Pointless Afterthought Theater When Star Trek: Voyager Gets "Twisted!"

The Good: I'll go with basic concept of the (almost) end
The Bad: Nothing decent in acting, No character development, Lame plot, Mediocre special effects
The Basics: When the U.S.S. Voyager encounters yet another pointless, boring spatial phenomenon of the week, the viewer (and actors) wonder why they bother.


In “Twisted,” the U.S.S. Voyager, in no particular hurry to return home, finds the crew celebrating Kes's second birthday on the holodeck when the ship encounters a spatial distortion ring. The ring immediately begins to effect the ship and soon the only place the ship seems to exist on is Deck 6. Janeway comes into contact with the distortion and is rendered unconscious and soon everyone on the ship fears the ship will implode . . .

. . . sigh. At least in Star Trek, the spatial phenomenon of the week occasionally turned out to be something as creative and ridiculous as a giant space amoeba (check out my review of "The Immunity Syndrome" here!). "Twisted" offers nothing so special and, in fact, the end comes out of nowhere. The last lines of the episode, where Janeway tells what she thinks the distortion was, is not supported by anything else in the episode, making it feel tacked on and ridiculous and ultimately pointless. It's hard to care about the "why" of something when the something itself is pointless and unentertaining.

Which returns us to the concept of "Twisted." "Twisted" is your basic "spatial-phenomenon-of-the-week" type episode. The Star Trek franchise (save much of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) has a tendency to have "alien" or "spatial phenomenon" of the week scenarios with little else in the mix when one is an avid viewer. Sure, sometimes the alien is a wonderful social commentary cleverly hidden, like using androgynous aliens as a metaphor for homosexuality on Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Outcast" (reviewed here!) or the spatial phenomenon allows for the exploration of a historical idea, as with the Guardian of Forever's time travel ability in "City On The Edge Of Forever" (reviewed here!) from the original Star Trek. "Twisted" offers none of that.

The best spatial phenomenon of the week stories allow the viewer to watch a mystery being solved or learn something new as far as a concept goes. "Twisted" is a collection of boring characters waiting around for an answer to a mystery that lacks genuine clues. The ship is becoming distorted and all avenues lead back to Deck 6. Okay . . . what next? Nothing, it just keeps repeating the concept with different attempts.

Devoid of character development, witty banter and/or remotely interesting special effects, "Twisted" relies on a concept to sell the viewer. Unfortunately, it's not a terribly interesting concept, which is why the characters spend so much time simply repeating aloud what is going on. The concept is simple and as a result, it's not enough to fill up the whole 43 minute episode with.

Even a bad episode may sometimes be saved by decent acing. "Twisted" is not. Instead, the actors seem to know there's nothing special about their characters in this episode. They stand around the holodeck (it's their pool hall scenario) looking bored whenever the camera manages to focus on them. In fact, this episode is a whole ensemble being bored episode. After the birthday party, there's nothing that excites the characters and the cast seems to know it. They spend the first half of the episode figuring out what the problem is and the second half of the episode confirming what they figured out in the first half. As a result, this is a somewhat weird and pointless "waiting around Deck 6 to escape" episode.

The only thing remotely clever is how the crew works their way out of the distortion ring and even that has been done better in other episodes in the franchise.

I pride myself on writing thorough, well-conceived reviews about everything I encounter. "Twisted" is a waste of time, celluloid and because much of the episode is simply people standing around waiting or wandering around the ship observing what is going on, there is simply not enough material to write more. This is a boring, developmentless episode and the actors seem to know that and they perform accordingly.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season here!
Thanks!]

1/10

Check out all the episodes and movies from the Star Trek franchise that beat this one in my listing of Star Trek Episodes Best To Worst!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Simple And Almost Lame, Star Trek: Voyager Season Two Trading Cards Underwhelm

The Good: Interesting chase, Nice looking cards, Well written
The Bad: Far too easy to complete, Simple chase cards, Value, Organization
The Basics: This Star Trek: Voyager card series is a remarkably average trading card series that did not retain its value because of its exceptionally easy completion.


Star Trek: Voyager was a tough show to market for the merchandisers. After all, until Seven of Nine popped up, there was a show where the ship wandered aimlessly and fell into predictable patterns of recasting Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Half the time, the series forgot that it was supposed to be about a ship attempting to get home, the other half of the time, the characters remember this integral fact, but are thwarted from their attempts with little compounding of consequences. Say what you want about Seven Of Nine - and I've been one of the biggest critics of her - but at least when she popped up, there was something obvious to sell: sex appeal.

Back in the second season, though, those trying to exploit the show for a buck found themselves in a bind. There was nothing quite so interesting going on in the second season. As a result, things like Star Trek: Voyager Season Two trading cards ended up as something lackluster.

Basics/Set Composition

Like the some of the earliest SkyBox Star Trek releases, this set was a bit overproduced and as a result all of the bonus cards that can be found in the standard hobby/retail boxes - as well as the common card sets - have been severely devalued. The Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 boxes, were released only in the standard hobby release with forty-eight packs featuring eight cards per pack. Unlike virtually every other trading card release, Star Trek: Voyager - Season Two was a remarkably easy set to assemble and SkyBox made it surprisingly low on frills.

The Star Trek: Voyager Season Two trading card set consists of one hundred common cards and 13 chase cards available in the packs. Only the manufacturer-produced binder is not available in boxes of these cards. For those unfamiliar with trading card collecting, "chase" cards are bonus cards inserted into random packs that fall outside the regular numbering system. Usually, there is some special (and usually more-expensive-to-produce) quality to them which is why they were made rare in the first place. Strangely, the Star Trek: Voyager Season Two set utilizes the same numbering system as the common cards, making it harder to differentiate between the cards because when this set was released, chase cards were not especially.

A box of Star Trek: Voyager Season Two trading cards consists of forty-eight packs of cards, with eight cards per pack. A box of cards ought to contain at least one complete set of common cards and collation in these boxes was so good that most will yield a second common set and almost a third one. In addition to a common set, each box ought to contain all three of the Xenobio sketches, 24th Century Technology cards, and Strange New Worlds insert cards. One per box were the acetate Holodeck cards and these are the only cards most fans still search for from this set.

Common Cards

The common card set consisted of one hundred cards and one of the nice things is, like its predecessor set, this set is generally a sensibly oriented set! All 100 cards and all of the chase cards are oriented in a landscape orientation. This is especially nice for those who put the cards in a binder as everything is oriented the same direction, making it very easy to see all of the images in a consecutive order and read the backs of the cards in order as well.

