Super Friends! - The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie 
Warner Bros. | 1973-1985 | 9 Seasons | 3142 min | Not rated | Sep 10, 2024
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Reviewer | ![]() | 4.0 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.0 |
Overview click to collapse contents
Super Friends! - The Complete Collection (1973-1985)
When the trouble alert sounds, the Super Friends leap into action in these awesome adventures from the vintage series that united these DC Comics super heroes for the very first time! Favorite characters Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman and Robin plus junior members Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog outwit evil scientists, aid alien creatures and protect humanity from power-hungry geniuses in each amazing episode.
Animation | 100% |
Comic book | 93% |
Sci-Fi | 46% |
Adventure | 37% |
Action | 34% |
Specifications click to expand contents
Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles
English SDH
Discs
Blu-ray Disc
Sixteen-disc set (16 BDs)
Playback
Region A, B (C untested)
Review click to expand contents
Rating summary
Movie | ![]() | 3.5 |
Video | ![]() | 3.5 |
Audio | ![]() | 4.0 |
Extras | ![]() | 2.5 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.0 |
Super Friends! - The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review
Gathered together from the cosmic reaches of the universe...
Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 20, 2024As powerful as the Justice League might be, nothing but nothing can stop the force of concerned suburban moms. That's the real lesson we can all learn from DC's family-friendly TV juggernaut Super Friends!, the near-omnipresent animated series that aired for over a decade under different names and formats. Created from a partnership between Hanna-Barbera and ABC in 1973 and under the thumb of studio heads badgered by advocacy groups like Action for Children's Television, Super Friends presented a heavily sanitized version of well-known comic book heroes and villains (as well as plenty of newcomers) that mostly favored diplomacy and conflict resolution over heavy emotional content and violence. Hero-guided safety tips and other PSA-style segments were also inserted into many episodes, and some variants of the series even served up several short adventures for more of a "variety show" feel. Eventually fading away as darker and more mature comic book fare became normalized in the mid-1980s, Super Friends was nonetheless an entire generation's introduction to what passed for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other DC icons.
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Also Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog.
The real miracle of Super Friends and its variants is that these shows are still pretty fun to watch, mostly because the enduring appeal of these established characters outshines the way they've been stripped of their unique personalities and, in some cases, select superpowers. Those who grew up on this material will be thrilled to revisit the initial series' various incarnations which are all helpfully collected in one handy Blu-ray package from Warner Bros. All eight variants are presented on 16 dual-layered discs as detailed below, some of which even include recycled DVD-era bonus features covered later in this review. Simply put, it's a relatively straightforward presentation of material that's already about as basic as it gets... but in both cases, that's not a bad thing. From top to bottom, here's what's included:
Super Friends! (1973) kicks things off with 16 episodes on 3 discs and can obviously be considered the "OG" of this collection. This is pure, unfiltered H-B camp and thus the "purest" form of Super Friends included here; certainly not the best, but there's something about these long-form ~45 minute episodes that's still appealing. The outings typically begin with our heroes responding to an emergency call sent to the hallowed Hall of Justice, where conflicts with mostly generic villains -- some involving natural disasters -- were introduced and eventually wrapped up in a nice, neat bow using non-violent methods. And as for new characters Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog? They'd disappear with the cancellation of this show after just one season but would return in the "form of" more familiar ones.
"The Power Pirate", "The Baffles Puzzle", "Professor Goodfellow's G.E.E.C.", "The Weather Maker", "Dr. Pelagian's War"
"The Shamon ‘U’", "Too Hot to Handle", "The Androids", "The Balloon People", "The Fantastic Frerps"
"The Ultra Beam", "Menace of the White Dwarf", "Mysterious Moles", "Gulliver's Gigantic Goof", "The Planet Splitter", "The Watermen"
The All-New Super Friends Hour (1977) includes 15 four-segment episodes on 3 discs. This belated follow-up to the cancelled original show represents an early leap forward for its established formula, retaining the squeaky-clean image and extended format but introducing a lot more variety via shorter segments and a handful of brand-new characters, including of course the Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna as well as their pet monkey Gleek, who replaced the more generic counterparts from four years earlier. Featuring occasional team-ups, guest stars, and themed adventures, The All-New Super Friends Hour was a success but would nonetheless be further revamped for the following season.
