Captain Power et les soldats du futur

I watched this TV show in early 90s when it was on TV in Russia for the only time ( I was 12-13 years old then). And I liked it very much then though I had no idea about the toys and the reasons why this show hadn't been continued. In our post-communist country we had no idea about it and for me it was just a fun to watch something new, something we'd never seen before. Now I am 30 and I suddenly remembered this show. Unfortunately I failed to buy an official DVD or Blue-ray issue in Russia, so I decided to watch it on YouTube. And I was stunned! Now when I'm not that young I can feel the importance of such things like friendship, courage, honesty and love. They are so rare things in our self-help time. And this film gives you all it. Forget about biodreads, forget about metal wars, forget about blusters. This film tells us that no matter how circumstances are tough, real friends should always stay together. And while they are united they are able to deal with the most difficult problems in this world. And machines and all nano-technologies that are so popular nowadays will never replace the basic things that always stay with us. But unfortunately we forget about them too often. Definitely this show is not for kids. I think the main problem of this show was that late 80s wasn't the right time for it. It was certainly too deep and serious for children but I think it wasn't actual enough for then adults. What else can I say? I can say that when I watched the last episode I was completely broken. However I think it was a great ending. Because sometimes we have to lose too much to understand the importance of the things we have.

Great film! I hope finally I will be able to buy it on DVD or Blue-ray.

Earth. The 22nd Century. The evil Lord Dread has taken over the world, and with his machine empire seeks to eliminate the last traces of mankind and remake the world in the image of the machine. The only thing stopping him: a small resistance of humans, led by. . .Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future! A bit intense for Saturday morning, eh?

This was one of the best when I was a kid. Combining bits of "Star Wars," "The Terminator," and "Mad Max." And, unlike most shows from the 80's meant to sell toys, it actually had engrossing plots! It was the first TV series to use computer-generated special effects, and the first to have an interactive toyline. I tell you, science fiction doesn't get better than this.

I was very young when this show came out, perhaps 5. I didn't really understand it then, nor did I take much of an interest in the toys (my brother and I had two of them, I remember). But a couple years later, at perhaps age 7, I unearthed the tapes I had and became absolutely enraptured.

I recently remembered this show and watched it all the way through, and it still hits me like it did so long ago. All of the things that interest me now when it comes to scifi: post-apocalyptic stories, high tech armor, women in lycra and metal chestplates (did I just say that out loud?) all appear in this show.

Many people have theories as to the inspiration for Captain Power. I cannot claim to know what the creators were thinking, but it does bear a striking resemblance to the Japanese "Metal Hero" programs, such as Space Sheriff Gavan. The idea of using a codeword and body language to change into an armored hero was not unfamiliar at the time, at least in Japan. But what makes Captain Power different from the metal hero shows is the seriousness of it. Metal Heroes were always laden with superhero bravado and tongue in cheek plots. Sure, Captain Power had it's share of camp, but it was still miles ahead of the Japanese programs.

I've also heard this show mentioned as an inspiration for Power Rangers. This is not true, as Power Rangers is simply Japanese Sentai shows adapted into new American series. Sentai series have been running since the early 70s, thus predating Captain Power.

In my opinion, Captain Power was crippled from the get-go by the tie-in toys. They were a good idea from a marketing standpoint, but this was not the show to test them on. Perhaps if this show had been marketed (and named) differently, sans-interactive toys, it would have lasted longer. A kids' show is still a kids' show to most people, no matter how well done it is.

This show had its share of television firsts, which of course are always ignored :

As far as I know the first completely CGI characters in a TV series. Sauron and Blastarr looked quite good, with the technology being so young at the time.

The first real "cyberpunk" reference in a TV series, in the episode "Flame Street".

And surely others I cannot recall at the moment.

It also contained a lot of very kid-unfriendly ideas, such as torture, drug use, and the sheer horrors of global war.