The 100 card set focuses on the entire second season of Star Trek: Voyager. This set provided a great collection of images from the second season and contains some images not captured outside the series elsewhere (like on 8X10 photographs or collector's plates). Each episode is explored in detail with three cards devoted to the plot. The images on the front are full-bleed (one image per card, no borders) and the backs are generally well-written explorations of the episode plots, the technology, and the worlds of the first season of the show. It is a nice, collectible compendium of images and information for fans of Star Trek: Voyager!

This set follows as the logical continuation of Voyager Season One Series Two (reviewed here!) and as a result continues with the numbering and style from that set.

The 100 card common set is broken down as follows: 91 - 99 Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 timeline illustrating the order of the episodes and charting the course of the season, 100 - 177 detailing the story behind each episode from the second season, 178 - 179 Checklist cards, 180 Production Credits card (card detailing the complete cast and crew for the season), 181 Fan club advertisement card, and 182 - 190 Significant guest characters cards.

The cards in the common set are pretty standard with the episodes being well-detailed across the three cards per episode and the set generally looks good up until the end. The Fan club exclusive card throws off the mural that ought to cap the series off well. As a result, if put in the binder by the numbers, the set is thrown off and the mural does not come together as the background (front and back) suggests it ought to.

Chase Cards

The bonus cards to this set include a three-card Spectra card chase set focusing on aliens encountered for the first time in the second season, another three Spectra foil cards focusing on 24th Century Technology, still another three Spectra etched foils of the Strange New Worlds from the second season and finally a set of three acetate cards featuring characters from Star Trek: Voyager in holodeck scenarios. While not strictly speaking a chase card, this set also includes a 1997 Star Trek preview card, which is a testament to card sets that went uncreated.

The Spectra cards are nice, etched foil cards varying from the ugly green Xenobio Sketch cards each with one of the important aliens from the second season of Star Trek: Voyager on it. The 24th Century Technology cards are perhaps the least inspired foil cards ever featuring images of such things as the Hibernation pods from "The Thaw" and the landing struts from the U.S.S. Voyager. The Strange New Worlds cards at the very least have interesting images to them and that almost makes up for the fact that the Spectra etching foil makes them look almost like common cards.

The only truly distinct chase cards in this set are the holodeck cards. Printed on a transparent plastic, these silk-screened images feature memorable moments from the second season's episodes involving the Holodeck. Numbered in sequence to cap off the set (200 - 202) these cards feature Janeway in her 18th Century novel get-up, Chakotay and Paris playing pool and The Doctor in his convertible on Mars. Because every other card but these is available in EVERY box, with only one of the Holodeck cards per box, these are the cards people continue to chase after, even now.

Non-Box Cards

This set had no promotional cards, nor exclusives that were not available in the boxes and packs.

Overview

By today's standards, the savvy card collector is likely to find this set quaint and somewhat simple. It is downright frustrating to collectors because it is simple to collect, save the holodeck cards. Many dealers do not carry these cards for the simple fact that everything is available - on average - in each and every box save those cards and it leaves dealers with a lot left over after the holodeck cards sell.

On the plus side, it is inexpensive to assemble. Boxes sell regularly for $10 - $25 in the market, but the value of the sets tends to reflect that low cost. This is an excellent set for those just getting started in Star Trek card collecting, but those who want something good, something that will appreciate in value over time would do best to avoid this one.

It's just too simple, capped off by three cards that are disproportionately difficult to find, especially given all of the leftovers one is left with when buying these boxes.

This set uses material solely from "Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete Second Season" reviewed here!

This is a set of trading cards I sell in my online store!  Please check out my current inventory and buy!

For other card sets that focus on episodes, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Star Trek: Voyager Season 1 Series 1
The Complete Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek Season Two

3/10

For other card reviews, be sure to check out my Card Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Another Indistinct McKennitt Album, The Visit Fails To Impress

The Good: Voice
The Bad: Music produces over the lyrics, Musically bland, Track to track indistinct, Short
The Basics: Producing over her vocals again so her lyrics are indecipherable, Loreena McKennitt once again fails to impress with The Visit.


As a fan of female singer-songwriters, it might seem quite natural that I would be a fan of Loreena McKennitt. However, I am not and The Visit is one of the albums that helps illustrate exactly to me - and others when I discuss it - why I am not. What songs are comprehensible (namely "Greensleeves") are poorly arranged and performed and the rest pretty much blends into a musical mash that is neither original nor compelling. More than most of McKennitt's albums, The Visit suffers upon replaying (particularly on a continuous loop) because the various songs sound pretty much alike.

This view is treated as something of a heresy among those who love McKennitt and her works, but it is how I come to her various albums. And having had The Visit on high rotation for the day (I've now listened to it a total of eight times, at least), it is a blur of repetitive instrumentations, decent but poorly mixed vocals and and overall slow, hypnotic and unmemorable feel. Unlike most of McKennitt's albums, The Visit is all slow, ponderous and almost universally incomprehensible from the vocals.

With only nine tracks, coming in at 43:09, The Visit is McKennitt's trademark blend of traditional songs arranged by her and her own original works, which tend to sound of the same era. The Visit is McKennitt's Celtic album and one that has traditional songs from the Celts in addition to adapting the poetry of others (Tennyson, Shakespeare, Henry VIII) and putting it to a Celtic instrumentation. Five of the songs are written by McKennitt and she provided original music for two of the others. The other two use their classic music and McKennitt simply performs them.

On The Visit, McKennitt is responsible for the lead vocals on the eight tracks that have vocals. As well, she is musically adept and performs on the keyboards, accordion, harp and bodhran on the album. As well, she does produce the album, so at the end of the day it is hard to suggest this is anything other than Loreena McKennitt's musical vision.

Unfortunately, it is boring. Without fail, the music fails to impress, though it is hard to deny that McKennitt has an amazing soprano voice. Her "la's" on "Tango To Evora" are perfect in pitch and have a hypnotic quality. Unfortunately, they fail to sell the song. A tango is supposed to be a musical expression (and dance) of sublimated sexuality, a raw display of passion, restraint and rejection. This tango is more lethargic and sleepy than passionate.

