Retrospective 1993

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

What started a promising franchise in 1990 quickly went downhill. By the time Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 came, the Turtles were time travelers, and instead of turtles they looked more like frogs with shells. The film was still a hit, but not to the level of the first 2. It would be 14 years before the animated follow-up TMNT.

Meteor Man

I wont say much about the parody Meteor Man, but at least it made more than its copycat Blankman, which is sad since it only earned $8 million. Anyways, if I were writing an SAT question of "Blankman:Batman as Meteor Man: ?" the answer would be Superman. Among other powers, he had:

* Absorbing book content by touch

* Superhuman Strength

* Flight

* Laser Vision

* X-ray Vision

* Freezing Breath

* Healing Factor

* Imbue Fertility

* Telekinesis

* Animal Communication

* Superhuman Speed

That's one tough dude. He didn't get a sequel, but did get a Marvel comic mini series.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Opening on Christmas 1993 was what many consider the best Batman movie - though since Batman Begins, the proponents have quieted down a bit. Made by the team that brought us the classic Batman: The Animated Series, this movie explored the origins of Batman in a way that had previously been skipped over. This was easily the year's high point as far as superheroes on screen are considered.

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

1993 also saw the premier of the 4 season running Lois and Clark. The show built up a good following by focusing more on the romance between the titular characters, but in season 3, when trying to drag out the tension that made the show popular, they really "nuked the fridge." After 60 years, Superman and Lois finally got married... but it wasn't really Lois, it was a frog eating clone. This twist sent viewers scrambling and the show never recovered. Even a real wedding couldn't save the show which got quite silly before ending on a cliffhanger in 1997.

...and thus ended 1993 in the era of ponchos and Nirvana.


BUY:
Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman - The Complete First Season
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Batman - Mask of the Phantasm
Meteor Man