"The Brain Machine" / "The Joy Ride" / "Invasion of the Earthors" / "The Whirlpool"
"The Secret Four" / "Tiger on the Loose" / "The Mysterious Time Creatures" / "The Antidote"
"Invasion of the Hydronoids" / "Hitchhike" / "City in a Bottle" / "Space Emergency"
"Doctor Fright" / "Drag Race" / "Day of the Plant Creatures" / "Fire"
"The Monster of Dr. Droid" / "Vandals" / "Super Friends vs. Super Friends" / "Energy Mass"
"The Enforcer" / "Shark" / "Planet of the Neanderthals" / "Flood of Diamonds"
"The Invisible Menace" / "Initiation" / "Coming of the Arthropods" / "River of Doom"
"Attack of the Giant Squid" / "Game of Chicken" / "The Water Beast" / "Volcano"
"The Collector" / "Handicap" / "The Mind Maidens" / "Alaska Peril"
"The Fifty Foot Woman" / "Cheating" / "Exploration: Earth" / "Attack of the Killer Bees"
"Forbidden Power" / "Pressure Point" / "The Lionmen" / "The Day of the Rats"
"The Man Beasts of Xra" / "Prejudice" / "Tiny World of Terror" / "Tibetan Raiders"
"Frozen Peril" / "Dangerous Prank" / "The Mummy of Nazca" / "Cable Car Rescue"
"The Marsh Monster" / "The Runaways" / "Will the World Collide?" / "Time Rescue"
"The Protector" / "Stowaways" / "The Ghost" / "Rampage"
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Super Friends! (1978) serves up 16 adventures on 2 discs, and it's here where things get a little confusing. These aired as part of Challenge of the Super Friends (next on the list) as the ~20 minute "A" stories of that combined 45 minute show; collectively, they starred a revolving door of familiar heroes and villains like the debuting Legion of Doom. Several newcomers were also fully introduced such as a trio of more diverse heroes: Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, and Samurai, who previously appeared as guest stars. (The fourth, El Dorado, was still a few years away.)
"The Demons of Exxor", "Rokan: Enemy from Space", "Battle at the Earth's Core", "Sinbad and the Space Pirates", "The Pied Piper from Space", "Attack of the Vampire", "The Beasts Are Coming", "Terror from the Phantom Zone"
"The Anti-Matter Monster", "World Beneath the Ice", "Invasion of the Brain Creatures", "The Incredible Space Circus", "Batman: Dead or Alive", "Battle of the Gods", "Journey Through Inner Space", "The Rise and Fall of the Super Friends"
Challenge of the Super Friends (1978) also serves up 16 episodes on 2 discs. These are the "B" segments that accompanied the group of adventures listed above... but while this means watching everything in chronological order will be damn near impossible, everything's at least accounted for. Next up: fun with fairy tales.
"Wanted: The Super Friends", "Invasion of the Fearians", "The World's Deadliest Game", "The Time Trap", "Trial of the Super Friends", "Monolith of Evil", "The Giants of Doom", "Secret Origins of the Super Friends"
"Revenge on Gorilla City", "Swamp of the Living Dead", "Conquerors of the Future", "The Final Challenge", "Fairy Tale of Doom", "Doomsday", "Super Friends: Rest in Peace", "History of Doom"
The World's Greatest Super Friends (1979) features 8 episodes on a single disc. I've got a soft spot for this goofy crop of easily-digested and accessible ~22 minute episodes, each of which essentially inserts our heroes and villains into classic fairy tales and folklore (either specific or implied) such as The Lord of the Rings, Camelot, and The Wizard of Oz. This kind of storytelling usually happens when a franchise is out of ideas (Tom and Jerry's many direct-to-video movies, for example)... so while I can't really call it a standout season, it at least stands out.