This is largely the problem with all of the songs on The Visit. The album begins with the narcoleptic "All Souls Night" and continues through McKennitt's somnambulic presentation of "Cymbeline." And in the middle, there are tracks like her take on "Greensleeves," which she attempts to do in the style of Tom Waits and completely fails to replicate or impersonate the gravitas of his gravely performance. Instead, the track just sounds like McKennitt is sleepsinging through that as well.

"Greensleeves" is one of the few songs that McKennitt's vocals can actually be understood on. Instead, most of her songs are plagued by production that sublimates or equalizes her vocals to the same volume as the keyboards, cellos and basses played on the album. It does make one wonder what the point of writing poetry like "Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides / Figures dance around and around / To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness / Moving to the pagan sound. / Somewhere in a hidden memory / Images float before my eyes / Of fragrant nights of straw and bonfires / And dancing till the next sunrise" ("All Souls Night") if one is just going to produce the instrumentals to drown out your own singing. So even when McKennitt has decent lyrics of her own on The Visit, they can hardly be understood by listening to the album.

And, frankly, not all of her lyrics are all that grand. Instead, she frequently uses predictable and tired rhymes in her poetry. For example, on "Courtyard Lullaby," she has singsong lyrics with her rhymes "And when the wind draws strong / Across the cypress trees / The nightbirds cease their songs / So gathers memories." While one does not expect all of her lines to be new and audacious, there is something tired about rhymes like "tree/see," "say/way," and "land/hand." This is not the greatest expression of McKennitt's poetry ever.

That said, it is hard to deny that she has some abilities as a musical storyteller. On "The Old Ways," for example, her poetics are full of decent imagery and she tells a musical storysong that is, at worst, picturesque. Indeed, it is very easy to imagine the setting when one reads her lines "As we cast our gaze on the tumbling sea / A vision came o'er me / Of thundering hooves and beating wings / In clouds above" ("The Old Ways").

And I write, quite purposefully "read" those lyrics. "The Old Ways" is a perfect example of how McKennitt produces her sopranic vocals to be sublimated below the instrumentals. On that song, especially, the instrumentals are quite rich with her voice competing against a harp, bodhran, keyboards, bass, uillean pipes, fiddle and electric and acoustic guitars. The song is an extreme, but standard for McKennitt, example of how production can ruin a song and McKennitt, as producer, ought to have known better than so tragically obscure her own lines.

On The Visit, all of the songs are slow and while many of them have a decent number of instruments, the fullness of sound is often overwhelming. And the tracks that do not at least fill the listener's ear up with music tend to be quiet and boring. This is not an exciting album and as a result, even lovers of Celtic music are bound to be disappointed by it and find after a rather short time that it ends up out of high rotation.

As for me, I bow out of even my usual best and worst tracks: this album is just indistinct, musical mush and listeners can do a lot better than what McKennitt gives them on this.

For other Loreena McKennitt albums, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Elemental
To Drive The Cold Winter Away
Parallel Dreams
The Book Of Secrets
A Midwinter Night’s Dream

3/10

For other music reviews, be sure to check out my Music Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Grape And Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candies Are The Weak Link In Jelly Belly’s New Gummi Line.

Click here to buy a case of Jelly Belly Grape And Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candies!
The Good: Good lime taste, Presence of Vitamin C, Fun and whimsical.
The Bad: EXPENSIVE, Grape taste does not pop.
The Basics: Jelly Belly Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candies are not as distinctive as the other Pet Cockroaches and is a tougher sell.


Thanks to a timely package from the fine folks at Jelly Belly, I have been able to try the Jelly Belly Blackberry And Cherry Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy (reviewed here!) and Jelly Belly Blackberry And Orange Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy (reviewed here!) early, as they are shipping to most major markets now and aren’t expected to reach full market penetration until right before Halloween. Having (unexpectedly) enjoyed the Orange and Cherry flavors, I was eager to break into the Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach that would finish my experience with the new product line.

Meh. Unfortunately, the Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach didn’t do it for me. It’s not a bad candy, it’s just not as distinctive as the other two and for the $1.50 - $1.80 recommended price, that’s not enough to get a ringing endorsement from me, even if they are nutritious!

Basics

The Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach is a flavor of Jelly Belly Gummi Candies and part of their growing line of bug and creature gummi candies! Jelly Belly Pet Cockroaches are approximately three and a half inches long by two and a half inches wide by 9/10” thick and shaped like a big, Grape and Lime and black cockroach with six legs, two antennae, a head, carapace, and the tiniest little tail coming out the butt! Interestingly, the packages do not try to define the flavor, though online they are marketed as a Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach.

The Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy from Jelly Bellys are still very new and thus are only available in individual 1.5 oz. packages, or cases of the same. This is represents a single serving and is pretty much how the entire candy industry produces their packs, so (for a change) I have no beef about the packaging. What is alternately cool and really freaky is that each Pet Cockroach comes with a little fact card. The fact card both protects the Pet Cockroach in transit and freaks out the consumer with basic information about the creature the candy is modeled after! The fact card does not appear to change between the flavors of Cockroach.

Ease Of Preparation

These are gummi candies, not eating real cockroaches on a dare! Consuming these is as easy as opening the individual package, sliding the card and Pet Cockroach out and consuming the candy. There is no additional prep needed, except responsible disposal of the packaging.

Taste

The Jelly Belly Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy smells overwhelmingly of grape. There is not even a hint of citrus scent from the lime aspect of these Pet Cockroaches, which sets the consumer up for a very sweet, dry flavor as opposed to anything tangy and sour.

Jelly Belly defies those expectations with the green portions of the Pet Cockroach! From the moment the tongue hits the green legs or mandibles of the Gummi Cockroach, the tongue is washed in a very light, peppy lime flavor. There is almost no sour aspect to the flavor (that is replaced by sweet) and the citrus is distinctive.

I was about to write off the grape flavor, an irony considering how strong the scent of grape is when opening the package initially. However, the grape – which is muted and dull, generically sweet, at first – comes alive as a surprisingly robust aftertaste. It is only as an aftertaste that the mouth feels like it has just consumed a whole glass of dark grape juice! The flavor is there, but one has to wait for it. In bites that have both the grape and the lime, the lime overwhelms any grape flavor until the candy is swallowed. Then, as the tart lime dissipates, the dry flavor of grape manifests.

