Capitan Planet e i Planeteers

Unlike many of the reviewers here, I'm NOT going denigrate a television show just for the sake of bashing a political ideology. Of course the show is PC, just like "Sesame Street" is PC. It's a CHILDREN'S SHOW -- it needs to be simplified and non-cynical for the consumption of the younger audience. Plus, whether you like it or not, concern for the environment is not a throwaway, frivolous subject to mock. The people of LA had to find out the hard way.

Anyhoo, probably the only reason why I watched this show in the first place was that there was nothing else on at five in the afternoon on Saturdays. Back then, I thought the show was pretty cheesy with very little variations on the plot lines. Yet I still rooted for the Planeteers and was satisfied whenever the bad guys were dealt with.

But now that I'm older and a little bit wiser, I now reserve full appreciation of the cosmic and biblical cheesiness this cartoon had to offer. Whenever I think of the villain, I just wonder what's going through their minds: "Hahahah! I've just wasted precious time and money creating this environmentally unsafe factory, not to make any profits, not even to make a product of any kind, but just for the sake of polluting the planet and p**sing off the Planeteers, hahahahah!" Yeah, that's what most of these villains were thinking in most of the episodes.

Also, I agree with the other reviewers that there were hardly any character growth among the Planeteers, although the tension between Wheeler and Linka had me at least halfway interested.

There were some keeper episodes, like the one where three oppressed persons, an Irish Catholic living in Belfast, a Palestinian, and a black South African were supplied with triggers that will set off nuclear weapons which can then wipe out their adversaries. The Planeteers were dispached to those separate areas and only succeeded in turning around those people by having them experience the *hypothetical* consequences of their actions if they chose to press the button.

Of course, Captain Planet comes to the rescue, digs up the nukes and throws them like discuses towards the sun, which begs the question why didn't he just do that in the first place?

So one and a half stars (* 1/2) our of four for the Planeteers. Protecting the environment is an important thing, but we can do better.

FYI, Ma-Ti's Power of Heart allows him to communicate with the animals, so that in some episodes elephants and giraffes gives Captain Planet a breather and take care of all the dirty work.

I used to watch this show when I was a little girl. I only remember it vaguely, though. If you ask me, it was a good show. I remember the opening sequence and theme song vaguely, too. In addition to that, everyone was ideally cast. Also, the writing was very strong. The performances were top-grade, too. I hope some network brings it back so I can see every episode. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I don't think I've seen every episode. Now, in conclusion, if some network ever brings it back, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

This show was very good in my opinion. The lessons were valuable and there was also a lot of fun in the storylines. Especially the romantic tension between Wheeler and Linka was good, they liked each other but never acted on those feelings. Well... never? Wheeler often tried to approach her and, although she rejected him just as much, she cared for him a great deal. Whenever he was in danger, she freaked out.

This show was excellent in teaching kids and older people how to be an environmentally conscious consumer and they also provided lots of tips for other problems that occur in these days. Though some episodes were less than others, I have enjoyed the entire show very much. I am an adult (having known the show since I was a child) and I still like it.

I watched this series when it originally came out. I think this show contained a lot of great messages for children, and they were able to present them in a way that was visually stimulating for the children and could hold their attention. I frown on adults who are too hard on the delivery style of this series. Kudos to network executives, like Ted Turner, who take a chance on a show like this. There were lessons on subjects such as smoking, drugs, stealing, lying, and obviously not polluting the environment. It obviously wasn't looked down on by everyone. It ran for more than a couple of seasons, which speaks volumes for a show. There were a lot of great actors whose voices turned up on this show. I miss watching it, and I'd love for my six-year-old daughter to be able to experience it. She'd love it!

Captain Planet and the Planeteers, if it is referenced at all nowadays, is generally treated as a subject of mockery. Online reviewers such as the Nostalgia Critic have shredded it relentlessly, depicting it as a hopelessly ideological cartoon that nobody enjoyed. The show did sometimes bite off more than it could chew, but it also managed to be entertaining and, yes, educational.

The show's premise is familiar to most people. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, gives five elemental power rings to an international group of teenagers in order to fight pollution. When they going gets tough, they can summon Captain Planet, an anti-pollution superhero. Each episode deals with a different environmental theme, ranging from smog to extinction to...gang violence.

The show worked best when it stuck to environmental themes. At times, the writers became overambitious and tried to deal with more fraught topics such as AIDS and gang warfare. These episodes almost inevitably fell flat, coming across as ham handed and even more preachy than the series usually was. One episode on gang violence was particularly awful, with the gangs depicted as something out of a bad 80s Mad Max rip off.

Nevertheless, the show served a purpose. It was often brutally honest in its treatment of environmental topics, within the limits of a show geared towards children. For instance, one show dealing with whaling featured a sequence of a mother whale being harpooned, complete with blood getting spilled in the water. This type of straight talk was a good thing and left viewers not only entertained, but informed. Perhaps even willing to take action.

For all its flaws, Captain Planet remains a well remembered series for me.