Customer Reviews

M.A.N.T.I. S: Complete Series

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

M.A.N.T.I.S. was a Classic TV Sc-Fi series on Fox from 1994 that featured a truly unique and unexpected super hero. I loved the show, but have a hard time arguing with folks who complain it was really cheesy. In my defense, it was huge FUN and that allowed me to ignore its obvious flaws and thoroughly enjoy the series.

Originally airing on Fox, it premiered on Aug. 26, 1994. It was cancelled the following year, but its final unaired episodes were shown for the first time in 1997 on the Sc-Fi Network, which was airing repeats of the entire series.

Quiet, brilliant Dr. Miles Hawkins, portrayed by Carl Lumbly (best known from roles in Alias and Cagney & Lacey), became an unexpected crime fighter. Hawkins was a scientist/inventor with a thirst for justice who could not walk after a robber's bullet left him paralyzed and also cost him his family.

Hawkins invented a shell in which he could overcome his disability and free him from his wheelchair. In effect, the suit, a metal exoskeleton, provides superhuman abilities that ultimate serves to bring out Hawkins' alter ego.

What Hawkins' invented was a "harness" from cutting-edge technology equipped with headgear allowing transmitters in his brain to bypass his damaged spine. Translation: he can walk again and more - he unexpectedly finds that in the suit he has increased strength, speed and agility.

With help from his invention, the Mechanically Augmented Neuro Transmitter System (M.A.N.T.I.S.) and a few supportive colleagues, he decides to fight the criminals that the police could not find. At first a reluctant hero, Hawkins is drawn into the world of fighting crime because the violence that turned his life upside-down is doing the same to the world around him. While in the harness and headset, he assumes the identity of the Mantis believing it is the only way that he is able to fight back.

"This is the scientific journal of Dr. Miles Hawkins, to be published in the event of my death. I know when the truth is known, people will wonder why I felt it necessary to create the `M.A.N.T.I.S.' The reality - I never did. The M.A.N.T.I.S. asked his own creation and I could not refuse him."

Like any vigilante, the police want him brought to justice because he's taking the law into his own hands and making them look bad; the news media wants to expose his true identity; and criminals want him eliminated because he's bad for business. The series takes place in a huge, dark and brooding megalopolis on the West Coast in the present. Its locational ambiguity is meant to suggest that this unusual hero could be in YOUR neighborhood tonight.

M.A.N.T.I.S. was produced by the creators of The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness. Also starring Bobby Hosea (Independence Day) and Gina Torres (Angel, Firefly, Serenity), this action-packed series broke new ground with TV's first African-American superhero. The show became an instant cult favorite, and DVD boxed from Image Entertainment is the first release of this show in any format. It's impending DVD release has been more than eagerly anticipated by its legion of fans.

The boxed set includes the feature-length pilot telefilm from January 1994 and then the 20 aired episodes, and the two unaired episodes which finally made their broadcast debut in 1997 in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel.

Sam Raimi exec produced this show almost a decade before helming the first movie in the Spider-Man film trilogy. Among the guest stars here - both single-appearance and recurring - were Don S. Davis, David Kaye, Jerry Wasserman, Gary Graham, Teryl Rothery, Lorena Gale, John D'Aquino, and Vincent Schiavelli.

Additional cast members includes: Roger Rees, as Hawkins' friend and colleague John Stonebrake who knows his secret and assists the M.A.N.T.I.S.; Galyn Gorg, as Lt. Leora Maxwell; Christopher Gartin, as Taylor Savage; and Andrew Robinson (best known for his recurring role in Star Trek: Deep Space 9), as Solomon Box.

The following is the list of all episodes along with when they first aired, since the shows sometimes did not air regularly: Pilot (Part 1), 01/24/1994, Pilot (Part 2), 01/24/1994; First Steps, 08/26/1994; Tango Blue, 09/2/1994; Days of Rage, 09/9/1994; Cease Fire, 09/16/1994; Soldier of Misfortune, 09/23/1994; Gloves Off 09/30/1994; The Black Dragon 10/7/1994; To Prey in Darkness 10/14/1994; Fire in the Heart, 10/21/1994; Thou Shalt Not Kill (1), 11/4/1994; Revelation (2), 11/11/1994; Through the Dark Circle, 11/18/1994; The Eyes Beyond, 12/9/1994; Faces in the Mask, 12/16/1994; The Sea Wasp, 1/6/1995; Progenitor, 1/20/1995; Switches, 1/27/1995; The Delusionist, 2/10/1995; and Fast Forward, 2/17/1995, and Spider in the Tower, 3/3/1995. The last two episodes of the series, which never aired during the show's run, aired instead for the first time in 1997 on the SciFi Network: Ancestral Evil; and Ghost of the Ice.

I remember this show vividly because I love African American super heroes of all kinds, be they funny and a joke (i.e. Blankman) or serious and political (Omega Man). In the M.A.N.T.I.S. we have an African American super hero that is put in all types of situations. The only thing that would trump this show is if a show was made about Omega Man (see www.omega7.com). Anyway, this show is great and those who did not see the show need to get this cult classic. Too bad it only lasted a season. It could have more direction too, but even though it didn't it still was a great series.

