VIXEN - THE MOVIE

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Vixen - The Movie' on Blogcritics.

I’m sure most people interested in superheroes know of The CW’s excellent DC lineup, which includes Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. But did you know that The CW Seed, the online off-shoot of the network, also has a DC animated series called Vixen? Originally released as two seasons of a handful of short installments ranging from four to seven minutes in length, all of the run has now been combined into Vixen – The Movie, available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

Vixen - The Movie does sort of feel like a movie. It isn’t super obvious where one episode from the web series ends and another begins, other than if you assume it happens at scene changes. And while the overall run is kind of segmented into three parts – season one, a fifteen-minute interlude, and season two – the story of Mari McCabe (Megalyn Echikunwoke, The 4400, House of Lies) finding her identity and her powers, which involves controlling the spirits of animals, does help it gel together, albeit without a very definitive ending. Still, the whole thing, overall, comes across as more cohesive than I expected.

The weakest point actually is the new stuff, which is inserted into the middle. While it is relevant to Mari embracing the Vixen identity and learning how to control her powers, it also feels weird and out of place, with no virtually no continuity crossover into the two seasons. This is because Mari already seems to have a decent handle on things from instinct in the first thirty minutes, so it’s almost a step backwards to struggle with how to use them later, and we don’t see her continue the job she accepts into the latter section. I would rather the story had just skipped the year that follows to get to the last thirty minutes if they weren’t going to connect it better. Though, is a running time of less than sixty minutes long enough to be considered a movie?

Vixen isn’t as good as the other DC shows, mainly because the world it portrays is even simpler and more two-dimensional than the live-action incarnations. With most superhero series, there’s a certain amount of black and white in how characters view the world, and that’s an accepted part of the genre. But certain occurrences in Vixen – The Movie, such as Mari forgiving Macalester (Sean Patrick Thomas, The District) so easily, or the handling of what a small world Mari is from in Africa, seem cartoonish, rather than real.

But this is a cartoon, and the target audience is more than likely children. For this, it works. It is better than other children’s superhero cartoons I’ve seen, including the two episodes of the short-lived Justice League Unlimited included in this release’s extras. It’s entertaining, Mari’s powers are cool, and there are decent action scenes. The family drama is interesting, and the hero herself is at least lightly layered. I do wish the characters weren’t so still when they aren’t talking or fighting, but I did find Vixen – The Movie enjoyable.

If you’re a fan of the DC shows on The CW, Vixen – The Movie fits into that universe well. Among the characters crossing over into the animated world are Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), The Flash (Grant Gustin), Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards), Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdes), Black Canary (Katie Cassidy), The Atom (Brandon Routh), and Firestorm (Franz Drameh and Victor Garber). These give the universe some cohesion, and make the new film feel a part of the cannon, which it is.

I also like the performers they’ve recruited just for this project, which include Echikunwoke, Neil Flynn (Scrubs, The Middle), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Black Sails), and Anika Noni Rose (The Good Wife, Dreamgirls). So again, overall, pretty good cast.

Sadly, Vixen – The Movie is lacking in bonus features. There are the aforementioned episodes of Justice League Unlimited episodes from more than a decade ago, which feature Gina Torres (Suits, Firefly) as Vixen. I find both of them boring and not great examples of children’s entertainment. Then there’s a very brief documentary about how Vixen fits in the DC landscape, which is interesting, but at only about six minutes, far too short. So the extras are not going to sway a would-be-buyer to make the purchase.

Though, if you’re already a fan of The CW shows, or you have a child who needs a good female superhero role model, or even just a bit of light entertainment, I recommend checking out Vixen – The Movie, available now.

Scrubs ends abruptly

 
     Scrubs, after a mistaken decision to be kept on air this year with a new format, was canceled after a mere thirteen episodes.  Ok, it's not quite canceled yet, but would you believe that a portion of this article was written nearly two months ago and saved, because it was so obvious that the end was coming?  Technically, the episode that aired this week was a season finale, and was certainly not written to cap a long-running series.  However, that's most likely what it was.

