All-new? Carmen's been on the air since 1994. What in the world are you guys talking about? And did
someone forget their calculus homework?
It's been eight years since the series first aired, and now, Carmen gets a new lease of life with Time Traveler (see review) and Carmen's Revenge. Since this is a review on a VHS tape, there will be significantly less text than the DVD review.
Because of Lions Gate's budget cuts (or my lacking of a video capture card), I will be using screenshots from the Carmen trailer featuring scenes from "Retribution."
The Episodes:
Looks like the guys at DIC Inc. decided to do some major editing before releasing the tape. I guess the company really got a short shrift on the budget--even the title cards have a facelift, and it's not pretty. (Imagine the title card, except take out that fancy font in the title and replace it with tiny Arial-fonted type, like the text you just read. And yes, I know it's not Carmen's Revenge.) All three titles of the episodes appear in the front, one after another. If you know the story, skip the next several sections. If not, continue.
Dr. Gunnar Maelstrom dies in a prison escape attempt. Zack and Ivy visit the jail, and they get a crash course from the Chief on Maelstrom, including his capture by Carmen Sandiego, who was an Acme detective back then. Maelstrom tried to steal the Titanic by stealing the log book belonging to the ship Carpathia and stealing Jason Junior, a camera-robot designed for underwater expeditions. Carmen starts off solo and is soon joined by the Chief, in his robot form. Zack and Ivy quickly deduce Maelstrom didn't die as first thought, and so they trail him to Central America, where they get captured by Maelstrom.
Zack and Ivy escape from Maelstrom's ship to find Carmen. Carmen believes Maelstrom is dead, and breaks into Folsom State Prison to retrieve Maelstrom's prison cap. While Carmen goes her way to bury Maelstrom's memory, Zack and Ivy trail Maelstrom to Key Largo, Florida--where Maelstrom turns a five-star hotel into his hideout, and nearly does a good amount of injury to the two detectives. Zack and Ivy now decide it's imperative for them to warn Carmen. Just when Carmen's about to bury Maelstrom's memory, Maelstrom comes to his own funeral--with nearly lethal results. Zack and Ivy have no choice but to let Carmen work with them when she's the only lead to Maelstrom--and when you lead, they will follow. Zack, Ivy, and Carmen are captured again, this time in Williamsburg, where Carmen is humiliated big time. Eventually, the detectives and thief escape, but Zack and Ivy are now under arrest by Virginia police.
Carmen returns to the police station to find Zack and Ivy stuck with a mountain load of paperwork (note the Chief: "Aren't there any trees left in Virginia? Sheesh!"). She's found a clue Maelstrom left, and convinces Zack and Ivy to leave Virginia without finishing all the paperwork. Maelstrom steals Bizet's opera Carmen from the Paris Opera House, which makes Carmen look...bad. Really bad. It gets even worse when it comes to light that Maelstrom's trying to steal Noah's Ark, and he's going to steal it at any cost. The trio of detectives (okay, more like duo detectives and one thief) invade on the USS San Diego and capture Maelstrom, averting a potential disaster.
The Video:
Overall good transfer. There is some slight print damage though, but that won't decrease the value of the tape. But why Lions Gate keep editing the part-episodes is beyond worth asking.
The Sound:
Clear and flat, and even though the back of the box says "Dolby Stereo," it sounds more like mono. Hmmm.
Extras:
Could we say ANNOYING? I can't remember movies or videos being this loaded with trailers in the beginning. (Not even Disney was this loaded on trailers.) There are four--yes, four--trailers to sit through, along with a musical sequence at the very beginning showing various clips from DIC Inc.'s other cartoons. One of the four trailers is the Carmen one.
Other extras include a mini-disc demo containing the first mission of Where in the World? Treasures of Knowledge to play on your PC.
Scores:
The Episodes: Maelstrom escapes from prison, and Zack and Ivy reluctantly let Carmen rejoin Acme for awhile. Semi-good plot, well executed on TV, but badly executed on VHS. I guess the budget cuts really got to them whilst getting these episodes on tape.
6 out of 10
The Video: Some print damage
7 out of 10
The Audio: It says stereo, but it sounds like mono. You be the judge.
6 out of 10.
The Extras: Too many trailers and a mini-disc demo.
5 out of 10.
AVERAGE SCORE: 6 out of 10
Comments (Feel free to ignore this section):
This isn't exactly one of the best trilogy episodes of the series. The original format of the TV show wasn't preserved (the same thing that happened to the Time Traveler DVD and VHS), plus the new title cards really stink. Lions Gate, you did a good job on the Time Traveler DVD, you could do better, seriously. Carmen really does deserve more recognizition, but I don't think this is the way to go. Die-hard fans might want to pick this up, and parents may want to pick this up for the educational value--but seriously, this trilogy is better suited for a good riffing.