Nutrition

Again, these are Gummi candies, not actual cockroaches or fruit, but the Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy come with 100% of one's RDA of Vitamin C and that makes it a worthwhile alternative to vitamins. Outside that, it behooves one to realized that Gummi Candies, even Jelly Belly Gummi Candies, are not a legitimate source of nutrition. These are a snack food, a dessert, and are in no way an adequate substitute for a real meal. A serving is listed as a single cockroach, with each serving having 130 calories.

Each Jelly Belly Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy is not as bad as they could be in the nutrition area. They have a negligible amount of fat (from Coconut Oil that is way down the ingredient list) and two whole grams of protein. These are not Vegan compliant because they contain gelatin! However, it is Kosher gelatin, so these do appear to be Kosher! They have only one percent of the daily sodium with 15 mg and they are made in a peanut free factory! The main ingredients are corn syrup, sugar, and Kosher gelatin. These are made in a peanut free factory, as well!

Storage/Clean-up

Jelly Belly Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candies have a shelf life of approximately one year, though mine did not last fifteen minutes after I opened the package! They remain freshest when they are kept in their package and they ought to be kept in a cool environment. Storing them in hot places is likely to make the gummi candy denature. Kept in a cool, dry place, the Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy seems to retain its flavor well. The Gummi I received last week had an expiration date of June 25, 2013 and, had I not opened it today, I am sure that with proper handling, it would easily have lasted that long.

As for cleanup, unless one allows the Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy to get hot to the point that it denatures and gets sticky, there should be no cleanup necessary.

Overall

The Grape and Lime Pet Cockroach Gummi Candy is not bad, but it is hardly as distinctive as the others in the line. Fortunately, it is still a far tastier way to get a whole day’s worth of Vitamin C than a pill, which at least puts it ahead of most candy on the market.

For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Sunkist Grape and Lime Slices
Beanboozled Jelly Bean Assortment
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Dips Jelly Beans

5/10

For other food or drink reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Why Trekkers Love Galaxy Quest

The Good: Funny, Decent acting, Good concept
The Bad: Predictable plot and character arcs
The Basics: In a clever science fiction comedy, a crew of actors from a science fiction show are impressed by aliens to save their race from a brutal enemy.


As I consider Galaxy Quest, a story Robert Picardo (Star Trek Voyager) told at a Star Trek convention comes to mind. The venerable actor was on stage talking about being on a plane when the in-flight movie was Galaxy Quest. Several people on the plane had recognized him from his work on Star Trek and as he watched, he noticed people on the plane watching him with a generally nervous sense about them. He commented on how when he started laughing and made it clear that he was enjoying the film, the plane began to openly enjoy the movie. It was like the people on the plane who respected Picardo and his work needed his permission to enjoy the parody. Picardo, for his part, enjoyed the film quite a bit; he has quite a good sense of humor (actually, he's one of the funniest people alive today and he was perfectly cast as The Doctor on Star Trek Voyager). The thing is, most Trekkers - which I count myself as - have a sense of humor about our subculture and were thrilled to have a movie that actually includes us (even if in parody).

Years after the cult-classic science fiction show Galaxy Quest is canceled, the actors from the show are finding themselves virtually unemployable as actors and working the convention circuit making money signing autographs and dealing with their fans one on one. The star of the show, Jason Nesmith - who played the captain of the ship - is egocentric and thrives on the celebrity, while his sidekick, the accomplished actor Alexander Dane laments the loss of his legitimate career. When actual aliens arrive to enlist Nesmith in a fight against an oppressive adversary - misinterpreting the old television show broadcasts for historical documents - Nesmith reunites the cast to try to bluff their way through saving the galaxy.

The fundamental problem, of course, is that Nesmith is an actor, not a starship captain, just as Fred Kwan is not an engineer, Tommy is not a pilot and Dane is not actually an alien (though for the convention, he has donned his prosthetic). When it becomes clear that the stakes are life and death, the actors must rise to the occasion and work together to save the galaxy.

There are too few science fiction comedies out there. There are even fewer that are smart science fiction comedies (Dude, Where's My Car? - reviewed here - for example, would fall into the "not smart science fiction" category). Galaxy Quest manages to be a smart science fiction comedy in addition to being a clever commentary on the role of television - specifically shows that have a cult following - in American society and culture. Part of what makes this show work is the concept of how roles like the fictional show Galaxy Quest provide can both make actors and destroy their careers, sprout a loyal and devoted audience and isolate that following from living balanced lives. That's clever and well-executed in this film. It's what we in the subculture "get."

Some Trekkers object to the parody, as most of the fans in Galaxy Quest are overweight, living with their parents and dateless males. Writers David Howard and Robert Gordon call it as they see it and their representation is an accurate parody, the hyperbole of the most visible and disturbing element of the subculture (i.e. it's hard to parody the NASA engineer who was inspired by Star Trek as effectively as the socially-isolated teen whose sole interface with others is the convention experience).

As for the story itself - outside the commentary it seeks to make - Galaxy Quest is solidly entertaining. Nesmith and his crew of actors face the amusing foibles of acclimating to a real ship based on the one they operated for years on their television show. As they experience wonder at stepping on alien worlds and horror at the brutality of the enemy's attacks, the audience finds their fish-out-of-water struggle entertaining.

A lot of it, though, is tied closely with the commentary, though. So, for example, Gwen DeMarco, Jason's quasi-love interest and costar, finds herself feeling useless and angry as her role on the show - and on the ship - was to ask the computer for information. This is a terrible role to play in reality and one that is frequently redundant. Yet, watching her adapt to being the interface on the ship is amusing. Equally amusing is engineer Fred Kwan's easy adaptation to the ship, as if jumping off into outer space and becoming chief engineer of a space vessel happens every day to him.

While the character arcs are largely predictable - Nesmith learns the value of teamwork, Dane discovers the importance of the role he has so long despised - the characters here are intriguing. Nesmith is an entirely self-absorbed egoist and it's refreshing to see how he reacts when faced with reality. After all, how does a man whose career is based on the force of his personality react and survive when real peril presents itself? There's the famous quote to the effect of faking confidence and actual confidence yield the same result and Galaxy Quest seeks to explore that using the foil characters of Nesmith and Dane.

What sells Galaxy Quest to the larger audience is certainly the acting. Tim Allen pulls off the preening egoist Nesmith with amazing efficiency and realism. Allen, as Nesmith, energizes the convention audience when he appears on stage and it is Allen's innate charisma that convinces the movie audience that this is realistic. Allen can work a crowd and in his early scenes as Nesmith, he embodies that type of performer.

