Shadow Chronicles Review and Commentary Part II

What I liked:

After viewing Shadow Chronicles a few times, the one thing that stood out the most was the music and sound. Scott Glasgow’s musical score elevated the quality of Robotech into the echelon of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Gone is the 80’s keyboard music and replaced with 40 strings and brass. The fine musical score was well mixed with the sound effects of the old show as well with new ones.

The second thing I noticed was the 3D animation and the achievements of the computer graphics. The opening sequence was something out of a Star Trek episode. I was also quickly reminded of the opening of Superman Returns. Yes, this has been done again and again in science fiction but I definitely liked it. I did have doubts about the mixing of traditional 2D animation and the new computer driven 3D animation. But in the end, I was definitely blown away. The ability to escalate the special effects and enlarge the pallet is amazing. The battle to liberate the Earth at the beginning greatly out did the old animation of the New Generation. I was so impressed I rewound the DVD and watched it again and again. In the 80’s, I had to almost use my imagination to encompass the size of the battle fleet from the REF. But finally, I didn't have to think but be overwhelmed by the sharp and crisp scene playing out on my widescreen television.

If I was numbering these points, I would say the third most important thing I liked about TSC was the bringing back of so many of the original voice actors. It gave me chills and took me back to the summer 1985 when I heard Scott Bernard speak again, the first time in 20 years. Tony Oliver gave Rick Hunter an edge and realism. He didn’t just should like Rick from Macross but had the voice of age and wisdom. Dan Woren’s voice was welcomed back as Gen Reinhardt but I will admit he’s best as Roy Fokker. Other voices most Robotech fans will definitely appreciate are Richard Epcar, Iona Morris, and Melanie MacQueen. There was even some other famous voices like Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, and Chase Masterson. I would say the voice talents have only gotten better with age.

Did I like the story? Yes. The story stayed with the themes of Robotech. With the new sequel we got a new villain and enemy. Pacing and action was again in line with the old series. The battles were grand and filled with explosions. The ability to work actual dialog from the final episode of New Generation was also a plus in my book. The small things like that kept me involved and allowed me to remember back to good ol' early days.

All in all, I found this new Robotech very entertaining. I would have to give it a 7 out of 10. Or on a stars level, I would give it 3.75 stars. And as Ebert and Roper would say, two thumbs up!

In a future post, I will state my dislikes. And once that is on the table, I can begin to break down a few scenes and few larger topics that I want to bring around for discussion.