Art and entertainment

The Silver surfer animated series is one of the best classic animated series that was sadly short-lived. I'll give a few spoilers for this review on Silver Surfer the animated series 1998.

Story:

The Silver surfer animated series is a very dark show. What makes the show terrifying is the power dynamics! The villain is almost invincible! The hero is almost powerless against him! Noran Rad is forced to make evil choices and sacrifice his humanity to save his homeland! Ironically, he loses his home despite his best efforts! Despite the complex power dynamics between the hero and villain,  Silver Surfer the animated series 1998 somehow finds a way to cleverly use internal conflicts. Most TV shows use the average external conflict formula - villain fights hero, hero beats villain, repeat. This show  is unique because it takes a completely different approach! For example, Silver Surfer might've saved his home from destruction and gained the power cosmic but it becomes a curse. He's the object of hate and scorn because of his association with Galactus. How cruel and terrifying!    

I love how the Silver Surfer goes through character development internally. You can see how traumatized he is by his choices! One of the most appealing features of the Silver surfer animated series was the vast number of civilizations! For once, the earth is not the main focus of the show as it is in many other shows.          

While it's unfortunate the show was canceled, I felt the last episode was somewhat of a fitting end for the Silver Surfer animated series. It was dark because it showed the Silver Surfer was willing to fight against Galactus to the very end no matter what the cost! I don't see a way for the Silver Surfer to defeat a villain as powerful as Galactus. At the very least, a stalemate could've been achieved which would've made Silver Surfer the animated series 1998 an extraordinary show.    

Animation:

The animation was similar to the X-Men animated series. The only difference is the Silver surfer animated series used more cel animation. It worked perfectly! I loved how the show used cel and 3D animation with purpose. The Silver surfer animated series 1998 used cel animation to greatly enhance the huge size of planets and ships! The animation made villains like Galactus more terrifying!

Cinematography: 

The Silver surfer animated series 1998 uses wide camera shots so you can see vast landscapes, civilizations, and the depths of space! Sometimes, the camera shoots from a close-up angle that shows how inferior the Silver Surfer is from Galactus' perspective. 

Dialogue: 

The dialogue is poetic and expands your vocabulary! Aside from the voice acting, the dialogue dramatically helps you relate to the characters.    

Acting: 

The voice acting was very well done! Galactus' voice actor did such phenomenal work with his voice. It was condescending, deep, and cold. Galactus was terrifying not only because of the animation but the voice as well! It had presence. Galactus and the Silver Surfer articulated their words very well!              

Soundtrack:

The Silver surfer animated series had a solid powerful opening theme! It was catchy and got you excited for an epic thrilling adventure through the galaxy! It's very rare for an animated show to have an opera-based theme. 

Theme: 

The theme of the Silver Surfer animated series centers around loss, the moral dilemma of destroying innocent lives for the greater good, and the consequences of our choices. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to save people - people and circumstances force us to choose "necessary evils" for the "greater good." The choices we make impact the world around us for better or worse. What we think is right might actually be worse for ourselves. We think self-sacrifice is noble and virtuous but the reality is it might spell disaster for those around us. The power we gain might corrupt others to be worse than us or plague us with guilt as our choices create more destruction. The power we gain might isolate us from those we love due to our dehumanization. The Silver Surfer the animated series 1998 captures these themes very well!       

In conclusion, the Silver Surfer animated series is one of the best animated series! I highly suggest buying it on DVD for best results!    

Cinematography - I absolutely love the camera angles of the Batman animated series! The wide shots not only help us to see the characters but also help us explore Gotham city more. 

Music - The music is very memorable and unforgettable! The opening sets the mood of the show in such a powerful way! You feel the suspense, fear, anticipation, and awe of seeing the Batman in action! The growing melody makes you feel all of those emotions. It helps me picture the Batman spreading his wings as he flies at criminals. 

Another memorable piece of the score was "Harvey's nightmare." It was one of the scariest pieces of music the show's score had to offer! The melody made you feel like Harvey Dent's evil personality was playing it to torment you into embracing him.

Another memorable piece of the score was the Penguin's theme. It was catchy, energetic, and playful. It expressed the Penguin's personality exceptionally well!      

Acting - All of the characters did a phenomenal job! They played their roles so well from their tones of voice to their accents, mannerisms, and more! The actor who played Batman has the best Batman impersonation ever.   

Story - The Batman animated series almost follows the same story as the dark Batman comics. The only difference is some details were altered. The Batman animated series is an action-packed, suspenseful, humorous, scary, depressing, and exciting adventure! The Batman animated series has many memorable characters who leave lasting impressions on you! I was shocked at how dark this show got despite being geared toward children. It felt more like an adult show than a children's show.

The Batman animated series is unique because the characters change for better or worse. The characters' choices make a profound impact on one another. It's interesting and nerve-racking to see what characters do in different situations! I was deeply disturbed by some of the villains' origins such as the two-face episodes. Those were some of the scariest episodes I ever saw in an animated series!          

Characters - Many characters are three-dimensional! They have their own personalities, emotions, etc. You can deeply analyze each character after every episode. Here's some of my favorite characters.

Theme - The Batman animated series deals with dark themes such as grief, trauma, loss, self-blame, and so on! The main message is you can never fully recover from trauma. It stays with you for life. You can use it to better other people's lives and your own.  

The show also explores what causes people to commit crimes and whether it's possible to rehabilitate criminals or not. The show makes you think deeply about the psychological make-up of people rather than simply label them as good or evil. 

Dialogue - The dialogue is diverse, emotional, and deep! Each character expresses him or herself in a very special manner! The dialogue is very thought-provoking! Sometimes, I reflected on the dialogue after watching some episodes and tried to analyze it. I wanted to find out what happened to particular characters.      

Flaws - Despite the show's wide success, I felt it had some flaws. Some episodes felt like filler material. They didn't feel necessary. For example, I felt some episodes just centered the theme around Christmas for fan service. 

In conclusion, I can't recommend the Batman animated series enough! This is a must-have DVD for your collection! I can almost bet money you'll love it regardless of your age or the time you grew up in!