Sigourney Weaver, who portrays Gwen, is wonderful as a frustrated actress who lives very much in the real world. Weaver's strength in Galaxy Quest comes from being able to effectively play off Allen and convince the audience of the reality of their love-hate relationship.

Alan Rickman is great as Alexander Dane, though it seems like the role is not a stretch for such a dignified actor. Similarly, Tony Shalhoub (best known for his performance of the quirky detective Monk) is great as the easygoing engineer Kwan. Like Rickman, however, the role does not seem to push the actor into any terribly new territory. Instead, this is a role he makes appear effortless and the enjoyment in watching him perform is for the humor he is able to bring out as a result.

One of my favorite performances in Galaxy Quest comes in the form of Enrico Colantoni's portrayal of the extraterrestrial Mathesar. Colantoni is probably best known to American audiences as the promiscuous photographer Elliot on Just Shoot Me, though he gave an incredible dramatic performance of a mentally retarded son of Andy's sponsor on NYPD Blue for a few episodes in the second season. Colantoni is able to combine the two performances into a humorous, unsettlingly weird presentation of an alien on Earth with Mathesar. He steals the scenes he is in.

All in all, Galaxy Quest is solidly entertaining and genuinely funny, though the humor does not hold up terribly well over multiple (5+) viewings. It's worth your attention and a lot of fun for science fiction fans. Or those who like mocking us.

For other science fiction comedies, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Men In Black III
Paul


7/10

For other film reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing of films I have reviewed!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A Wonderful Mint Toothpaste That Whitens Teeth: Colgate Total Whitening Gel!

The Good: Tastes good, Actually whitens teeth, Inexpensive
The Bad: Does less against tartar and does not whiten teeth as fast as I would have liked.
The Basics: Colgate Total Whitening Gel keeps teeth clean while whitening them. I just wish it worked faster!


I like it when products work. I get a kick out of toothpastes that make claims and then live up to them Colgate Total Whitening Gel is a toothpaste that does what it promises; I just wish it would do it faster.

My wife and I purchased the 6.0 oz. tube of Colgate Total Whitening Gel three months ago and since then we have been using it twice daily. Despite that, the key selling point of the toothpaste, the whitening aspect, took about a month to manifest for both of us, which is not a dealbreaker, but is annoying. After about four weeks of using Colgate Total Whitening Gel twice a day, I noticed less yellow on my teeth, which confirmed that whitening aspect of the toothpaste was working! Well in advance of that, I found the Total care aspect – freshening breath, cleaning teeth and the like – was evident.

Colgate Total Whitening Gel is an inexpensive, but surprisingly effective toothpaste with several selling point functions. It comes in a classic tube design with a plastic top that unscrews from the tube. The 6.0 oz. tube is eight inches long by two inches wide and it tapers near the end with the nozzle. When the cap is unscrewed, there is a hard plastic nozzle which directs the product out of the tube and onto one's toothbrush. Toothpaste is easily dispensed from this type tube by flattening the plastic tube from the bottom toward the top and this also allows the user to get the most out of it.

To use Colgate Total Whitening Gel, simply dispense a small amount onto the bristles of a toothbrush and bring the brush up to your mouth and spread the toothpaste over teeth using the brush. Then agitate the toothpaste into a foam to clean teeth entirely and expectorate the product (the process takes about a minute). Rinse mouth to remove any excess toothpaste and theoretically, the process should be complete and your teeth ought to feel wonderful.

The reason I continue to use Colgate Total Whitening Gel is that it seems to work. Since starting to use this toothpaste, I have developed no cavities and there has been no noticeable tartar or plaque build-up on my teeth. Add to that, my teeth have gotten lighter. Colgate Total Whitening Gel only whitened my teeth about one shade on the color shade chart after two months use. Despite not claiming to be tartar control, I have noticed less tartar on my teeth, though I suspect the fact that I increased my regular flossing may be as responsible for that as the toothpaste.

Colgate Total Whitening Gel significantly freshens breath. The toothpaste tastes minty, like a blend of peppermint and spearmint. It has an instant cooling effect to it that makes my whole mouth taste fresh and clean. The taste of mint is appropriately strong and the intensity of the toothpaste is refreshing. It instantly makes my teeth, gums, tongue, cheeks and throat feel cool and fresh. After brushing with Colgate Total Whitening Gel, my mouth left me feeling quite a bit more confident about doing such basic things as kissing my wife.

Colgate Total Whitening Gel works well and though it might not work fast, it is a good toothpaste worth buying.

For other mouth care products, please visit my reviews of:
Listerine Total Care Fresh Mint mouthwash
Colgate Whitening Rinse
OxyFresh Dental Gel

7/10

For other health and beauty reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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30 Rock Season 5 Is An Odd Mix Of Reinvention And Familiarity!

The Good: Some truly great lines, Very funny, Decent acting, Good DVD bonus features.
The Bad: Plots and character elements tend to be more familiar than audacious.
The Basics: 30 Rock has a somewhat tumultuous fifth season that works hard to restore the characters to pretty much who we know them to be.


I have been told that I am overly hard on 30 Rock. It has taken me quite a while to get in the fifth season DVD set of 30 Rock, but once I managed to get it in, I truly did rocket through the entire season. In its fifth season, 30 Rock struck me as a very odd conundrum. Characters that I liked before, I no longer care about (most notably Kenneth) and some of the funniest performers on the show seemed bored with the work themselves (Tracy Morgan seems “done” with Tracy Jordan for portions of the season and in the later arc where Jordan is off “in Africa,” I discovered I did not miss his presence). Conversely, I found myself quoting and sharing more lines from the fifth season of 30 Rock than I had shared from most of the prior seasons.

The result is that on DVD, the fifth season of 30 Rock is worthwhile and possibly more interesting to those who have had it with some of the prior seasons. 30 Rock sees both a continuation and a rebirth of the show, though the serialized elements ultimately work very hard to restore more familiar patterns for the characters, than actually allow them to grow. So, for example, it does not take long to restore Kenneth to the NBC Page Program or for Liz Lemon to find herself single, though Jack helps her get through some serious psychological issues that have been holding her relationships back.

