Captain Scarlet - Complete Series Box Set [DVD] [1967]

First broadcast in 1967, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was the most grown-up of all Gerry Anderson's SuperMarionation adventures. There are gadgets and toy-friendly machines galore, of course--like the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, the Angel Aircraft and Cloudbase itself--but, unlike the colourful fantasies of Stingray and Thunderbirds, this series' concern with an implacable, vengeful enemy, conspiracies and double-agents drew its inspiration from James Bond and the Cold War spy dramas of the 1960s. Special effects whiz Derek Meddings imbues the action sequences with a truly Bondian grandeur and, like the sinister Spectre of the Bond films, the Martian Mysterons seem all the more hostile for their unseen presence, their agents infiltrating every organisation dedicated to their destruction just as it seemed the Soviets were doing at the time. The indestructible Captain Scarlet is killed then resurrected every week (though not like South Park's Kenny), and more often than not the unstoppable Mysterons emerge triumphant, and always undefeated. The varied cast of Spectrum agents and their voice characterisations also aim at verisimilitude (Captain Scarlet, voiced by Francis Matt hews, sounds like a grim Cary Grant), while the puppetry is more realistic than ever.

This box set contains all 32 episodes, with newly remastered picture and Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The DVD box also includes extra features on each disc, plus a sixth documentary disc, "Captain Scarlet: S.I.G.". In its new digital incarnation, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons still looks and sounds like the epitome of 60s cool. --Mark Walker

All 32 episodes of the classic Gerry Anderson TV show chronicling Captain Scarlet's battle to save Earth from a Mysteron invasion. In 'The Mysterons' Captain Black becomes the victim of Mysteron mind control and Captain Scarlet submits to an operation which makes him indestructible. 'Winged Assassin' has the Mysterons capture a plane carrying the Director General of the United Asian Republic. 'Big Ben Strikes Again' sees Spectrum go into action when a nuclear transporter disappears in London. 'Manhunt' has Captain Black both infiltrate the Culver Atomic Centre and kidnap Symphony Angel. 'Avalanche' finds Captain Scarlet called in to investigate when the Outer Space Defence System comes under Mysteron attack. And 'White as Snow' sees Colonel White become the victim of a potential Mysteron assassination. In 'The Trap' Symphony Angel and Captain Scarlet find themselves trapped together in a dungeon. 'Operation Time' has Spectrum protect General Tiempo from Mysteron assassination threats. 'Spectrum Strikes Back' concerns the unveiling of some new weapons designed to protect Earth against Mysteron aggression. 'Special Assignment' finds Captain Scarlet involved in some apparently underhand activity with his nemesis Captain Black. 'The Heart of New York' has Spectrum investigate a potential Mysteron attack on the Big Apple. And 'Lunarville 7' finds Scarlet perplexed when a human moon colony forms an alliance with the Mysterons. In 'Point 783' the Supreme Commander of Earth comes under threat of assassination when he makes ready to reveal plans for a new hi-tech supertank. 'Model Spy' sees Destiny and Symphony angels going undercover as models when the Mysterons take a sudden and unexpected interest in the world of fashion. 'Seek and Destroy' has the Angel Interceptors take on the Mysterons in a tense mid-air dogfight. 'Traitor' finds Captain Scarlet blamed for a series of hovercraft accidents. 'Renegade Rocket' sees the Mysterons gain control of a Variable Geometry Rocket. And 'Crater 101' has Scarlet, Blue and Green perform a dangerous mission on the moon. In 'Shadow of Fear' Spectrum employ a satellite to spy on the Mysteron activity on Mars. 'Dangerous Rendezvous' has Spectrum and the Mysterons try to negotiate a peace agreement. 'Fire at Rig 15' sees fire expert Jason Smith taken over by the Mysterons and his talents bent to their own destructive ends. 'Treble Cross' finds the Mysterons falling victim to their own rotten tricks when they monkey with Major Gravener. 'Flight 104' has Captains Scarlet and Blue serve as bodyguards to a leading astrophysicist. And 'Place of Angels' sees the Mysterons endanger the entire population of Los Angeles when they get hold of an ultra-deadly virus and threaten to drop it in the water supply. In 'Noose of Ice' Spectrum discover that not even the North Pole is safe from Mysteron attack. 'Expo 2068' has Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue go in search of a hijacked nuclear reactor. 'The Launching' sees President Roberts receive a threat of Mysteron assassination. 'Codename Europa' finds world-class boffin Professor Carney coming under Mysteron control. 'Inferno' has Captains Scarlet and Blue stationed in an Aztec temple, keeping watch on an endangered water plant. 'Flight to Atlantica' sees Captains Ochre and Blue go barmy after drinking some dodgy bubbly. 'Attack on Cloudbase' finds Symphony Angel in real trouble when she has to eject from her exploding aircraft. And finally, in 'The Inquisition', Captain Blue is interrogated after disappearing for three months. The box-set also includes 'The Indestructible Captain Scarlet', a documentary overview of Spectrum's various activities presented by Captain Blue.