Customer Reviews

Samurai Jack - The Premiere Movie

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This dvd isn't so bad; but it's just the first 3 episodes of Season 1. The 'never seen before episode' is the 11th episode (the one with the Scottsman on the bridge), which is also on the Season 1 dvd. It's disappointing that they don't tell you that on the description anywhere, so for any of you who planned on getting both this and the Season 1 set - just get the Season 1 set by itself.

Otherwise, this is a fine intro to Samurai Jack and is worth watching. I would rate the disc 4.5 out of 5 on its own.

Yes this DVD is nice, but all material also is included in Season one. So don't make the same mistake I did and avoid it if you are getting the first season. The movie is basically the first 3 episodes of season 1.

As a standalone product I have no complaints if you have no interest in purchasing the series. Very stylized and entertaining. I just hate companies that rip you off by issuing the same thing as different titles.

Samurai Jack is pure, cartoon action goodness. Very much an experimental work, it blends elements from Hollywood cinema, Japanese sword films, and classic animation into a seamless whole. There is literally nothing else quite like it out there. As another reviewer commented, Samurai Jack is the very reason why we have animation.

The DVD format really shows the quality in this program. Many times, one is struck by the simple beauty of the animation used in this series, especially the backround images. And the sound design on the program is some the best two-channel sound design I have heard. The fantastic music and directional sound effects really underline the ambiance of this program. If you have a Pro-Logic or Pro-Logic II receiver, you are in for a real aureal treat with this disc.

In addition to the premiere movie on this disc, you also get one of the best episodes of the ongoing series, Jack and the Scottsman! In short, if you enjoy the art of animation, this is a must-have DVD.

Movie Summary: One young man leaves his village and goes on a quest to become a samurai warrior. He has many adventures each one helping him to grow in strength, honor, humility, and courage. Finally the young samurai reaches a level of enlightenment and is able to obtain the use of a powerful magical sword. With sword in hand he returns home. There he finds that an evil shape-shifting wizard named Aku has enslaved the land. His family and friends suffer under Aku's evil rule. Enraged, he confronts the evil Aku. They battle and at the moment of the samurai's victory, Aku is able to cast a spell that flings the samurai far into the future. There in a strange land far from home, the people call the young samurai "Jack". Now Jack must find a way to get home to save his village. It won't be easy as Aku has a long reach and dogs Jack's every move. But Jack is pure of heart and clear of mind and he will prevail.

My Opinion: Samurai Jack is a Cartoon Network original. It has a very cool and original style that includes excellent animation, rocking music, awesome action, minimal dialog, and innovative split screen scenes. I was very surprised to find something this cool on TV. I thought that it must be an old show that I somehow was unaware of. I was even more surprised to find out that it is new! Samurai Jack is an ongoing series on Cartoon Network. This DVD contains the premiere episodes. Jack is an extremely cool character. He is tough, smart, and kind. The show has a lot of science fiction elements blended in with the historical samurai elements. It mixes in old myths with its new ones. It also blends intelligent storylines with intense action. It does all of this seamlessly. The stories are creative and interesting. The visuals are very cool. At face value, Samurai Jack is very exciting and extremely entertaining. The action is amazing and Jack is a great hero. Samurai Jack is destined to become a classic.

What You Should Do: You should buy this DVD and tune into Samurai Jack on Cartoon Network. This is an awesome and extremely entertaining show. If you like action movies, animae, or both, you are sure to find Samurai Jack to your liking.

Related Movies To Check Out: Blood The Last Vampire, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Thunder Cats, Thundarr the Barbarian, A Chinese Ghost Story, Quantum Leap, FarScape

It is the same thing as the first few episodes in the Season One DVD. But for anybody considering taking an interest in Samurai Jack- it rocks.

"Samurai Jack" is the best of both worlds. Like "Rocky and Bullwinkle," "Samurai Jack" has no problem treading the gap between kids cartoons and more mature animation. The story is straight adventure, easy to grasp and fun to watch. The dialog is funny, clever and insightful. The animation is an excellent amalgamation of Japanese and American styles. It makes use of every innovation, every benefit of telling a graphic story in a fluid medium and combines that with an exciting and fun story. There is no pretension here, no obvious aspiration to art, just a good time.

This DVD has both the original "Samurai Jack" movie and an extra episode. Both are inspired storytelling with lots of laughs and adventure. I'm glad that the cartoon network took the bold step to make "Samurai Jack." It can be thought of as a boy's version of "The Powerpuff Girls."

There are some things that can be done with a cartoon, that just can't be done with live action. In short, "Samurai Jack" is the very reason why we have animation.

