The Bulleteers

Right at the very beginning we see a bullet-shaped aircraft smash right through the Police Headquarters, demolishing it. The evil masked men on it demand all the money from the town hall or they'll attack. The mayor refuses to pay and the police brace themselves for an all out attack. It begins and they're no match. Good thing Superman is around. And Lois Lane is held captive (again).

It's sort of amusing to see Lois always being captured and tied up in these cartoons. Still, this is quick, tight, full of action and has the incredible animation that we expect. Fun with incredible sound effects (in the restored DVD version).

In The Bulleteers, Superman takes on a gang armed with bullet-shaped rocket cars. Once again, the animation steals the show: the vehicle designs are superb, and the film is visually stunning and well-polished. The ending is satisfying, though I missed the usual comedic touch. Superman does his job well, but it's interesting to see the citizens try to fight off the machines before the hero steps in, which is a nice change of pace.

However, the story itself is the weakest part of this short. The plot is shallow and lacks any real sense of a grand spectacle. I feel like these films would be so much better with more fantastic elements. The Bulleteers has a very standard plot, but it's saved by the solid action and, of course, the incredibly polished and noteworthy animation.

I love the Fleischer Superman cartoons. The animation is smooth and fluid with vivid colors. The distinct art-deco style, vintage science fiction imagery, and use of noirish shadows gave them a look unlike any other cartoons. The music and voice work is superb. They're fun, accessible, enduring animation classics.

The fifth in the series is about a group of costumed criminals known as the Bulleteers. They have a bullet-shaped rocket car and are terrorizing the city, destroying buildings and thumbing their noses at the law. They also have the coolest secret lair on top of a mountain outside of town. The mayor tries to organize the police to stop them but it's no use! As the Bulleteers' rampage continues, Superman shows up. But, as he fails to stop them, we have to ask: are the Bulleteers too much for the Man of Steel?

Another great Fleischer Superman cartoon, although a step below the previous entries in the series. The Bulleteers' rocket car and awesome mountaintop hideout are cool visuals like you expect from this series. I also loved the scenes of the police scrambling to fortify and fight back against the seemingly indestructible rocket car. Those little touches are prime examples of the beauty of the Fleischer cartoons. There's so much going on that's just fun and exciting to watch.

A SUPERMAN Cartoon

Three evil inventors have developed a fantastic `bullet car' - shaped like a rocket, it can fly and destroy any building by simply crashing through it. After smashing the Metropolis Police Headquarters, the extortionists demand a huge payment, which the mayor refuses to pay. In fury, the bullet car begins the destruction of the city. With intrepid reporter Lois Lane now a prisoner of the villains, can the Man of Steel possibly stop the incredible technology in the hands of THE BULLETEERS?

This was another in the series of excellent cartoons Max Fleischer produced for Paramount Studio. They feature great animation and taut, fast-moving plots. Meant to be shown in movie theaters, they are miles ahead of their Saturday Morning counterparts.

Bulleteers, The (1942)

** (out of 4)

A maniac scientist creates a "bullet car", which is pretty much just what it sounds like. Criminals can drive this car, which flies like a bullet, into any building and knock it down. Naturally Lois finds herself trapped by the bad guys and only Superman can save her. I'm new to this series and watching them in the order that they were released and there's no question, even only five shorts in, that they all follow the same plot outline with just a new villain added. The build up is always the same as is the way Lois gets herself involved. With that said, this short was pretty boring from start to reason. One reason is that I was disappointed with the animation, which wasn't anything to write home about. Another reason was the actual story because it just wasn't that good or entertaining. The villain was the biggest problem because it too didn't add any excitement.