In its fifth season, the fictionalized version of NBC on 30 Rock is in the process of being bought out by the family-friendly KableTown. This sets off a series of personal and professional crises for most of the members of the show T.G.S. With Tracy Jordan. In the fifth season of 30 Rock, the main arcs include: Liz and the pilot Carol having a relationship, Jack negotiating his new relationship with Avery whom he has gotten pregnant, Kenneth working his way back into the NBC Page Program, and Tracy Jordan discovering life with actual critical acclaim when his film Hard To Watch makes him an Indie movie star.

The problem is, too many of the plot arcs get resolved easily and leave the characters essentially lost. For example, Kenneth makes it back into the NBC Page Program and after that is a virtual nonentity for the remainder of the season. In fact, between Kenneth acting as a sidekick to Jenna when she grifts the local Carvel and him acting as a sidekick to Liz Lemon to try to find Tracy at the end of the season, it is virtually impossible to recall anything Kenneth does in the fifth season of 30 Rock. He references Hill People attacks and that’s a joke that has been done to death on the show by now.

In a similar fashion, Liz Lemon’s relationship with Carol predictably deteriorates. This seems far more a function of plot than actual character. In addition to having a great sense of compatibility, while Liz is dating Carol, Jack helps her discover the root causes of some of her most severe dysfunctions, most significantly, the root cause of her distaste for sexuality. So, when the relationship collapses, it feels much more like the function of having brought on a guest star for whom television is not where he wants to be (in this case, Matt Damon) and the need to get Liz back to a single status. As a viewer who actually cares about the characters, this becomes incredibly disheartening to watch.

In a similar way, Jack’s relationship with Avery has remarkably few consequences for the character. Jack has one issue with negotiating with the nanny, but the presence of Liddy in his life does not really impact him otherwise. Some of Jack’s most time-consuming issues actually come up after Liddy is born and Jack and Avery are married, like the pre-taped Disaster Relief Special and the massive contrivance he orchestrates to get Liz to have a one night stand! So, the characters in 30 Rock Season 5 tend to be changing back to the familiar, far more than growing this season.

Many of the secondary characters in the fifth season of 30 Rock feel truly secondary. The only memorable contribution Cerie has in the entire season is mentioning to Liz how she gets rid of creepy men at nightclubs! “Toofer” might get a first and last name, but his peak is early as part of a conflict Jack Donaghy has with a Congresswoman who is fighting the KableTown merger. Even Frank is given astonishingly little.

That said, 30 Rock Season 5 uses Scott Adsit pretty well. As Pete Hornberger, the beleaguered producer on T.G.S, Adsit is able to portray a much more quiet zany quality than Tracy Morgan’s Tracy Jordan. Adsit plays Pete as earnest and gets away with some of the creepiest lines of the series in season five simply through the remarkably way he presents them.

But not all of the attempts that 30 Rock makes in its fifth season actually work. Sure, the live episode (and the DVD features both the East and West Coast versions of the episode that originally aired live on NBC) is clever and fun, but after Tracy Jordan disappears, his wife Angie gets her own reality television show. A whole episode of 30 Rock is mired in presenting the Queen Of Jordan reality show and it just falls flat.

On DVD, 30 Rock season five is loaded with a decent number of bonus features. In addition to the West Coast Version of “Live Show,” the fifth season DVD set of 30 Rock has decent commentary tracks, deleted scenes, a featurette on the making of “Live Show,” a standalone version of Jenna’s obituary song and the animated Jack Donaghy spots. These add up to enough value to make it worth picking up the boxed set, as opposed to just waiting for these 22 episodes to hit regular rounds in syndication.

For other seasons of 30 Rock, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4

7/10

For other television reviews, be sure to visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the television shows I have reviewed!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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How Did A Rip-Off Of Singin’ In The Rain Win Best Picture?!

The Good: Well-shot, Moments of performance, Generally good story
The Bad: Hammy overacting by the leads, Familiar story, Characters that it is virtually impossible to empathize with, Repetitive
The Basics: The Artist is another great example of a year the Best Picture Oscar winner was, truly, not the best film of the year as a (mostly) silent film tells the story of the end of the silent movie era.


Ever since I started making a concerted effort to watch and review every film that won the Best Picture Oscar, I have been loath to review a film simply because it won the Best Picture. Such reviews usually devolve into a diatribe about why the movie deserved to win or, more commonly, why it should not have won. It’s taken me until now to muster up the enthusiasm to watch the latest Best Picture winner. I knew Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes did not have a chance for even a nomination (which is too bad, it was one of the best films of 2011), but either Inception (which at least was nominated the year before!) or The Help embodied more of what I expect from a Best Picture winner than what little I knew about The Artist.

The Artist is a gimmick movie. Writer and director Michel Hazanavicius created a black and white, (mostly) silent film and passed it off as an incredible piece of work. The only surprise for me with The Artist is that no one else seems to be making the argument that Hazanavicius’s film is painfully derivative. As I have very often said, if you are going to steal, don’t steal from the classics! Within ten minutes of the opening of The Artist, I had the distinct feeling I had seen the film before. And I have. It’s Singin’ In The Rain!

Seriously. If you remove the color and strip away the music, The Artist is just a cheap knock-off of Singin’ In The Rain (reviewed here!). Barely more complicated than that, The Artist is particularly charmless and seems to be so short on its own idea that its themes (both in content and musical) get repeated so often that one would have to be pretty much braindead to not understand what George Valentin is going through. Moreover, in today’s current economic climate, The Artist seems to be even more of an elitist endeavor; people have to change careers or adapt their career on a daily basis lest they (literally) starve. George Valentin’s struggle to adapt to the “talking pictures” seems a ridiculous fight the longer The Artist progresses. It is easier to be sympathetic to Bill Murray’s vaudevillian character in Cradle Will Rock (reviewed here!); at least he had layers!

The Artist follows George Valentin, celebrity of the silent movie serials. In 1927, he is the talk of Hollywood and the biggest thing in movies. Following one of his movie premieres, dancer Peppy Miller literally stumbles into stardom by knocking into George and, despite the tension it causes between George and his wife, she becomes a leading lady opposite him in a string of highly-successful movies. Change comes when the studio wants to do talking pictures and Peppy eagerly adapts. But George wants nothing to do with the talking pictures and when one of his projects and one of Peppy’s films go head to head, hers is a success and his flops, leaving him bankrupt. Over the years that follow, George spirals down into depression, losing everything, until his dog saves him from his own attempt to burn down his house and a subsequent suicide attempt foiled by Peppy. In the aftermath, Peppy lays her own career on the line for George.