"Rub Three Times for Disaster", "Lex Luthor Strikes Back", "Space Knights of Camelon", "The Lord of Middle Earth", "Universe of Evil", "Terror at 20,000 Fathoms", "The Super Friends Meet Frankenstein", "The Planet of Oz"
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Super Friends! (1980) features 8 three-segment episodes on a single disc, but truthfully it's just one-third of the franchise's only variant to last more than a single season. This era of Super Friends technically ran during the 1980, 81, and 83 seasons from September through the end of October each year, and is best described as the "bite-sized" years: each ~22 minute episode includes three extremely short adventures, which obviously didn't leave a great deal of room for expansive storytelling but nonetheless offered a lot of variety for younger audiences to enjoy. The character roster remained generally unchanged with a heroic lineup of five core Justice League characters, The Wonder Twins, and of course the newer diverse characters -- including newcomer El Dorado, who debuted in the 1981 season -- and a bevvy of familiar villains with several newcomers too. Fun fact: Super Friends' 1983 season would later be rebranded as "The Lost Episodes"; with a few exceptions, they were not seen in full on American TV screens until 1995 as part of the USA Network's The Superman/Batman Adventures. This iteration also marks the last hurrah of its more sanitized image, as Super Friends would soon be rebranded in 1984 as an ever-so-slightly darker variant of its former self.
"Big Foot" / "The Ice Demon" / "The Make-Up Monster"
"Journey Into Blackness" / "The Cycle Gang" / "Dive to Disaster"
"Yuna the Terrible" / "Rock and Roll Space Bandits" / "Elevator to Nowhere"
"One Small Step for Mars" / "Haunted House" / "The Incredible Crude Oil Monster"
"Voodoo Vampire" / "Invasion of the Gleeks" / "Mxyzptlk Strikes Again"
"The Man in the Moon" / "Circus of Horrors" / "Around the World in 80 Riddles"
"Termites from Venus" / "Eruption" / "Return of Atlantis"
"The Killer Machines" / "Garden of Doom" / "Revenge of Bizarro"
Super Friends! (1981) serves up 6 more three-segment episodes on 1 disc; as detailed above, it maintained the new formula but was cut short due to the 1981 Writers Guild of America strike.
"Outlaws of Orion" / "Three Wishes" / "Scorpio"
"Mxyzptlk's Flick" / "The Sink Hole" / "The Alien Mummy"
"The Evil from Krypton" / "The Creature from the Dump" / "The Aircraft Terror"
"The Lava Men" / "Bazarowurld" / "The Warlord's Amulet"
"The Iron Cyclops" / "Palette's Perils" / "Colossus"
"The Stowaways from Space" / "The Scaraghosta Sea" / "The Witch's Arcade"
Super Friends! (1983), AKA "The Lost Episodes" (see above), has 8 three-segment episodes on a single disc.
"Mxyzptlk's Revenge" / "Roller Coaster" / "Once Upon a Poltergeist"
"Warpland" / "Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One" / "Bulgor the Behemoth"
"The Krypton Syndrome" / "Invasion of the Space Dolls" / "Terror on the Titanic"
"Revenge of Doom" / "A Pint of Life" / "Day of the Dinosaurs"
"Return of the Phantoms" / "Bully for You" / "Superclones"
"Prisoners of Sleep" / "An Unexpected Treasure" / "The Malusian Blob"
"Attack of the Cats" / "One Small Step for Superman" / "Video Victims"
"Playground of Doom" / "Space Racers" / "The Recruiter"
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Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show (1984) includes 8 two-segment episodes on 1 disc, and it's here where Super Friends finally seemed to be changing with the times. Employing an ever-so-slightly darker tone (largely due to the long-awaited debut of villainous Darkseid, who had never before appeared outside of comics), The Legendary Super Powers Show kept the ~22 minute format but slimmed down to two segments per episode, a few of which were actually self-contained two-parters. Other additions included Firestorm and the long-overdue return of one Adam West as the voice of Batman -- who last reprised his role in 1977's The New Adventures of Batman, in both cases replacing Olan Soule -- which helped to give it a much-needed new identity. In hindsight, it's fascinating to see how these changes over the years led to a show that fit more comfortably into the 1980s cartoon landscape.
