You might remember a couple of months ago when I said there were a couple of Gerry Anderson series I had not seen. “Supercar” is one of them. Now Shout Factory has released this series on DVD in a great collection that is well worth picking up for fans of the Supermarionation series creator.
Maybe it is because I have been binge watching Gerry Anderson series the last couple of months. Maybe it has to do with the quality of the series. Maybe it is a bit of the weather as it warms and the mind wanders. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have “Thunderbirds” waiting for me, sitting here next to the computer, taunting me to be watched next.
Whatever it is, I found myself a bit distracted as I watched “Supercar” – normally I will have finished watching a series or season before writing a review, but this time I simply can not. I have watched most of “Supercar” (I am on disc 4 of 5) so I feel comfortable writing the review at this point.
The previous paragraph is not meant to dissuade you from the series, but to provide some context for my frame of mind as I watched “Supercar”. Unlike the three previous series I simply could not binge watch “Supercar” but instead a few episodes at a time. “Supercar” was the first half hour Supermarionation series by Gerry Anderson. The 3 previous series Gerry Anderson worked on were 15 minutes each episode and did not quite feature the traits we typically associate with Gerry Anderson – futuristic technology if not outright science fiction settings and the mouth movements synchronized to prerecorded dialogue.
“Supercar” features a child character in the lead, but this time he isn’t the primary protagonist. Instead we have the dashing test pilot Mike Mercury who is typically behind the wheel of the titular vehicle. The supercar is an experimental vehicle that can fly, hover over land as well as traverse submersed in water. Then there is technology to aid in its various missions, essentially allowing the writers to come up with outrageous situations for our heroes and usually a way for the car to aid in the mission’s successful completion.
Interestingly, the team and car are not “government sectioned” agents, but instead a private entity that sort of works for the government but on their own authority…. it’s a bit muddled and silly if you think too much about it, and let’s face it, for a kid’s show from over 50 years ago the fact that some thought was put into the premise at all makes it that much better than its peers. Based in Nevada (?!) the team goes out and performs rescue missions, or stopping spies from sending missiles to blow up Washington D.C., or stop criminals, or whatever. The car is a catalyst for a series of adventures through the eyes of a young lad who is given access to a fantastic vehicle.
While I enjoy “Supercar” it definitely isn’t the series to introduce modern audiences to the wonders of Gerry Anderson. As his first half hour series the presentation can be rough at times with the scripts often padded out and direction a bit… slow paced. Still, despite these it is still a marvel to watch at how Gerry Anderson had almost all the pieces in place for his future classic series from the beginning.
Special features are decent, starting off with an audio commentary by Sylvia Anderson on the first episode that is a must hear for fans. Great first-hand information from the woman who married Gerry Anderson during production of “Supercar”. Then there is a (portion of) an interview with the late Gerry Anderson himself. Finally we get a half hour “behind the scenes” style documentary on the nuts and bolts of how the series was made focusing on the late Derrik Meddings, special effects supervisor.
Pick up “Supercar”, especially if you are a Gerry Anderson fan. Maybe pick up one of the other series first though.