Godzilla would be proud. Usually when one celebrates a 40th birthday, as the giant lizard does this year, the over-the-hill jokes abound. But much like mini-skirts, bell-bottoms and hula hoops, Godzilla’s style is making a comeback and setting a dreadful trend in American television for kids.
Giant transformer monsters became Godzilla clones with a futuristic twist on “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” And this season brings a blatant copycat version called “SuperHuman Samurai Syber-Squad” (premieres 7:30 a.m. Monday, WPWR-Ch. 50), a strange combination of live action and primitive-looking animation. Watching the show is like seeing “Ghostwriter,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and “Godzilla” all on the same screen-and it’s a bumpy ride.
The show features Matthew Lawrence (“Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Gimme a Break!”) as Sam Collins-computer genius, world-class video game player and lead guitarist of a garage band. Sam’s teenage buddies Tanker, Syd and Amp (Kevin Castro, Robin Mary Florence and Troy Slaten) make up the rest of the Squad. They aid him in fighting off Kilokahn, a Darth Vader look-alike computer megavirus.
With a strum of his guitar, Sam and the Squad transform into what strongly resemble giant Power Rangers who fight awesome battles against the Godzilla wannabe, which is trying to torch a digital “syberworld” with its fiery breath.
The special effects will be impressive to kids, and Lawrence will make young girls’ hearts flutter, all adding up to hit status for “SuperHuman Samurai Syber-Squad.”
– One of the more unusual cartoons to hit the networks this fall is “Reboot” (premiering 8:30 a.m. Saturday, WLS-Ch. 7), an action-adventure series featuring three-dimensional effects much like those in a video arcade.
Living inside a computer, in a city called Mainframe, are Bob, Dot Matrix and Enzo, who are not cartoon characters but sprites-weird-looking human beings whose mouths move but who have little facial expression.
Following the classic good-vs.-evil mode, Bob, the show’s alleged superhero, is pitted against a power-hungry virus named Megabyte. But Dot, a businesswoman, and Enzo, Dot’s little brother, seem to rescue Bob more than he rescues others.
Computer-literate kids will find “Reboot” stimulating, for the show’s dialogue is chock full of high-tech talk. Others will be captivated by the visuals.
– In its second hour, Arnold Shapiro’s four-part documentary, “Victory Over Violence,” focuses on how to make our communities safer places to live (7 p.m. Sunday, WPWR-Ch. 50).
A program that originated in Portland, Ore., has placed 250 juvenile delinquents in jobs each year for the past three years. Youth Employment Empowerment Project began when Seattle residents recognized the rising rate of gang violence and drug-oriented crime. YEEP mainstreams gang-affiliated and at-risk youth by connecting them with employers willing to provide jobs.
Police in Columbia, S.C., have moved officers to some high-crime areas. The camera follows Officer James Jones and his family, who live in a former crack house that Jones once raided and has since renovated. Neighbors talk about a new sense of pride and safety in the community. And Walter Cronkite, the show’s host, reports that overall crime has dropped 16 percent in the neighborhoods that are a part of the program.
– “Disney Presents Bill Nye the Science Guy” will air six days a week (10:30 a.m. Saturdays, WPWR-Ch. 50 and 3:30 p.m. weekdays, WTTW-Ch. 11 beginning Oct. 11).
Best Picks
“Citizen Kane” (2:30 p.m Sunday, WLS-Ch.7).
“It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown” (8 a.m. Wednesday, The Disney Channel).
“Three Stooges Week” (1 p.m. Monday through Friday, TNT).
