Exosquad: Season 1
by Graham Morris
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Garry Chalk, Michael Benyaer, Michael Donovan, Robby Benson, Wally MarshDirector: Graham Morris
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Writer: Bob Forward
Writer: Brian Miller
Writer: Eric Lewald
Writer: Jeff Segal
Writer: Jim Carlson
Writer: Mark Edward Edens
Writer: Mark Hoffmeier
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 287 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-04-14
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Exosquad: Season 1
Movie Review: Ambitious and underrated
Summary: 5 Stars
At long last, after 16 years since it originally aired, the first season of Exosquad arrives on DVD. I thought that Universal was going to let this show rot in their vaults. This series was ahead of it's time in many ways, and that it was Universal's first animated TV attempt made it all the more impressive. Exosquad is a epic series that depicts a war between humans and their creations who want a real identity for themselves, whom unfortunately are led by a dictator who holds fanatical visions of a supreme "destiny" and attempts to achieve it at all costs.
The show concluded it's run after 2 seasons, and though the war is resolved in the final episode it still leaves off with a huge cliffhanger. Perhaps the best thing about the series is that it was one long continuous plot told in a whopping 52 episodes. This was uheard of for an orginal American animated series back in the mid-1990's. Cutting out commercial time, this saga goes on for almost 17 and a half hours. Though the animation is a mixed bag and shows it's age, the series approach to the plot was mostly very serious, the script and voice acting were solid, many characters were well developed, and it explored and touched upon many thematic elements and complex issues, among them racism and the psychological effects of war.
The noticable flaws (to me anyways), were that many of the character and vehicle designs and color scheme clearly lend themselves as of being the action figure toy type, it could have benefited having a more (while good) varied musical score and sound effects, and that occasionally some of the plot elements seemed akin for more juvenile animation. These would have been ok, except that with the plot itself and the depth that it has, it seems that adults and teenagers would appreciate it more than younger kids (fans, you know what happens in Episode 11 "The Brood").
That was perhaps the biggest obstacle the series faced as an airing program. It was marketed to the wrong audience, yet contains elements for a younger demographic, and it required a committed viewing and long attention span to understand the story arches. Add this to the fact that during it's initial run the show would air in haphazard timeslots, and you have a recipe for having the majority of TV viewers, animation or otherwise, never hearing about Exosquad.
Overall, the series is criminally underrated, and deserves to be checked out by anyone who enjoys animation or science fiction, and also because the characters have real emotions and motivations.
This DVD set is unfortunately bare bones, but hopefully some extras will be included in a future release of Season 2.
Now about getting Season 2 on DVD...
Summary of Exosquad: Season 1
Synopsis:Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 04/14/09
Wide Screen: no
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: yes
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.
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