Bekkah:

This is a classic for a reason!! I don’t think I’ve seen an episode of Captain Planet for at least 15 years (maybe more like 25??) and it is a great rewatch! Look, not everything holds up, and there definitely feels like some weird tokenism/racism (but yes, the white American guy is the worrrrrst planeteer) but Jeff as a rat-man supervillain (reusing his costume from Faerie Tale Theater?) named Venemous Skumm?? Yes, I am here for it. I am here for the eco-propaganda. I am here for the power that lets you talk to animals. I am here for Captain Planet’s oddly ripped hologram/android body. Jeff is extremely well cast, as is great hair Gaia (Whoopi Goldberg!!) and a bunch of other awesome celebs. Earth Day is next week and I’m so excited for Jeff’s last two episodes!

Danya:

You know what I love? PROPOGANDA FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! The five planeteers just hate pollution so much, and it is clear that polluters are terrible people. After I got over the fact that polluting in itself is a weird motivation, I got really into these quirky kids battling stereotypes and body-horror rat poison. Also, I’d recommend watching this with climate science educator if you want to be incredibly depressed. But Bekkah did teach me that we managed to figure out acid rain. So, yeah. One good thing. I also appreciate Captain Planet’s message that we have the power, but we know it’s really corporations that need to get their act together. But yeah, let’s recycle. Lean into nostalgia, and don’t think about the planeteers’ parents, who are certainly worried sick.

8/10 Goldskumms

Captain Planet on IMDB
A quintet of teenagers work together to encourage environmentally responsible behavior and can summon a superhero to deal with ecological disasters.

Creators: Nicholas Boxer, Ted Turner, Thom Beers | 6 more credits »

Stars: David Coburn, Joey Dedio, Kath Soucie