To borrow a phrase from our American cousins, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet 'kicks serious ass!' This 26-part CG animation epic retains the basic setup of Earth caught in a war of nerves against The Mysterons, shapeless, disembodied entities from Mars with the ability to destroy objects and people and then reconstruct them for their own ends.The 1967 original is of course fondly remembered by fans for its air of menace and that aspect is just one of many elements the new series embraces and improves on with glee. Each week hapless humans die in spectacular 'accidents' and Mysteron agents are shot, electrocuted, blown up and flung off cliffs with impunity. In 'Skin Deep' the delightfully villainous Captain Black even shoots a woman in the face, at point blank range. This kind of deliciously dark mayhem is exactly what young and old love about the show. The scripts (the majority of them by Phil Ford) are not only pacey, varied and imaginative but exploit aspects of the basic format that were simply beyond the abilities of the original. For example, 'Chiller', sees Scarlet so badly injured in a Mysteron explosion that his spirit literally frees itself from his mangled remains. The result is that Scarlet finds himself invisible to everyone else on Skybase. Not only invisible but insubstantial, able to walk through walls and people like a ghost. All of which poses a major problem given that Scarlet knows a traitor has carried a bomb on board. But how can a ghost warn his friends? In 'Swarm', a plague of Mysteron nanobots takes over Skybase, wrapping its human prey in spider-like cocoons. 'Mercury Falling,' features Captain Blue and Destiny piloting a nuclear powered space shuttle (a tribute to 'Fireball XL5') which has been transformed into a flying bomb aimed at Washington D.C. And 'Rat Trap' sees our heroes dispatched to a spooky Martian colony to face some killer robots on the rampage. But for all the visceral hi-tech wizardry on display the new series also offers a satisfying emotional core. A blossoming love affair between Scarlet and Destiny Angel is a real pleasure to watch and surprisingly heartfelt in its impact. Although aimed at children this is, as Thunderbirds was before it, a show with genuine adult appeal. And if Scarlet is predictably loyal and heroic his worry about his invulnerability and the way it sets him apart from other humans adds another layer of depth to his character. As for the photorealistic CGI animation one word sums it up and that word is 'spectacular'. Given that the original Captain Scarlet was a puppet (marionette) show - with all the inherent limitations of movement and expression that entails - the new version is nothing short of miraculous. The characters can finally move without having to be in a vehicle or stand on a conveyor belt! They can smile, look sad, angry, frustrated, and have thrilling hand to hand fights. The new series exploits all of these possibilities to the hilt.In conclusion all I can say is that anyone who lives outside the UK should contact their local station and request them to carry this show. If you like Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's work but were horrified by Jonathan Frakes' Thunderbirds movie yet still want to see one of the old puppet shows updated with love and skill then New Captain Scarlet is a must. It's easily the best thing Anderson has done since Year One of Space:1999 and far better, IMO, than the BBC's recently relaunched Doctor Who.

When Supermarionation ended we don't know what happened to Gerry Anderson. Now after at least forty years he has brought back one of his best shows and recreated it in the thing called Hypermarionation. Captain Scarlet has started all over again with a new way of becoming indestructible and Captain Black was with him! This computer-animated series is nearly as good as the original puppet version was. The only main differences are obviously that it's computer made, Leiutenant Green is a girl and the Mysterons don't give away their plans. The main similarity is that it is still just the tiniest bit corny, but it's still worth it for the action and brilliant effects. Very good!

A fan of the original 1960s version of the show, I was very excited to here about Gerry Anderson's new version of Captian Scarlet. So far, it has yet to disappoint. The update is faithful to the puppet show, yet has been tweaked to give it a more modern edge.I think the more dramatic element of the show is great - with the Love triangle between Captain Scarlet, Destiny Angel, and Captian Black. We are already seeing hints of a budding romance between Scarlet and Destiny, although the relationship will undoubtedly be a little more angst ridden after the death or her former love interest, Captain Black, also Scarlet's best friend. There is also tension between Scarlet and Captain Blue. One time buddies, but now Blue finds it hard to trust his friend, since Scarlet spent some time under the Mysterons control.Of course the most obvious changes come in the form of a female Lieutenant Green, who was a male character in the 1960s version. Fans either will love or hate this change, but it is one that I can live with. However, with Destiny's prominence in the show perhaps there wasn't as much need to change Green's gender, as the other Angels will also feature more heavily. Destiny, herself, is leading the girl power for the show and this is welcome for the modern audience. Although in the puppet series Destiny was the female lead, her character has been much more fleshed out in the new series, and indeed she is English and not French! The show has also retained its darkness which was a part of its original appeal, indeed the Mysterons are still superbly menacing as well as cold blooded killers (they crushed a guy in a car scrap centre and blew up a bunch of air pilots). The overall show still has a dark feel, yet Skybase and all the various crafts look really effective.Of course, there are the odd gripes. The story's move very quickly and there are a lot of prolonged car chases. The graphics, whilst great, sometimes look a bit odd (cars on the road and lip synching). But the likeness of the marionettes is great.Overall a great show, modernised, yet faithful. Here's to the rest of the series and season two later in the year!

Anyone fearing another 'Thunderbirds' style mess need not worry. With original creator Gerry Anderson on board this show can't fail.The first episode has just appeared on British T.V and I am amazed by the results. The original storyline is being stuck to but with more advanced machinery. Also, Lieutenant Green is now a lady and Doctor Fawn is now Doctor Gold.Capatin Black is back, sinister as ever complete with a Matrix-style coat and all the necessary lurking around in graveyards. Mysteron agents now have glowing green eyes too.The new vehicles are bigger, chunkier and shinier. The first episode sees the red Spectrum Patrol Car, a flying motorbike, a five strong squadron of Angels and of course Skybase (replacing Cloudbase) which is simply a huge airborne airport.I am a big fan of the original show and all of Gerry Andersons work, I didn't know what to expect from this but I was not disappointed. You get the feeling that this is the show that he had in mind all along but was just not possible with puppets. There is fantastic action which really picks up towards the end. The show gets moving fast too, there is no slow introduction which I felt hindered the original.There are 13 episodes in the first series, lasting approx 20 minutes each. Expect this to be 'BIG', the merchandise is already being produced, as is a second series.One complaint? No hint of Barry Gray's original music theme. Pity.Nevertheless, congratulations on a fantastic new show Mr Anderson, now hurry up and give us some Thunderbirds and show Jonathan Frakes how its done!