Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection DVD Review

PG; 29 hours 25 minutes; $14.98

I think I need to have my head examined, as I could of sworn that I had already written a review for Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection DVD set, but to my own dismay, I was completely wrong.

Anyway, the Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection DVD set was released to DVD last fall by Mill Creek Entertainment. The six disc set features the 1984 feature film Sheena and all 35 episodes from the 2000-2002 series. As added bonus, there are five episodes from the 1955-1956 series Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.

Created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, Sheena first debuted as a comic book character in by Fiction House during the late 1930s. The character was basically the female version of Tarzan. Sheena was forced to grow up in the African jungle after her parents were killed. she has the ability to communicate with animals, and spends most her time saving the jungle from bad guys.

Sheena was turned into a short-lived television series starring model Irish McCalla, which wasn't well received by critics or viewers. Sheena wouldn't get a feature film movie until 1984's Sheena, which was directed by John Guillermin and starred Tanya Roberts as the queen of the jungle. Despite a decent budget, the film was held down by a campy, uneven script. Upon it's release, it became a critical and box-office flop. It was even nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards! However, like most films from the 1980s, Sheena has found a cult following over the years.

Sheena was revived as a television series in 2000 starring Gena Lee Nolin, but thanks to cheap special effects, bad scripts, and wooden acting, the series only lasted two seasons.





Final Thoughts

I was born in 1981, so I was bit too young to remember when Sheena the movie was released to theaters. And for some unknown reason, I don't ever recall watching it on TBS or TNT during my childhood, though I do remember watching The Beastmaster, which co-starred Tanya Roberts. Personally, I have always wanted to see the film, so I'm glad Mill Creek Entertainment has released it to DVD.

Yes, the movie is just as campy as I had heard it was; though the acting wasn't quite as bad as what I was expecting it to be. The cinematography is really good and the musical score is pretty decent. While the movie is rated PG, there are several nude scenes.

I only had time to watch a handful of the 2000 television series, but I didn't care much for it. The acting is bad, the dialogue is horrible, and the special effects are a joke.

The picture and sound quality for the movie is really good, but the television episodes don't have the best picture.

Overall, Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Collection is a good DVD set to own if you're a Sheena fan. While I can't recommend either television series, I do recommend watching Sheena the movie, if you're into campy 80s' flicks.



*Note : I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

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