know what is on the disk - the episodes go in order - "Make a Wish", "Attack of the Octto Bot", "Enter the Green Goblin", and "Rocket Racer". This is also known as Chapter 2,3,4 and 5 in the Sins of the Fathers story arc. The transfer was very well done but a little slow at times - altho this is more than likely the animation and not the transfer. The episodes still contain the original title cards and at the end of the first three episodes flow directly into the next episode, avoiding the end credits until the end of the movie. The special features include the 1967 Origin of Spider-Man toon with an intro by Stan "The Man" Lee. There is also a Stan's Soapbox feature which is about 20 mins long and features Stan talking about the creation of Spidey and some other details of the Marvel U. As a fan boy I found this feature very enjoyable and even got a couple of chuckles out of Stan. There is also another feature that allows you to watch commentary by Stan before each episode - once again, great stuff. Another feature is a Villains Gallery that allows you to select either Venom, Doc Ock, the Hobgoblin or the Green Goblin and get a complete bio of the character. Each villain has at least two clips that show some aspect of the character as well as Stan's thoughts about the character. The final feature was a sneak peek section - featuring Spy Kids 2, Snow Dogs, Digimon and a couple others that I can't remember right at the moment. Conclusion - Overall I think the disk is really worth the pick up and was very happy that Disney hadn't pasted together a new movie and followed a story arc from the series. While the DVD had a lot of features I wish there had been an easter egg with Sins of the Fathers Chapter 1 but overall this DVD comes with a lot more extra features than the X-Men DVD's that were released by Universal. Hopefully sales will be good on this disk and we'll see Disney release season sets. An added note to Disney - make Origin of the Silver Surfer your next attempt."
It's Web Swinging Time
J. Wagner | 04/26/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Buena Vista has collected 5 animated adventures on this tape for your enjoyment. 4 of the shows are from the 1990's animated series third year "Sins Of The Fathers" story arc. "Make A Wish" - Spider-man is is about to give up the hero biz until he meets his biggest fan. While giving her a tour of the city Spidey style, Spider man is captured by Doctor Octopus. "Attack Of The Octobot" - Doc Ock has brain washed Spider-man to commit crime and it's up to Spidey's biggest fan, with the help from a New York cabbie, to bring him back to his senses. "Enter The Green Goblin" - Norman Osborn has disappeared after a lab explosion. Now one by one members of Oscorps Board of Directors are being kidnapped by a new villain who calls himself the Green Goblin. Has Normans son Harry taken matters into his own hands? Mary Jane thinks so and now it's up to Spidey to find out. "Rocket Racer" - Spider-man must stop one of Peter Parkers lab students with a past criminal record from using his science-savvy(and some "borrowed" technology) to return to crime while also trying to save the city from a gang of jet packed wearing thieves who are aided by a rampaging giant Gyro Wheel.
The fifth and final episode on this tape is from the 1960's animated series. "The Origin Of Spider-man" - Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and his life is forever changed.If you enjoyed Spider-man The Movie or just a Spidey Fan period you will love this tape."
A Brief Introduction to Spider Man.
tvtv3 | Sorento, IL United States | 04/29/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This video contains four cartoons from the 1990's Spider Man series that aired on the Fox Kids network. The four episodes are parts 2-5 of the "Sins of Our Fathers" story arc. Part Two gives the origins of Spider Man while Part Four illustrates the rise of the Green Goblin.The final part of the tape includes the 1967 cartoon "The Origins of Spider-Man". The animation is really bad (after all it was 1967), but is worth watching just to hear that great theme song a couple of times.A decent animated collection that works well as an introduction to who Spider Man is."
This series is long overdue for DVD.
Robb Boutros | Northford, CT United States | 05/11/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Back in the early part of the 90's Fox Kids Spider-Man The Animated Series was probably the strongest show in their lineup. Now this series is finally making it's way to DVD.Unfortunatley, while still very good, this is NOT the best that this series has to offer. I can only guess why Buena Vista, who acquired the rights to this series when it bought Fox Family Channel, included the Rocket Racers storyline. This brings the whole DVD down. Any of the storylines with Venom, Michael Morbius, or The Hobgoblin would have made a much better entry ( or even my favorite story line featuring Daredevil).What's really interesting on this DVD is the interview with Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee. Lee offers some intriguing insight into the characters and the history of Marvel in general. Lee is a veritable treasure trove of comic book history. As for some of the bonus features? The 1967 episode of "The Origin Of Spider-Man" is included. When I was about 4 or 5 this was great. But now it looks and sounds terribley dated. The villain gallery is interesting. As you click on each villain you are treated to a commentary by Stan Lee.Overall this DVD is an exceptional value even with it's few shortcomings. If you're a new fan of the web head or an avid fan from his early days, you're sure to enjoy the Ultimate Villain Showdown."
Great DVD To Own if You Don't Want To Get the Entire Series!
Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 08/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As this DVD is directed at what Disney aka BVHE feels is its target audience i.e. kids under 14 and above 3, I cannot fathom the negative responses from adults who lament that just because we don't have full season releases that this DVD therefore sucks. I think the phrase "grow up" comes to mind; although the cartoons here may appeal to a larger, older audience, these are after all cartoons and are aimed at the target audience mentioned earlier. Box sets are clearly out of the financial reach of these young-ins and so for their sake, thankfully we have relatively inexpensive offerings like this one.
Given this, this is actually a very good DVD as it has very strong bonus extras which would appeal to any young fan. The 1967 classic: "The Origins of Spider-Man" although severely dated and poorly preserved is a great collectors' item and allows the young viewer a peak into what animated television was like in the late 60s. Although, the enjoyment level is limited by the old technology, the educational level ranks as very high.
We also get great introductions to each episode by none other than the genius, Stan Lee, himself, the creator of most of the characters showcased on this disc. This in itself is a collectors' item as given his advanced age, it's doubtful fans will be treated to many more candid conversations/interviews with Mr. Marvel himself. "Stan Lee's Soapbox" is a brilliant interview in which the man covers many aspects of the character he created and more importantly, his own world view giving us a glimpse of what makes the man tick, what motivates him etc.
We also get a fun extra for younger viewers in the treasure hunt-like feature of "Rogues' Dossiers" where the viewer gets to play "hide-and-seek" as it were to learn more about Spidey's arch-nemeses. The only hangup I have with this is that they only stopped at 12 villains which means the great Lizard does not feature among other great villains that Spidey has had to face over the years.
The 4 episodes themselves have also been very well chosen:
"Make a Wish" is the modern version of the 1967 classic which re-tells Spidey's origins in flashback form as he relates the story to a young girl at the age of the average target viewer.
"Attack of the Octobot" features Doc Ock and allows for further association of said target viewer by allowing the young girl to assist Spidey on defeating his foe.
"Enter the Green Goblin" is the best episode here and showcases probably the best villain Spidey has ever faced.
"Rocket Racer" again allows for association with the viewer but this time in the older age group of said target audience who also plays a significant part in Spidey's adventure.
Overall, this is a great DVD to have for young Spidey fans and Stan Lee's preaching is very evident here in both obvious and subtle/subliminal forms although never in nauseating excess.
Kids are unlikely to finish watching this DVD without at least remembering the adage: "With great power comes great responsibility" In conclusion and to quote another gem from Stan the Man, "Excelsior!""