The novelty of a black and white picture seems particularly cheesy in the high-definition age. Did director Michel Hazanavicius think viewers would not buy into the reality of the late 1920s, early 1930s if it was in color?! The sound editing makes a bit more sense – before the final moments of the film, there is a nightmare scene that is rich with sound effects and the score is one that embodies the sound and feel of early movies. The combination of making a silent movie and making it black and white feels gimmicky.

None of the characters popped. George Valentin is self-obsessed and after he loses his celebrity, he is utterly boring. Charisma does not just die, but in The Artist, it does with Valentin. Similarly, Peppy Miller is cute, but her role serves little other than to promote the perception that great dancers make for great actors and given how monolithic her performance is, she seems only to have her celebrity from her association with Valentin for her start. She has no real “hook” outside that and it is implausible that she would be anything other than a “flavor of the month” without him.

That said, it is easy to empathize with Clifton, George’s (and later Peppy’s) chauffeur. He has nothing to do but wait on George and when George sinks into depression and his brand of poverty, Clifton’s is the last loyalty he loses.

On the acting front, The Artist is a pageant of overacting. Unlike how sound is used at key moments in The Artist, the acting is homogeneously hammy overacting. That is to say, it makes sense for Jean Dujardin to flail about and over-utilize his facial expressions and sense of movement when his character George is in full celebrity mode or acting on set in the movies within the movie. But that during the deeply personal moments he retains the goofy performance style makes it impossible to take the big dramatic moments of the film seriously.

Similarly, Bernice Bejo seems to hit the same note over and over again. Playing more off her simple good looks, Bejo might make Peppy dance incredibly well, but she fails to make her interesting or distinctive in any real way. Even familiar stalwarts like John Goodman and James Cromwell (producer/director Al Zimmer and Clifton, respectively) do not give performances that could be defined as even “noteworthy.”

Now on DVD and Blu-Ray, The Artist comes with bonus features that, given how disappointed I was with the primary feature, I could not be bothered to check out. The Artist was, quite simply, that unimpressive.

For other works with Beth Grant, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Extract
No Country For Old Men
Southland Tales
Matchstick Men
Donnie Darko

[As the winner of the Best Picture Oscar, this film is included in my Best Picture Project! Be sure to check that out for an organized listing of reviews of EVERY Best Picture Oscar winner!]

2.5/10

For other film reviews, be sure to check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Harry Kim Gets A Decent Episode That's A "Non Sequitur"

The Good: Good acting, Interesting character development
The Bad: Plot holes one could fly a shuttlecraft through
The Basics: When Harry Kim encounters a generic space/time anomaly, he inexplicable works to "right" the timeline and put himself back aboard the distant, doomed U.S.S. Voyager.


Star Trek, as a franchise, is obsessed with time travel and incidents involving time and space. Star Trek: Voyager is no exception to that rule, but from the beginning, I was real wary of how the show would deal with time travel episodes. The essential problem that Star Trek: Voyager faces when dealing with time travel is that the show must deal with both time and space. That is, because the basic premise of the show is that the U.S.S. Voyager is lost tens of thousands of light years away from known space, any temporal anomaly they encounter will either put them back in time in their displaced area or create a reality wherein Voyager is not lost in the Delta Quadrant. When the series reached "Non Sequitur," early in the second season, it created the first one of these problems that resulted in an interesting, but somewhat unsatisfactory episode.

Harry Kim, alone in a shuttlecraft, suddenly finds himself awake and alive on Earth. Bewildered, Kim soon learns that he is working for StarFleet Engineering on a new Runabout design. Confused by what happened, Kim begins to push away his girlfriend Libby and hunt for Tom Paris, who never made it onto the U.S.S. Voyager in this reality as a result of a problem on Deep Space Nine. Kim learns that in this altered reality, another person had his posting on Voyager and he teams up with the very rogue Tom Paris to return himself to the proper timeline.

Why? Who knows? I mean, seriously, anytime on Star Trek: Voyager that the ship or crew ends up near Earth, one has to ask why they bother trying to get back. In "Non Sequitur," Kim basically makes a choice to return to exile and possible death under the idea that time in this new formation is somehow not "right." There's not even a moment that this character is looking around Earth saying "cha-ching! I hit the jackpot!" One might say that that means his character has an integrity that makes him put the welfare of the crew above his own. I say it's bad writing ("Non Sequitur" was written by staff one-trick pony Brannon Braga) and it makes little sense.

What makes almost no sense is how Kim translates both time and space. I get the time travel; Kim hits some sort of time stream that sends him into an alternate reality. Okay, how is it the alternate reality puts him back at home? Shouldn't he be in an alternate reality, alone somewhere in the Delta Quadrant? But let's give Braga the idea that whatever problem the time stream represents (there's an alien on the alternate Earth who was sent to aid Kim and help him get back to Voyager) it can translate our normal, happy Harry Kim to this alternate reality in both time and place. This begs the question: why aren't there two Harry Kims? There ought to be Harry Kim (native to this timestream) and (our everyday average) Harry Kim. This episode has some shades of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Parallels" (reviewed here!), save that that episode was careful enough to illustrate where the roaming Worfs went.

In short, this episode is one poorly constructed spatial-anomaly-of-the-week episode and it does not satisfy any viewer who has a lick of desire to understand what is supposedly actually going on.

That said, it's fun to watch. Once we accept that the spatial anomaly that is creating the plot is poorly conceived and surrender to simply experiencing the episode, "Non Sequitur" is not bad. First off, this episode gives Harry Kim a chance to actually shine. In the only previous Harry Kim episode, "Emanations" (reviewed here!), Kim did little but die and listen to others debate religion. Here he has the chance to be heroic and he lives up to the role.

"Non Sequitur" provides Kim with a problem that he must solve and he relies on his intelligence and ingenuity to make it happen. It's refreshing, given how neglected his character has been thus far, to see that he has actual cleverness to him. Given that he is a relatively green character, it's refreshing to see even the most junior officers are competent. Kim lives up to what fans of the franchise hope the standards of StarFleet are.

Moreover, "Non Sequitur" evolves well into a decent buddy story. Finding Tom Paris, Kim uses what he knows from his reality to convince Paris to join him and the two team up well to do their thing, which in this case means stealing the experimental runabout from StarFleet. This, of course, raises the other irksome question of "if Harry Kim uses a Runabout to get back to where he belongs in the timestream, what happens to the Runabout and how does he end up back in the shuttlecraft he left in?"

