Daredevil VS. Spider-Man on DVD

Just in time to cash in on the Daredevil movie comes this collection of animated Spider-Man TV episodes - and other than the cheap animation it’s actually quite good.

But don’t expect much “versus” between Spidey and Daredevil; in fact, don’t expect much Daredevil at all.

Culled from a longer series of episodes called “The Sins of the Father,” this DVD gives you four episodes beginning with part six, the first of which brings Daredevil into the picture. He and Spider-Man quickly end up as allies; Daredevil quickly “sees” that Spidey and him are really on the same side and they work together to fight crime boss Kingpin.

During the course of the four episodes Spider-Man is also pitted against other super villains such as Chameleon.

And if you’re interested in finding out more about lawyer Matt Murdock and his alter ego Daredevil before you see the new movie, this is a good place to start.

While the animation is cheap, the stories are pretty darn good, with writing that’s better than much of the stuff you get on TV these days. It’s also interesting for people who only know Spidey through the 2002 Sam Raimi movie because you not only get to see most of the major characters from that film but you also get different looks at the “non romance” between Peter/Spidey and Mary Jane, the “romance” between MJ and Harry Osborne, and the relationship between Peter and his Aunt May.

The visual style of the cartoon is very comic book, as it should be, and the characterizations (including the voice performances by some surprisingly well-known actors) are well done.

The DVD isn’t bad. Since its genesis was television, the picture is, not surprisingly, 4x3 full screen rather than anamorphic widescreen, so owners of 16x9 TV’s will have to stretch and/or zoom the picture to fill their screens. But the video quality is fine.

Audio is Dolby Digital and they’ve made surprisingly good use of the left and right front and rear channels for music and effects.

And they’ve even thrown in some bonus stuff, including a Fantastic Four episode where the quartet loses its powers and is forced to rely on Daredevil (coincidentally, we’re sure!), to help defeat Doctor Doom. It’s a pretty good story as well.

There’s also a Spider-Man episode from 1966, “King Pinned,” featuring the webslinger’s nemesis from the main part of the disc. And Stan Lee himself is along for the ride, with a series interview and introductory sequences that are quite interesting.

Daredevil vs. Spider-Man on DVD, from Buena Vista Home Video
Approx. 80 min. 4x3 full screen (not 16x9 TV compatible), Dolby Digital surround

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