Well, after several delays & much anticipation, this has been finally released. This show was quickly cancelled when it was aired originally, but, can now be relived by all who appreciated it. Unfortunately, there is a small or major problem with the disc set!!! Someone believed that it would be feasible not to have any extras !!! For shame!!! I guess the materials were not available or in order to keep the cost low enough for buyers, they decided to forgo anything whatsoever. It would have been great to see & hear Carl Lumbly & Roger Dees recall their memories of this fantastic series!! If you enjoyed the series before, add it to your collection as soon as possible!!!

I used to watch M.A.N.T.I.S. as a kid and had been looking for it on DVD for a while. I am glad Amazon is selling it.
The DVDs were sent quickly and in perfect condition. All episodes are included including the original pilot and the unaired episodes, but there are no bonus features. Overall it is a wonderful product.

The first time I saw this series, I was 13 years old. Happened to come across it on the TV. I watched every episode I could and thought it was brilliant! After the last episode, the series was cancelled and I started to look around for tapes and later DVD's but could never find it. Much to my joy, I found out through IMDB that some project started a print of this series on DVD.

After 14 years, the series is just as I remembered.. A classical storyline: A science experiment gives a disabled man not only the power to walk again, but also experimental superpowers. He built an exoskeleton that allows him to walk again, despite his spinal cord damage but he comes to realise that the suit is much more powerfull than that. In the end of the first episode he decides to help the city he lives in that is ruled by crime. The fact he runs a research laboratory helps him to innovate on tools, gadgets and weaponry suitable for the task.

Throughout the series, not only the fights with crime, but also the ethics of what he's doing come to the foreground. "Why should he be the one to fight crime?", "What makes me any better than the people terrorizing the city?".
One particularly interesting moment in that regard is, that his impromptu 'team', decides that the suit needs 'weapons'. With which he responds to: "NO! No guns! Those are what put me in this wheelchair in the first place!"

For its time, the series was very much ahead of its time I think. The technology used in the story line, both by The Mantis and the 'bad guys' is something you might expect somewhere in the future, even now.

The series and the concept even got me as far as thinking about exoskeletons myself. (Hey, I was 13 at the time..)

Bottom line: I'm Glad that they put this on DVD. The series may have been cancelled on the television, but I think it's one of the best SF series around. 5 stars, hands down!

M.A.N.T.I.S was a show that appeared and disappeared on FOX in the Friday death slot in the early 90s. This complete series collection is a welcomed addition to my DVD collection. The fact that the show was able to last a season is a testament to creative energy behind the scenes and the actors' commitment on the screen. Of special note, the pilot episode is so different in tone and substance from the actually series, that you can see how much the prospect of a black superhero was problem for FOX TV executive. The pilot feature numerous African-American and African characters is support of Carl Lumby's Miles Hawkins (including a younger Marcia Cross of Desperate Housewives fame). The pilot infused elements of African language and culture into the characterization, but also introduced Hawkins as a black conservative. Virtually the only character to survive the revamp for the regular series is Hawkins, who is joined by a white pseudo-collaborator and white "street" sidekick. Although Hawkins was seen as self-made and independent inventor in the pilot, the regular series give his white friend John Stonebreak, a crucial role as technical maven and moral compass. Hawkin's conservativism remains a factor, but all element of African language and culture so visible in the pilot survive the regular series revamp. Merging action television tropes with comics themes and characters including alternative dimension invasion, cyborgs, time travel, and mind control, the show was entertaining. On air before the comic book explosion that brought us Blade, and the X-Men, this show highlight the difficulties of African-American as action heroes as much as the evolution of comic ethos in modern entertainment. This collection is a disappointment for it lack of commentary tracks or documentaries about the series. Carl Lumby has gone on to great things (voice work in Justice League cartoons and lead character in ALIAS) and a number of the producers and writers have done other great things. Getting the producers and actors to talk about the show and its life would been great. Regardless, this is a DVD worth the time if you like comics and adventure television.

It died before its time. This was a good show, but it got a little weird at the end. But it could have been great if given the chance.

The pilot is definitely different from the rest of the shows in the series, prepare to be slightly confused. All in all I still love the show, an African American superhero, is a shame that the show only had one season.

I bought this set because I remembered watching this show with my beloved wife. It was the first show to have a black super hero, as well as a handicapped hero. Our hero is a wheelchaired bound scientist who invents a suite which enables him to run and move. It is this suit that he calls MANTIS. He then operates outside the law to capture the criminal element in his city. Great fun. The picture quality is pristine and I am glad I bought the set.

Mantis unites scifi lovers with super hero lovers. Interesting to see the changes the network made between the series pilot and the next episode. Good character choices and added more scifi to the show. That's what made me a Mantis fan. I'd never seen the final episode before now. Although the plot was lame(my opinion), it was great to see it all tied up and come to an end. So many shows just leave you hanging, unfinished. It was like Star Trek adventures on earth, especially the time warp episode. Enjoy!