     It's biggest mistake was a lack or originality. It was a mere goofier version of the original. The security guards, while funny, were just an extension of the Janitor (Neil Flynn, The Middle) character. Drew (Michael Mosley) was a mini-Dr. Cox, Cole (Dave Franco) was like The Todd (Robet Maschio), both of whom were still on the show. Lucy (Kerry Bishe) was a cross between J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke), and Denise (Eliza Coupe) became very similar to Elliot as well as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), but with less emotion than the former. The problem was, all of these new characters resembled the old ones, instead of bringing something new to the show.

      The one positive was that it gave Dr. Cox and Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) a chance to really grow their friendship. We finally got to see them on equal footing, rather than Turk being seen as the much younger student.  And in the end, both Cole and Drew got some serious growth that would have made them much more interesting were they allowed to continue.  Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who seemed to have the most fun in this continuation of the show, was nowhere to be seen this week.  Anyway, it's likely too little, too late.

Scrubs's new class

     Bill Lawrence's Scrubs returned for it's second season on ABC last night.  (It originally ran for seven years on NBC).  It felt like a whole new show, and it was a little shaky, but since this was only the first hour, that can be forgiven.  That is, IF it improves quickly.  Here's what was good, and what was bad.

     The new characters are fun and interesting.  Not sure Lucy (Kerry Bishe) can fill Zach Braff's shoes, though.  Yeah, she is quirky, sweet, and naive.  Kind of like a slightly less female version of J.D.  However, she didn't have quite the level of likability that he always had.  She may, in time, grow to be a fitting main character, but she is clearly still finding her legs.  Cole and Drew had an easier time, perhaps because they were allowed to be their own people, instead of serving as a replacement for a beloved character. Cole (Dave Franco) brought a level of jerkiness not seen on the show regularly before, and Drew (Michael Mosely) seems to be the type to try to hide everything, but also has layers.  The romance blossoming between Drew and last season newbie Denise could turn out quite exciting.  The only issues with the new guys is that the show is focusing on them too quickly.  Last season a slew of new interns was brought on, presumably to prepare for this new direction, however it appears that only Denise (Eliza Coupe) made the cut to continue, and that is disappointing.  It would be easier to accept them if they had been eased in, but given a few more episodes, I think they will all pass muster.  None of the three faces insurmountable odds.  I also enjoyed the security guards and the Australian chick, and hope that they will become staples.  I even liked the slightly new theme song.

     The issue with the new Scrubs is the how the old characters are being treated.  Only one of the supporting cast turned up, though The Todd (Robert Maschio) was arguably the most prominent, save Ted (Sam Lloyd), so it is fitting that he will continue.  But what about the rest?  Kelso (Ken Jenkins) made the transition the easiest.  He seems fine where he is.  Janitor (Neil Flynn), too, who won't be part of the new show, had a nice little goodbye scene.  The others, not so much.  Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) are the only two returning full time.  Why would Dr. Cox stop being chief of medicine and take a teaching job?  What exactly happened to the old hospital, and who is in charge now?  Sure, I understand it was torn down and rebuilt on a campus, but why, and what happened to most of the staff?  For instance, I saw nurses.  Where is Carla (Judy Reyes)?  Apparently she is no longer in the cast at all, though her bio is still on the official website, because she wanted to remain a full time character, and she was told that wasn't feasible.  Why not?  And Dr. Turk, who did transition almost as well as Kelso, is still married to her, so how will he get full, rich stories if she won't be popping up from time to time?  Also, what is Elliot (Sarah Chalke) up to?  We saw her only briefly in the pilot.  She is signed to do a number of episodes, but in what capacity?

     The character of John Dorian suffers the most, though.  He is still the same guy he was, which is fine, but what has he been up to this past year?  He apparently wasn't working with is friends, but where is he?  Why exactly did he return?  He is still treated like one of the stars, despite splitting narration with Lucy, but he is only signed for a limited number of episodes.  I would assume his contract stipulated he remain in the theme song with top billing for now, but why?  Just because he's an executive producer?  It doesn't make sense, and it makes him seem watered down.  My biggest beef is that he had such a perfect, fitting series finale last spring, that anything more than an occasional guest spot for him seems to cheapen the new show.  Hopefully his transition out will come soon and with class.

     This new version of Scrubs is funny, I'll give it that.  It kept enough of the old elements to make the viewer feel comfortable continuing.  But it needs to up the ante and let the newbies prove themselves quickly, or this could be another failed After M*A*S*H*.