Okay so this episode is adapted from the prehistoric-themed Doom Zone play-set "Mighty Max Grapples with Battle Cat", and while the story is a little weak and not a favourite of mine, it's still entertaining and fun enough to make it a good worthwhile entry in the series. In a very odd and obscure tiny role in his acting repertoire, Ron Perlman gives a different kind of voice performance as the hulking and scary-looking, yet gentle and heroic immortal caveman Goar, who eternally battles an equally super-powered and indestructible foe in a ferocious sabretooth tiger that was bestowed with the same powers thousands of years ago by a mysterious golden-glowing meteorite that fell to Earth. In a way it's just Ron Perlman playing an animated version of Ron Perlman! His tones are barely recognisable and he only says one word and a lot of grumbling and roaring and some gibberish caveman speak, but I thought he still managed to put a little character into it, and at the end when he says something like "At-tu, Max", which is a goodbye as he prepares to jump into the tar pits forever along with the tiger, but he puts emotion into that almost-a-word, and it's a bit of a sad moment. And it's so not fair! Yet another powerful new ally who could have aided the team in the fight against Skullmaster ends up sacrificing himself at the conclusion of a story. A fair number of these episodes had themes that were quite moderately downbeat and sombre, but at least it gives the viewer a little something to ponder on. I thought the animation of the sabretooth was awesome and powerful-looking, and well representative of the way real big cats move. It's presented as the menace of the story but it's not at all a villain, just a confused and angry animal trapped out of its own time, so that was a different approach. It made me laugh when it scratches up the curtains and steals the ham in the fancy restaurant! And there's a quick reference to Star Wars(two if you count the title of the episode) during the planetarium scene when it crushes two model robots that look very similar indeed to C3po and R2-D2! I also like how during the scene Norman enjoys the applause of the audience that believes his losing fight with the beast is an act and he bows to them, he's quite a showman! And another very funny bit was where everyone has just met and is fleeing the sabretooth and Virgil's just standing still like an idiot, lost in his own thoughts about how important it is to run and Goar just snatches him up without pausing with one giant hand mid-sentence! I love the way that this show could occasionally illicit laughter from poking fun at its own characters and situations, and I have noticed that whenever something has the ability to make you laugh, you tend to get a little more emotionally invested in it. And something that I'm afraid I don't really like is the character of Max's Mom. I mean she's okay, and a cool and extremely understanding mother to our hero and all, but her design makes her just look like a weirdly feminised bigger version of Max, and I'm glad they didn't use her in too many of the stories. I like the way this one subtly addresses how she has no real name! Good not great episode, and whatever the case I'm always mighty-glad to be watching these again. At-tu!!! ✊