Wow what a cartoon! If you've never seen Samurai Jack, this is a great place to start. I was first drawn to it because of it's unique style of animation. The visuals are minimal at points, however, it adds to the overall mood of the cartoon. The evil Aku resembles a figure out of folklore or mythology. The pacing of the cartoon is remarkable as well, with it's split-screen style action scenes, and quiet dialogue-free moments. This DVD contains a bonus episode, and a informative behind the scenes special on the making of the story. If you are enthralled by expressive animation, and bored by the current crop of mundane cookie-cutter cartoons on TV then Samurai Jack is your savior.

This is the story of the beginings of Samurai Jack (also on the 1st season DVD). I like the episodes of young Jack, however I think the best intro to the cartoon would be a later episode. These early episodes have an early timing, animation and story telling style that is not yet up to the level of the other episodes of the 1st season. You can really tell this when Jack first goes to the future and fights the robotic bugs. More importantly though I didn't see these episodes untill after I was a fan from later ones. I found that discovering the Samurai's past after I knew the character was presumably more exciting than the other way around. The DVD has some Cartoon Network online extras if that interests you. I have both this DVD and the 1st season, but there really isn't a need for this DVD unless you don't want the entire 1st season or if you just want this for the completeness of your collection.

I recently was flipping through the channel and captured (no captivated) by the Samurai Jack Cartoon on The Cartoon Network. The style was nothing short of mesmerizing, amazing, and (insert another thousand adjectives here). While talking with another fan of the series where I worked, I jumped online to see if there was a Boxset of the season or anything else. I came across this and just by looking at the technical specifications was cautious, but ordered it any (speed shipping in fact).
I popped it in the DVD Player the very first chance I got. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. For the duration of the 70 minute feature, I was paralyzed. I watched in awe as the style and story sucked me in. The art was amazing despite the simple look and very well directed. When the story took the step into the future, I saw how original this series was and how creative the makers truely were. It was Akira Kurisawa meets The Fifth Element.
The one aspect of the disc that I was the most impressed with was the superb sound design. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack rivals some of the best sounding DVD I have in my collection. The score entrances. The Ambient sounds sweeps from speaker to speaker as the camera weaves in and out of the action. The noise reduction adds a ton (literally) of tension in the quite moments before the nothing short of epic battle sequences.
For the price, you have to get this DVD if you're a fan or not. If you've never seen the show, trust me in saying it's worth the buy. If you're young or young at heart, it will carry you away. If you're a fan of Stylized directing, it will inspire you. Everyone should enjoy this DVD.

Cartoon Network shows tend to be very, very cool -- at the very least, fascinatingly weird. But their most "righteous" show has to be "Samurai Jack," a dryly hilarious show with a righteous hero, his magic sword, and a truly loathsome villain.

"Samurai Jack: the Movie" is nothing new, merely the first few episodes of the series. Nevertheless, it's a good introduction to anyone who is just checking out this clever little series.

The evil Aku (Japanese for... "evil") has risen again, and lays waste to Japan. But the empress manages to smuggle away the young prince, and over the years he becomes a brave warrior. He returns, frees the enslaved people, and goes off to kill Aku with a magic sword forged by the gods.

But during the battle with Aku, the young samurai is flung thousands of years into the future (think a grimier "Jetsons"). Aku rules the future with an iron fist, and the world is full of volatile aliens, speeding aircars, and talking dogs. Now the samurai -- known as "Jack" -- must free the enslaved dogs from Aku's rule, and find a way back to his own time so this future will never happen.

Of course, he won't find it right away, because otherwise there wouldn't be a story. There's a bonus episode in the extras menu: Jack walks over a miles-long bridge, and encounters a psychotic Scotsman who ends up getting handcuffed to him. Will they escape backwater bounty hunters together, or strangle each other first?

Certainly "Samurai Jack" isn't like anything you've seen before, with its simplistic drawing style and clever scripting. The animation style is reminiscent of classical Japanese artwork, and their movies get a nod in the quiet, relatively slow pacing of the episodes.

And as it entertains you with evil robots and shapeshifting demons, it also throws in a subtle message about honor, kindness, and "righteousness." For a series with no character development, its hero is a pretty lovable guy. He's morally upright, righteous and kind, but somehow it isn't annoying.

And it's fairly cool to see him training with Vikings, Olympic wrestlers, Cossacks, Zen monks, and even with Robin Hood. And when he gets to the future, we get to see him deal with all sorts of bizarro things. (Robot alligators with machine guns?) And surprisingly, Jack adjusts very quickly to his surreal new surroundings.

Though it has nothing that people with the other "Samurai Jack" DVDs won't have, "Samurai Jack: the Premiere Movie" is a good intro for people who are just getting introduced to this clever series.