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The Herculoids- The Complete Series Blu-ray Review

“The Herculoids- The Complete Series” will appeal to Hanna-Barbera fans.

“The Herculoids” is a 1967 Hanna-Barbera animated series that ran for 18 episodes (each of which contained 2 stories per episode). The Alex Toth created space fantasy adventure series revolved around a human barbarian named Zandor, his wife Tara, and his son Dorno and the 5 helpful Herculoids creatures- Gloop and Gleep (formless blob-like creatures), Zok (a dragon esque creature), Igoo (a rock ape creature), Tundro (a rhino/Triceratops hybrid). While living on the planet Amzot (AKA Quasar), Zandor, his family and the Herculoids work together to stop invaders and protect others and the planet itself. Plotlines include space pirates, kidnappings, robotic pod creatures, robots, Beaked People, Mole Men, a Dorgyte, spider-men and spider people, Android People, weaponry, Bubblemen, shrunken Herculoids, gladiators, Time Creatures, a Tara being used as a sacrifice, Raider Apes, Electrode Men, gigantic ants, a swamp monster, Laser Lancers, Zandor and company helping others, shape shifting Mutoids, Crystallites, the planet Luvanuum, Reptons, Gravitas, Metal Apes, and fiendish foes like Sta-Lak, Sarko, Andropon, Mekkano, Torrak, Konar, Amak, and Queen Skorra.

Although a relatively obscure title in the Hanna-Barbera canon, the cartoon has become a cult favorite over the years (not to mention a nostalgic favorite for those that grew up in the 60’s). The series is undoubtedly inspired by the likes of Conan The Barbarian and John Carter Of Mars and is reminiscent in many ways of “Space Ghost” and “Dino Boy” (the series even shares voice cast members with ‘Herculoids’ like Mike Road and Don Messick). Viewers can expect lots of battles and weird alien creatures or villains. In fact, the animation designs on the Herculoids and aliens like Sta-Lak are the highlight of the show. It’s fun to see such creativity on display from a visual standpoint. 

Story wise, this is typical formulaic Saturday Morning Cartoon fare. The backdrops are minimalistic, the stories are simplistic, and the characterization is virtually non-existent. Most of what you see on screen is fights, lasers, objects being thrown, invasion stories, alien or robotic factions, and the heroes landing in trouble. It’s a far cry from the more complex stories you see now in animated or anime series and that’s perfectly fine. The show is a product of its time and it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than a space fantasy adventure about bravery and heroism with humanoids, creatures, and aliens.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.33:1 1080p. How does it look? Despite the presence of noticeable print flaws, this is a nice hi-def upgrade. The colors are much richer here than they have ever been before.

Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Simply put, this is a nice clean 2.0 track.

The lone extra is a short 4 ½ minute featurette titled “The Herculoids: First Family Of Planet Quasar.”

August 10, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 1960's, Animated Series, Hanna-Barbera, The Herculoids, The Herculoids- The Complete Series Blu-ray Review