The Mechanical Monsters

Wow, the first thing that hits you about every one of these vintage Superman animations is just the sheer quality of the animation, it's so astonishingly intricate in detail and gorgeous, and the character designs and the fluidity of their movements have such an eye-catching style to them that it's almost as if one of those old time Action Comics has come to life! If that was what the Fleischer Studios were going for when they were constructing this series of shorts than bravo guys, because you really nailed it. It was amazing just what the Fleischers were really capable of with a huge budget behind them and you can see every last penny on the screen, there's always a new detail that you can notice that you might not have the first time around. I love the design of the inexorably marching and transforming robots, something about the way they all stand to attention in unison and the classic Frankenstein march does make them a little strangely unnerving! They're so spot on the perfect image of what any imaginative young kid would think of if he were to think "evil robot" and I just love them! In my opinion though what's the most dated about this short is the dialogue and slight lack of logic in some of the story.. I mean for instance the Hitler knock-off can afford to build a squadron of sophisticated, semi-autonomous powerful robots that he could probably get militarised for a vast fortune but he uses them merely to commit petty larcenies? That must be where the mad part of scientist comes in.. The shorts are beautiful works of art visually but looking for depth is like diving into a kiddie pool, you're only gonna hurt yourself! I enjoy them for that thrilling and fascinating animation, when Superman is pummelling those surrounding robots into flaming scrap metal you can feel the superpowered strength of his blows! I love how there's no doom and gloom to this Superman, he's the real Man of Steel and is the purest of heroes and saves the day in an endless march of victory and I like that idea and image, it's simplistic, some might even say dated, but it's just good old fashioned heroics and is all so upbeat and "innocent", and there's value in that kind of hero and this short animation has its own kind of appeal. Old but still a great fun little watch and a real gem of an animation. X

The second of the Superman cartoons released by the Fleischer brothers on November 28, 1941.A fleet of robots are terrorizing gotham. They strike at a jewel exhibit and make off with all the jewels. Luckily Clark Kent and Lois Lane are at the exhibit. When Kent steps away to phone in the story, Lois Lane hides in one of the robots, and gets taken back to the villians hideout. It is Superman to the rescue.

This cartoon is one of 17 Superman cartoons made by the Fleischer brothers in the early 1940s. All Superman cartoons made during this time are available on VHS and DVD and all are in the Public Domain. Invest the time to look for a DVD that features all 17 cartoons for one price, and there are several available.

Do you like killer robots? Well, THE MECHANICAL MONSTERS is one of the earliest appearances of these audacious automatons. Superman must battle an army of them and uncover their human master.

One of the best of the series, this short cartoon is loaded with action, including the robots robbing banks, defying the police and their puny weapons, and flying!

The boffo finale pits Superman against all of them!

Innovative and meticulously animated, the Fleischer brothers really made a quality series of cartoons here. The robots themselves are wonders to behold. Their lair, complete with charging stations, is also worth mentioning.

A true blast from the past that's built to last!...

The Mechanical Monsters see's the return of our favourite superhero as this time he takes on a villian with a small army of giant robots he uses in his jewellery heists.

Alike the others this is quaint and highly nostalgic, with action happening in time with the music, cheesy one liners and Lois Lane there simply to be saved.

At 10 minutes in length there isn't much to see but it makes up for it being a nice slice of old school wartime entertainment.

The Good:

Highly nostalgic

Charming

The Bad:

Very short

Somewhat cheesy

Things I Learnt From This Short:

Every good villian needs a moustache

A villians lair isn't complete without a lava pool

I'm suddenly genuinely curious whether the police actually had tommy guns

Mechanical Monsters, The (1941)

*** (out of 4)

Second in the Fleischer/Paramount series has another mad scientist moving into town and bringing along his giant robots. He sends these robots out to steal money and jewelry, which gets reporter Lois involved but of course she's taken hostage and Superman must save the day. I found this film to be much more entertaining than the first because, while the stories are just a like, this one here features much more action, which makes the film overall more exciting. I really liked the monsters this time out and especially the way they were drawn. I also liked most of the action sequences including the best one, which involves Superman having to use his cape to stop some burning fluids from getting on Lois. The story itself was rather weak and unoriginal but it's good enough to make this short worth watching.