What makes the shame of this show's cancellation even greater is the depth of themes that were present. It of course had the very strong "War is hell" message in nearly every episode. These days this is quite common, but at the time it was nearly unheard of. Naturally it also dealt with the power of the human spirit, in the heroes' continued triumphs over Dread's often superior forces. This was also very uncommon at the time. And some specific episodes had some fantastic lessons to teach, such as "Freedom One", which tells of the use of the radio medium as a voice of defiance. Very powerful work for a supposed children's' show.

Watching this, recently, I often find myself forgetting that I am watching what was marketed as a children's' show. Nearly every episode is laden with rather mature material, such as the first episode, where Power's old lover is brought back to bait him, or the final episodes which are laden with suspense and darkness far above kiddie-levels.

To this day it infuriates me that a show with such great creative force behind it, and nearly unlimited potential, met an early demise due to what was essentially studio politics. Reasons given for the cancellation of Captain Power vary, from poor toy sales to parents' groups. Personally I think all these could have been avoided if the show had been properly (in my eyes) marketed to a broader audience. Any fan of sci fi in general would appreciate this show, although it was rather campy at times (that was to be expected). And besides, Pilot was my first crush ever (I doubt I was the only one).

I loved this show as a kid. Granted it is a bit short (20 mins per episode) but it was big budget and had some pretty mature themes for a "family" program (which made it appealing to children and adults).

Great fun even today, though it can be a bit campy at times. Unfortunately the VHS tapes are out of print, but you can trade them with other collector's on ebay (which is where I got some of mine). This was way ahead of its time, and fell out of favor because of stupid controversy (that it was "too violent" and that it somehow forced people to buy more toys.. ). In addition to the show there were "Training Episodes" made exclusively for the interactive home market. These tapes were basically shooting galleries much like the arcade rail shooters (a la "Area 51") featuring mostly animated effects.

It would be awesome (but somewhat unlikely) if the series was released in all its glory on lucious DVD (all 22 episodes, plus the gag-reel, character bios, interviews, and how about the Interactive Ship/Guns as an added bonus?).

The series ended on a rather dark note; a second season was planned but never aired. There was also a short "film" made using some stock footage for effects (since they were low on funds at this time) and supposedly new storyline (I haven't seen it). I have seen a PAL tape up for auction called "Dread's Revenge" that supposedly picks up where the last episode left off, but I don't know if this is any different than the "film" version of Captain Power that was posted on IMDB.

One of the biggest innovations of this tv phenomenon is that you could fire at the screen during the show at various "targets" (on the chests of the bad guys mostly) to score points, and when they fired back, you had to shoot their shots, or else you got hit. Even without the toys, the show rocked. It had humor, tons of action, and great special effects for the time. The show captured the post apocalyptic future very well.

Critics like Ebert gave it high marks. I think if the parent groups would have realized that the show was just a live action video game, no different than dozens of other shows out there (except for that fact that most of the others were all animated). The show was still great even without the toys (though the toys are great icing on the cake), and it often had good moral messages (war is hell, violence should be avoided if a peaceful solution is available, human lives are more important than machines, greed and lust for power leads to suffering, and about working together to solve problems). Finally, the characters were likeable, and the plots were interesting.

While the show owes much to the likes of Terminator, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica, it has influenced other science fiction movies and shows over the years, including Star Trek: the Next Generation (compare Lord Dread to the evil Borg), and RoboCop (does that armor not look familiar?). ; )

Still great after all these years...

I believe this series was created with the intention of selling a toy line, it was interactive tv, kids could buy the guns and figures and shoot the robot troopers that had flashing badges on their chests, sadly the toys were too expensive, didn't sell and the show got cancelled after one series, which is a shame since it was a damn fine series with some strong adult themes, and good characterisation thrown into the mix. The show was well cast with good likeable actors and well written by Michael Straczynski, creator of more famous Babylon 5.

It's basic premise was a group of futuristic freedom fighters, fighting literally against 'The Machine'. A post apocalyptic future where machine had overrun mankind and humans scavenged for survival. Led by Captain 'Jonathon' Power (played excellently by Tim Dunigan), his one man resistance forces goal was to free mankind from Lord Dredd and his Bio-dred empire. They were the soldiers of the future.