2
7
(mild strong language, gross jokes)
(nothing direct)
5
(worth seeing but not what it looks like it will be)
I was a bit disappointed with the Simpsons collection known as "Bart Wars." Don’t get me wrong there are some good episodes on it, but the set's theme suggests the content will be Star Wars related or at least sci-fi. Not so. The final episode guest stars Mark Hamill with some obligatory Star Wars nods, but most of the episodes are tied together only in that they involve conflict. We don't get so much as the one where Ralph says he bent his Wookiee.
I don't dislike any of the episodes here even though I wouldn't count most of them among my favorites. If I had bought this as just a random collection of episodes I wouldn't be impressed but neither would I be disappointed. The heavy nod to Star Wars in the packaging lead me to have expectation that weren't met which is the starting point of what bugs me most.
What bugs me even more is that the episode "Marge Be Not Proud" would actually be best suited for one of the Christmas compilations, better, in fact, than some of the episodes included on those sets. So instead of putting it in a Christmas set they included it here and put non-Christmas episodes in the other sets. Who's up there making the choices for these sets? Would somebody get Wiggum out of the DVD suite?
Morality
You can expect a little strong language out of the show though these episodes are not as heavy with it as some are.
There's little if anything at all that's notable as far as sexuality or violence. There are a couple of disgusting moments like the mob milking rats.
Spirituality
There are a couple of morality lessons here. "Dog of Death" shows the alienation resentment can cause. "Marge Be Not Proud" has Bart suffering the consequences of being a thief. He has cause to question his mother's love for him which causes quite the turmoil although in the end the unconditional love of a mother shines through. "The Secret War of Lisa Simpsons" shows the siblings sticking together for once.
Final Thoughts
There's nothing here that you can't get in the full season sets. Unless you especially want one or two of these episodes without buying a whole season of the show then this isn't worth the effort to track down. The reason I like these sets at all is for the convenience of having similar episodes grouped together so I don't have to pull multiple volumes out at a time, like the Christmas and Halloween sets which I like to get out at the apropriate seasons. This one, however, does not offer a theme worthy of a collection.
Buying Guide
"Bart Wars" has a single DVD option available.
Final Recommendation:
There's not much to say other than I don't recommend this set unless you want these episodes without buying the individual full seasons to get them.
Details
Video
Audio
Packaging
Extras
Episodes/Extras continued