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Buena Vista Home Video presents

Power Rangers S.P.D.: Joining Forces Volume 1 (2005)

"S.P.D. Emergency!"- Power Rangers S.P.D.

Stars: Brandon Jay McLaren, Chris Violette
Other Stars: Matt Austin, Monica May, Alycia Purrott
Director: various

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nothing objectionable)
Run Time: 01h:46m:01s
Release Date: 2005-06-07
Genre: action

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B BB-B- C-

 

DVD Review

The Power Rangers TV series has had spinoff after spinoff over the last few years, with the latest incarnation being Power Rangers S.P.D. (Space Patrol Delta). This new series distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack by having these Rangers function as a special forces group.

The show's basic premise attempts to take the Power Rangers to the next level by jumping forward in time. Fifteen years into the future, three cadets from the Ranger Academy of the Space Patrol Delta Force team up with a pair of rookies to ward off an alien invasion. They do so with the help of Commander Anubis "Doggie" Cruger and Dr. Katherine "Kat" Manx.

Power Rangers S.P.D.: Joining Forces Vol. 1 is a great first DVD collection for this new series. There are five episodes, with the first two basically introducing the series, showing us how the Power Rangers have opened a new academy to train the next generation of Rangers. When the A-Squad disappears, it's up to B-Squad to step in. The aforementioned team of three cadets and two rookies join up and use their strange weapons and light-speed Zord vehicles to fight the aliens. These gadgets and bikes are the most exciting aspect of the show, really enhancing the action sequences.

Even after what seems like thousands of Power Rangers series, Power Rangers S.P.D. is surprisingly entertaining. Perhaps it's that the show's creators have finally let up on the cheese factor that have oozed out of the series since day one. Even the Rangers' uniforms are much more sophisticated, and, dare I say it, professional looking that in the past.

The way over-the-top villains have always been the campiest aspect, with some of them looking like giant vegetables and other un-scary monstrosities. S.P.D. still features some ridiculous antagonists, but, fortunately, they are kept to a minimum.

The five episodes in Power Rangers S.P.D.: Joining Forces Vol. 1 are:

1. Beginnings Part 12. Beginnings Part 23. Confronted4. Walls5. Dogged

Rating for Style: B
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicno


Image Transfer Review: These unflashy transfers are pretty much on-par with their TV appearance. The show is all about bright, vivid colors, and this video aspect looks spectacular here. A tinge of softness rears its ugly head, but nearly everything is sharp and detailed.

Image Transfer Grade: B-
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
DS 2.0Englishyes


Audio Transfer Review: Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also rather standard and unspectacular. The surrounds spring to life occasionally, but only during the action sequences. There is a nice bass presence, with the hum of the spaceships and other vehicles causing some boom. The overly pedestrian dialogue is delivered clearly, but in this case, I'm not so sure that that's a good thing.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 5 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
8 Other Trailer(s) featuring Chicken Little, Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows, Spider-Man: The Venom Saga, Power Rangers: Dino Thunder, Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, Beyblade The Movie: Fierce Battle, Tarzan II, Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition
1 Featurette(s)
Packaging: Keep Case
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:
  1. Delta Squad Runner Simulator: Acceptance Level: Interactive flight-simulator game
Extras Review: There are a couple of decent extra features, along with a collection of "Sneak Peeks" for other Buena Vista Home Entertainment releases.

Delta Squad Runner Simulator: Acceptance Level is an interactive game that has you pilot a Delta Squad Runner using your DVD remote's arrow keys.

There's also a short featurette called The Power Rangers Want You! with Bridge Carson, during which this character and others talk about what it's like to be a Power Ranger. This is pretty cheesy material, but kids who love the series will definitely want to see this piece.

Extras Grade: C-
 

Final Comments

While it seemed like we really didn't need another Power Rangers spin-off, we got one anyway in the form of Power Rangers S.P.D. The first episodes of this series are collected on a nice DVD, with adequate audio and video and a couple of decent extra features.

Chuck Aliaga 2005-06-08