The Bulleteers

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.

In the Fleischer Brothers Superman cartoons, Lois Lane is unusually stupid. Even compared to the 1950s Lois from TV, this one seems bent on getting herself killed. And, like in almost all the cartoons, she is saved and doesn't learn a darn thing!

The cartoon begins with a weird bullet-like car/airplane destroying things and then the leader of some weird criminal gang announcing to Metropolis that they must pay him or he'll destroy the town (you'd THINK he'd pick on some town OTHER than the one in which Superman lives!!). Soon, the Bulleteers appear and begin unleashing terror. Not surprisingly, Superman comes to the rescue AND Lois gets herself nearly killed in the process.

Like the other Superman cartoons of the era, this one is beautifully animated but the story is very, very simple. One reviewers loved how the action never let up--I just thought it lacked depth. Mildly interesting.

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).

The 1942 animated short "Superman" story titled "The Bulleteers" from writers Bill Turner and Carl Meyer wasn't really the most interesting of storylines in these 1940s short stories. Sure, it was watchable and enjoyable enough, given the fact that it is a "Superman" story, but in comparison to most of the other stores in the series, then it was fairly bland.

The animation style and art style is the same in "The Bulleteers" as in the other animated short stories, for better or worse. I do like the style, because there is a classic sense to it, a sense of familiarity and agelessness actually.

And with the voices of Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander, whom have been lending their voices to these episodes throughout the 1940s, definitely does something for the overall presentation.

If you enjoy Superman comics or cartoons, then I will say that "The Bulleteers" should be worth checking out, though it is not the best of stories.

My rating of "The Bulleteers" from directors Dave Fleischer and Orestes Calpini lands on a five out of ten stars.

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.