I believe the producers would like to answer with "sit down and shut up!" Sigh.

Part of the reason Kim and Paris work so well is the acting in "Non Sequitur." Paris, played by Robert Duncan McNeill, is distinctly different from Paris on Voyager. McNeill plays Paris as more of a drunk and a loser than the rogue who is familiar in every other episode. He alters the character's body language and even the force with which the character speaks to portray a truly alternate version of the character.

But it is Garrett Wang who rules "Non Sequitur." Wang embodies Harry Kim as clever, resourceful and energetic, things he seldom has the chance to do most weeks. Wang makes the viewer believe in his character's integrity, eagerness and physical abilities, though we've not seen them from him before. It is Wang's acting that takes the episode from a plot-intensive disappointment and pulls it into average territory.

Ultimately, "Non Sequitur" begins a series of spatial anomalies that find the U.S.S. Voyager or members of its crew at Earth or Federation space with little explanation as to how things actually work. This is a weaker episode, but there's just enough to recommend at least one viewing, if not owning this one.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Voyager - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the sophomore season here!
Thanks!]

6/10

For other Star Trek reviews, please check out my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Quite A Bit Better Than The Mail-Away, The Spirit Obi-Wan Figure Is Worth Picking Up!

The Good: Amazing sculpting and coloring detail, Decent accessories, Good balance
The Bad: Still cannot sit down.
The Basics: Very close to perfect the Spirit Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen on Dagobah does everything one could want from a spectral image of Obi-Wan, save sit!


Just when I thought I was all out, I am delighted to discover that I have at least one more box of Star Wars figures to go through before my forthcoming move! It’s very exciting for me and I actually find I am enjoying trimming away the fat in my collection. I actually should have known about this box (which I hope to get through before I get deluged with this year’s Hallmark ornaments for review!); I previously reviewed two of the four Dagobah Original Trilogy Collection figures and I knew I bought all four at the same time when they were first released, so . . . I should have known that the Spirit Obi-Wan was kicking around somewhere for me to review!

For those unfamiliar with the Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi as he appeared on Dagobah, in the middle of The Empire Strikes Back (reviewed here!), the Spirit Of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears on the planet Dagobah to help guide Luke Skywalker. After appearing only as a spectral voice to advise Yoda to train Luke, Obi-Wan appears in spirit form to try to talk Luke out of quitting his training and going to confront Darth Vader.

The 4" Obi-Wan Kenobi figure is pretty impressive and because it is so well-detailed, it is easy to use this to replace every prior Spirit Of Obi-Wan Kenobi figure released! This, despite the fact that it seems to be just a recoloring of another Obi-Wan Kenobi figure released around the same time. This is actually a cool and impressive toy.

Basics

The Spirit Obi-Wan is a great sculpting of the familiar hero of the Star Wars Trilogy. Here, he is cast just like he looked in A New Hope and colored to look like he did as a spirit in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. The figure stands 3 5/8" tall and he is dressed in the brown and cream-colored cloaks he wore when he was killed on the Death Star. What makes him so incredible is the coloring. It is clear the mold used was for a prior Obi-Wan Kenobi figure – there is a hole intended to hold a lightsaber hilt, but this figure comes with no such accessory. What Hasbro did on the coloring front was use translucent plastic with a pearlescent sheen to replicate the sparkling effect of the Spirit Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared as in the film. The entire figure is cast in soft plastics.

This toy is a decent sculpt, looking just like Obi-Wan Kenobi after he died. The Spirit Obi-Wan is well-detailed in his coloring detail; even his skin has additional shading due to the pearlescent effect! Despite his lips not being colored at all, the Spirit Obi-Wan makes up for it with incredible depth and shading to his hair. His blue eyes are bright and have a sort of spectral appearance to them as well. As well, there is a decent level of costuming detailing; the hood on the outer cloak looks realistically rendered to have the volume of the hood and the texture to the costume looks incredible.

Accessories

The Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi is over-accessorized with only a lightsaber, as well as a stand that connects with the stand from other Dagobah Trilogy Collection figures! That the Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi figure comes with a lightsaber is somewhat pointless; the character was dead when he appeared, he couldn’t even hold a lightsaber! Regardless, Spirit Obi-Wan comes with a well-constructed 3” blue-bladed lightsaber with a silver and black hilt. It fits his right hand well-enough, but is not terrible sensible. Still, it is nice that Hasbro included something with him.

The Original Trilogy Collection figures come with stands, including the Spirit Obi-Wan. This stand, however, is a three inches long by two and five-eighths inches wide brown patch that looks like swamp ground. The stand includes the log upon which Obi-Wan sat in Return Of The Jedi. As well, there is a peg, which fits the hole in either of Spirit Of Obi-Wan Kenobi's feet!

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and Obi-Wan Kenobi is great in that regard. The figure is generally well-articulated and has excellent balance when off his stand. This Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi figure comes with eight points of articulation, which is a vast improvement over the statue-like mail-away Obi-Wan Kenobi released as part of Kenner’s Power Of The Force toy line! The Spirit Obi-Wan has joints at the elbows, wrists, shoulders, neck, and waist. Like most Star Wars figures, these are all just simple swivel joints.

This is a great figure for posing or for play. As well, it does have decent balance on or off his stand.

Collectibility

The Spirit Obi-Wan is part of the 2004 Original Trilogy Collection four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was not very common at all, but largely recast figures that had been previously released by Kenner. Hasbro sought to improve the old figures by having a greater attention to detail, coloring and accessory detail and proportion. As such, this Obi-Wan Kenobi is a distinct improvement as far as balance, detailing and accessories from the earlier Spirit Obi-Wan. Released as Original Trilogy Collection (2004) figure #03, this figure is a good idea for those creating an ultimate collection of each major character. It is hard to imagine how this figure might be improved upon, save with even softer robes and knee articulation.

Overview

The Original Trilogy Collection Spirit Obi-Wan is the definitive undead Obi-Wan Kenobi, making it a worthwhile buy, especially at today’s deflated prices on the figure!

For reviews of other 2004 Original Trilogy Collection figures, please visit my reviews of:
01 Luke Skywalker (Dagobah)
02 Yoda
018 Bespin Princess Leia
019 Cloud Car Pilot
020 Lobot

9/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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