| Review:
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The Smurfs was one of the most popular television series
of the early 80s – it was impossible to get around in society
back then and not encounter some reference to the little
blue dwarves. With a nostalgia boom going strong, it’s no
surprise Warner Bros. has decided to put the series on DVD.
***
The plot is simple enough for the unfamiliar to understand.
The Smurfs are a race of blue dwarves living in a peaceful
village. Things would be great, if an evil wizard didn’t
constantly torment them alongside his equally-evil pet cat,
who both want to eat them. It’s a simple plot, not much
to it, and some of the episodes are a bit repetitive at
times. Though the show shows its age, it still has a certain
charm you can’t deny. ***
This is a stand-alone, single-disc DVD. Five episodes
from the show are featured here, and from what I can tell
these are uncut. The episodes vary in length, and can from
ten minutes to over half an hour depending on which one
you’re watching. The set retails for about $15, and gives
the viewer five episodes. ***
Despite my love for the show, I can’t recommend this
release. The entire first season has been released on DVD,
in two sets. Why pay for this measly collection when you
can shell out the extra cash and they the complete first
season? Other sets are sure to follow, so there’s really
no point in scoring one of these stand-alone DVD sets. Long
story short, I love the Smurfs, but I can’t recommend this
set since there are season collections that are a far better
deal. ---
Image and Sound:
This looks about like what you’d expect a TV show from
the early 80s to look like. The colors look a bit faded
and less-than-stellar, and there’s clearly some damage to
the original source. Still, these flaws aren’t so bad that
the show isn’t watchable. The sound fares similarly, nothing
out-of-this-world, but you’ll understand everything that’s
being said, and hear the musical score just fine. I was
hoping for a full-blown restoration, but no surprise that
there wasn’t one. Still, it’s hard to imagine the show looking
and sounding better than it does here.
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| Special
Features: |
Not much on the disc, outside of some “Meet the Smurfs”
bonus material with character profiles and the like. Still,20I’m
grateful to see anything made it on the disc, as these stand-alone,
non-season releases for TV shows are generally bare-bones.
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