"The Bride of Darkseid, Parts 1 and 2"
"The Wrath of Brainiac" / "Reflections in Crime"
"No Honor Among Thieves" / "Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Magic Lamp"
"The Case of the Shrinking Super Friends" / "The Mask of Mystery"
"Darkseid's Golden Trap, Parts 1 and 2"
"The Island of the Dinosoids" / "Uncle Mxyzptlk"
"The Case of the Dreadful Dolls" / "The Royal Ruse"
"The Village of Lost Souls" / "The Curator"
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1985) closes out the collection with 8 one and two-part episodes on a single disc. Much like The Legendary Super Powers Show, this final variant of Super Friends continued to push further into more mature, dramatic territory and did so by slimming down to one long-form adventure per ~22 minute episode with a few exceptions. Featuring fan favorites like "The Seeds of Doom" (mutant plants!), "The Fear" (Scarecrow haunts Batman with the memory of his parents' murder) and "The Death of Superman" (featuring, well, you know) as well as bold character redesigns by José Luis García-López, this last and much more sci-fi themed iteration of Super Friends also eliminated the use of a narrator. A fitting farewell, but I wish this one could have gone on longer.
"The Seeds of Doom", "The Ghost Ship" / "The Bizarro Super Powers Team", "The Darkseid Deception", "The Fear", "The Wild Cards",
"Brainchild" / "The Case of the Stolen Powers", "The Case of the Stolen Powers", "Escape from Space City"
Super Friends! - The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 
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As seen in this collection of direct-from-disc screenshots, Super Friends fares about as well as the majority of classic WB animation on HD home video. There's clearly been a mild to moderate amount of digital noise reduction applied, of course, but for the most part these crisp, bright, and appealing 1080p transfers are not only a solid step beyond earlier DVD counterparts but a huge leap beyond original broadcast versions as seen on your small color (or black-and-white) TV in the 1970s. Word has it that these masters aren't exactly brand-new but instead created in the last few years for (HBO) Max... so whether you opt for this preferred Blu-ray or WB's separate new DVD set, you'll get what's essentially the "latest and greatest" version of this source material. Color replication is superb; nice and vivid almost every step of the way, from bold primaries to muted earth tones, and original line detail -- though occasionally smoothed over a bit due to that pesky noise reduction -- has thankfully not fallen victim to edge enhancement and other more garish signs of post-processing. (I'm looking at you, Scooby-Doo.) Obviously the later variants of Super Friends traverse into darker territory, literally and figuratively, but the wide majority of this content shares a near-constant visual aesthetic and, as such, there are no real variances in overall quality to report from one show to another.
I'm also happy to report that these episodes look very clean within acceptable limitations, as occasional cel dirt can easily be spotted but has thankfully not been "fixed" -- this level of correction would likely have stuck out like a sore thumb. Encoding is generally very good as well: most episodes hover around the 20-25 Mbps range, which seems to be enough for 1.33:1 content that's light on detail with generally flat color application. That said, stray amounts of mild posterization rear their head on occasion, but it's almost undetectable in motion. While I generally consider this to be a good effort and certainly the best Super Friends has ever looked, the dreaded "grain management" still keeps this set from earning a solid 4/5. (I'd call it closer to a 3.75, but don't feel comfortable rounding up.)
Super Friends! - The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 
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Not surprisingly, these DTS-HD 2.0 mixes are defined by their pure simplicity but I don't see how they can be improved much. What we have here are clean, uncluttered split-mono presentations that perfectly preserve Super Friends' one-channel source material, which even in its last incarnation was still a couple years away from guaranteed stereo. No matter: dialogue is clean and crisp, the brassy music sounds true to its roots, sound effects are pleasantly over-the-top and no age-related damage could be hear along the way. Like all good -- or at least passable -- audio mixes from this era, this one doesn't call attention to itself and instead just "gets the job done" without incident.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during each episode, but unfortunately not on any of the recycled bonus features listed below; this is a very disappointing trend in recent Warner Bros. releases, and it's extremely annoying given that source subtitle tracks exist on the DVDs these extras have been sourced from.
