Swamp Thing: Complete First and Second Seasons

Quite possibly one of the biggest wastes of celluloid and time, the 1990 Swamp Thing half-hour drama starring Dick Durock as "Alec Holland/the Thing” is "the thing that should not be.” Like the DC Comics series and previous feature films, Swamp Thing finds Holland mutated by evil genius Dr. Anton Arcane (Mark Lindsay Chapman). As Swamp Thing, he haunts a strangely well-trafficked mire, intent on ridding the world of ne’er-do-wells and teaching valuable life lessons. As a comic, Swamp Thing was brilliant. As a movie, it wasn’t bad but as a low-budget, 22-minute series, it sucks. Every iota of the show falters. It would seem as if Swamp Thing was hammered together on a budget that allowed for nothing after the creation of Durock’s costume. It’s indelibly marred by cheapness, resulting in sub-par acting and questionable writing that leaves virtually everything unanswered (Who are the people traipsing around his turf? Who the hell cares?) despite a constantly predictable premise: good guys who wander into the swamp have some sort of epiphany, while bad guys are put through the wringer. This says nothing of the gaudy voice effect laden on Durock that leaves Swamp Thing sounding like that the guy from CB4 who used a throat-microphone. Were Swamp Thing given more than a pittance to create a whopping 72 episodes, it might have revelled in better craftsmanship. Swamp Thing’s character could have been developed into the brooding, tormented man he was instead of something occasionally seen hiding behind a tree while "setting the world straight.” Maybe then this headache would’ve been more enjoyable and less "movie of the week,” golden rule preachy. As is though, Arcane is far more interesting than the slimy green good guy that lends his name to the show. Even the extras (an interview with co-creator Len Wein and a retrospective on Dick Durock) are as thin as this premise.