Product Description

In ancient Japan, a samurai warrior embarks on a mission to defeat the evil wizard Aku. Before completing his task, he is jetisoned thousands of years into the future. Suddenly, he discovers he is in a world where Aku now enjoys complete power over every living thing. Taking on the name Jack, he sets out on a quest to free the future from Aku's grasp and to find a way back to his own time so he can destroy the evil for good.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27188 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-03-19
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
The graphically inventive feature that introduced the Cartoon Network series owes as much to the cartoons of UPA and Chuck Jones as it does to anime. The title character is a prince whose family has fought the evil demon Aku for control of their fanciful Asian kingdom for ages. During an intense battle, Jack is hurled into a future city ruled by Aku and his henchmen-robots. After aiding some talking dogs, Jack vows to continue his struggle against Aku and return to own time. The angular, minimal visuals are effective and eclectic: Aku's face is modeled on Sri Lankan demon masks, and the characters move in ways that fit their stylized designs. Unfortunately, the writing falls short of the visuals--the talking dogs would feel more at home in a "Ren and Stimpy" cartoon than in this imaginative adventure. Unrated. Suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon violence. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Ignore this and get the Season 1 dvd instead
This dvd isn't so bad; but it's just the first 3 episodes of Season 1. The 'never seen before episode' is the 11th episode (the one with the Scottsman on the bridge), which is also on the Season 1 dvd. It's disappointing that they don't tell you that on the description anywhere, so for any of you who planned on getting both this and the Season 1 set - just get the Season 1 set by itself.

Otherwise, this is a fine intro to Samurai Jack and is worth watching. I would rate the disc 4.5 out of 5 on its own.

Avoid if you buy season one as well
Yes this DVD is nice, but all material also is included in Season one. So don't make the same mistake I did and avoid it if you are getting the first season. The movie is basically the first 3 episodes of season 1.

As a standalone product I have no complaints if you have no interest in purchasing the series. Very stylized and entertaining. I just hate companies that rip you off by issuing the same thing as different titles.

Cartoon Evolution in Action
"Samurai Jack" is the best of both worlds. Like "Rocky and Bullwinkle," "Samurai Jack" has no problem treading the gap between kids cartoons and more mature animation. The story is straight adventure, easy to grasp and fun to watch. The dialog is funny, clever and insightful. The animation is an excellent amalgamation of Japanese and American styles. It makes use of every innovation, every benefit of telling a graphic story in a fluid medium and combines that with an exciting and fun story. There is no pretension here, no obvious aspiration to art, just a good time.

This DVD has both the original "Samurai Jack" movie and an extra episode. Both are inspired storytelling with lots of laughs and adventure. I'm glad that the cartoon network took the bold step to make "Samurai Jack." It can be thought of as a boy's version of "The Powerpuff Girls."

There are some things that can be done with a cartoon, that just can't be done with live action. In short, "Samurai Jack" is the very reason why we have animation.