Super Friends! - The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 
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A far cry from the deluxe collections of yesteryear, Super Friends - The Complete Collection ships in a bulky, DVD-height "epic" keepcase; you know, the same annoying one used for Babylon 5: The Complete Series, which is a real annoyance given this set's premium price tag. All 16 discs sit on overlapping hubs on four double-sided hinges, and they're as annoying to pop out as ever. And that wonderfully colorful cover art? Plain white on the inside, although the discs are at least color-coded. Even worse, there's no list of included episodes and the bonus content isn't mentioned anywhere. Worry not: I've already taken care of the complete episode list above, and below you'll find which four Blu-rays have recycled DVD-era extras on them. Luckily, most of what's here is at least worth digging for.
The All-New Super Friends Hour, Disc 3
- One Dimensional Goodness: The Super Friends and the Good Old Days (14:33) - A true highlight of these DVD-era extras, this short piece includes comments from a number of industry professionals, animation historians, and others who talk candidly about Super Friends and its very limited approach to storytelling; specifically, rigid creative boundaries tightened by studio execs and advocacy groups after a wave of backlash from "unacceptable" 60s-era animation that offended while marketing toys to children.
- Origins of the Guest Stars (8:29) - This like-minded featurettes talks about the show's dependence of using deeper-cut DC characters for variety's sake, largely brought upon by script limitations.
- The Wonder Twins Phenomenon (12:08) - Everything you wanted to know about Zan, Jayna, and their infamous pet monkey Gleek... but were afraid to ask. A fun little tribute, indeed.
Super Friends! (1978), Disc 2
- The Ballad of Zan and Jayna [Wonder Twin Powers Activate] (4:06) - This fun little tongue-in-cheek "80s power ballad" music video celebrates everyone's favorite brother-and-sister duo.
- Pajama-Rama: Super Friends Retrospective (11:55) - This slightly more substantial piece serves as a nostalgic tribute to Saturday mornings of yore and features comments from actors, pop culture authors, and other fans, all appropriately clad in pajamas with their favorite sugar cereals close at hand.
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
- Audio Commentaries - Individual audio commentaries for "The Wrath of Brainiac", "No Honor Among Thieves", "The Mask of Mystery", "The Case of the Dreadful Dolls", and "The Royal Ruse" featuring DC writer Mark Waid (who participates in all five), producer John Semper Jr., writer Glenn Leopold, and writer Rich Fogel. Please note that these audio commentaries run alongside much older DVD-era masters of each segment, and apparently a few of them have not been carried over from older home video releases. Bummer!
- Evolution: New Heroes, Viler Villains, and Ethnic Additions (17:44) - Much like the first featurette included here, this retrospective piece offers a good amount of valuable context and featuring a handful of first-hand participants including Gerry Conway (creator of Firestorm), executive editor and DC senior editor Dan DiDio, writer and DC historian Mark Waid, writer Glenn Leopold, and several others, all of whom speak candidly about the fairly noticeable changes made to the show's format, voice cast, and character roster in 1984.
- The Super Powers Collection: The Effect of the Toy Industry on the Super Friends (7:37) - This shorter but like-minded featurette includes more first-hand comments from creative professionals and historians about the changing landscape of the toy industry as it pertained to kids' entertainment at the time.
The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
- Super Friends Redux: Galactic Guardians (11:10) - Mark Waid, writer Rich Fogel, Dan DiDio, DC president Paul Levitz, writer Alan Burnett, and others discuss more changes made for this last incarnation of classic Super Friends including character redesigns, brand-new faces such as Cyborg, continued appeals to the ever-growing toy market, and of course the stories' further trips into darker territory (literally and figuratively).
Super Friends! - The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 
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DC's Super Friends dominated the Saturday morning airwaves during most of the 1970s and even well into the next decade, introducing an entire generation to superheroes and villains that were clearly watered-down versions of the originals. Most people loved it nonetheless, myself included. Relaunched several times with different names and story formats, some variants of Super Friends were decidedly better than others... but luckily WB's 16-disc set serves up everything in one handy collection. While I've got slight quibbles with these grain-managed restorations and especially the annoying packaging, this is still a comprehensive release that fans should hunt down. Recommended.