Dan Dare - Vol. 1 [DVD]

As a long standing fan of the classic Dan Dare, and not having seen the series on Five, I bought this with some trepidation. I had visions that this new version would have drifted away from the spirit of the original and be unrecognisable as the Dan Dare I know and love.
I am happy to say that I was pleasantly suprised. Okay so Dan's eyebrows aren't right, Digby's moved to London and dyed his hair and Prof Peabody has invested in a Wonderbra but the old characters are still there. The whole visual style of the original is pretty much intact and Dan still saves the day basically by being a decent chap.
The computer rendering is pretty good considering the series was made on considerably less than a blockbuster movie's budget, the characters appear fairly realistic. The voices are much as I always imagined the characters would sound with the exception of Dan who, whilst still being public school, just isn't quite Battle of Britain enough.
All in all this collection of episodes is rather good, the writing is of a good quality, and given that it's supposed to be for kids there's some real edge of your seat moments.
If you're a Dan Dare fan (and even if you're not), invest some pocket money in this collection, relax and enjoy an afternoon of good wholesome fun safe in the knowledge that Frank Hampson would probably approve.

Can't remember the first Dan Dare episode on Channel 5, but I'm sure its not here as the DVD jumps straight in on the action - the very fast paced `The God of war'. As described by other reviewers the main human characters have had a bit of a makeover but the aliens seem pretty faithful to the original comic strip. In particular the Mekon is recreated very well and is at his snarling best. The baddies always have the best lines and the Mekon is certainly relentlessly bad, plus his saucer is really nippy too - eat your heart out Davros. The human characters are strangely a bit wet in a stoic sort of way, but at least there's no sentimental stuff, just stirring do-good stuff (we've got a job to do, easy commander, steady old man, etc..).

My son (8) missed the series on Five, but loves sitting down with me and watching this DVD. DVD picture quality and sound is very good, and although the animation hasn't got ultra-fine detail its more than adequate for a standard TV. The storylines are quite good sci-fi as well although the series does retain its very British 50's style, so it is a bit `retro'. You don't really have to know the superb 50's original to enjoy this DVD (but of course being a boy and also being very interested in space going warships is a bit of a must). Dan Dare is also rather pacifist and caring so the series isn't anywhere near as violent as it could have been, although it does lead to the predictable lines 'No we will not kill you Mekon, you must stand trial and answer for your crimes ! Oh, where's he gone ?'. The DVD's PG rated, but given that the Mekon nearly vapourises the Earth on a regular basis, the rear cover warning of 'some mild peril' is perhaps understating it. Well worth the asking price. There is also the two DVD set that adds in another three excellent Dan Dare adventures to this `Volume 1' DVD, if you can find it (so try ebay?), but otherwise go for this single DVD as it's very good value at a fiver or so [for over two hours entertainment] - plus this vol. one has the 'extras'.

I am writing this review having received copies of this DVD from an eBay retailer. The copies I ordered from Amazon were never delivered and no satisfactory explanation was forthcoming from Amazon. However, I have now seen this DVD and I am able to review it.

This American-made TV series first aired in 2002 as a series of 26 two-part episodes of approximately 25 minutes duration per episode. The full episode listing is as follows:-

Episodes 1 & 2: Pilot of the Future, Episodes 3 & 4: The Ark of Phobos, Episodes 5 & 6: God of War:, Episodes 7 & 8: Journey to the Centre of the Sun, Episodes 9 & 10: Mines of Titan, Episodes 11 & 12: The Outpost, Episodes 13 & 14: Full Circle, Episodes 15 & 16: The Mekon Among Us, Episodes 17 & 18: Saturn Rocs, Episodes 19 & 20: Menace of Mars, Episodes 21 & 22: Space Race, Episodes 23 & 24: Dead Space, Episodes 25 & 26: Surrender Earth.

This 2-disc DVD set, subtitled 'Volume 1', comprise a selection of 6 stories from the TV series as follows:-

God of War, The Outpost, Saturn Rocs, Space Race, Dead Space, Surrender Earth.

The total playing time of these 12 episodes is approximately 4.5 hours.

I grew up in the 1950s & 1960s when the 'The Eagle' comic, which contained the 'Dan Dare' stories, was at its peak. It was this early sci-fi series that engendered a lifelong passion in me for all things sci-fi.

Dan Dare was the brainchild of Frank Hampson who penned a series of sci-fi comic strips that grew into a British legend and institution. The artwork and story lines were far ahead of their time and as a comic series still commands respect today, 60 years later.

This DVD set is the CGI version (Cartoon series) that first appeared on American TV then on Channel 5 of British TV. It faithfully brings to the small screen the look & feel of the classic 1950 stories. All the familiar comic characters are present and they remind me of the many hours of enjoyment I had reading The Eagle as a young boy. However, Dan Dare and the other characters have undergone a makeover and now bear little resemblance to the original counterparts. Dan Dare, in particular, has been totally transformed and now reminds me of a young Charlie Sheen, who appeared in such films as 'Hot Shots'. From a personal perspective this change in their appearance in annoying because it is difficult to relate the CGI personalities to their original comic characters. I find this need for a makeover strange because the DVD characters largely retain their British accents which manage to sound contrived and phoney. Why, therefore, change their appearance? I can only guess that the characters were altered to appeal more to the American market and their image of what a hero looks like.

Those unfamiliar with the original Dan Dare comic series and seeing this CGI version for the very first time will likely find it very entertaining. It makes ideal viewing for children on a wet & cold afternoon. Those viewers of a mature age, like me, who remember the original Dan Dare will likely greet this series with mixed emotions: it is familiar but yet different. I continually find myself asking why the CGI designers bothered to change the appearance of some of the characters. It is irksome. However, the plot lines are typically Dan Dare and therefore entertaining for those of a certain age.

There are 13 stories in the TV series and Volume 1 contains 6 of them. At the time of this review there is no Volume 2 DVD 2-disc set. Will we ever see the other stories committed to CGI too? We can only wait and hope.