Samurai Jack

An innovative, highly stylized series from Dexter's Laboratory creator Genndy Tartakovsky, Samurai Jack was an instant cult classic upon its premiere in 2001, earning an Emmy nomination. This Cartoon Network favorite synthesizes as many disparate influences as a Quentin Tarantino movie, blending anime, samurai films, sci-fi, and Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. Visually sophisticated, emphasizing action over dialogue, the inaugural episodes play like a mini-movie (and are available as Samurai Jack: The Premiere Movie, reviewed in VL Online-5/02). The plot is simple: Jack, whose sword is enchanted "with the magic power of righteousness," trains his body and his mind to confront Aku, the evil, shape-shifting wizard who dethroned Jack's emperor father and--years later during a pitched battle--dispatches Jack into the future through a time portal. The solitary warrior's single-minded quest is to find his way back to undo the devastation of Aku's tyrannical rule. Tartakovsky, who directed episodes of The Powerpuff Girls, creates fight scenes that are clang-tastic, with Jack battling a succession of fantastic foes. Samurai Jack's distinctive look (with its malleable framing and split screens that propel the action), laconic hero, and monstrous villains, stand up to repeated viewings--and that's a fact, Jack. Compiling all 13 first-season episodes, this double-disc set also features a single episode commentary with Tartakovsky and storyboard artist Brian Andrews, a seven-minute “making of” featurette, and original artwork. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)