1940 was a much better year than expected for the Popeye series. Am saying this because in the early 40s Fleischer Studios went through a drastic decline, with a lot of average at best and even weak cartoons. On the most part though, for this period the Popeye cartoons were surprisingly good and the best quite impressive. While there wasn't really anything in 1940 on the same level as the best of the 30s efforts but it is a good example of the Popeye series being the best of the studio's theatrical series during its worst period.
Don't be off by this cartoon's dubious title, which some today may find somewhat sexist. The title doesn't really have to do anything with the cartoon itself and gives a wrong impression of it before watching, both in what it's about and what happens and also because there is nothing much of a negative attitude towards women or as they're described in the title. The closest 'Females is Fickle' comes to that is what Olive does at the end, considering what Popeye went through that was quite frustrating, despite her actually have good intentions at this point, and one is totally on Popeye's side seeing how he takes it at the end. If anybody is put off that is a shame because 'Females is Fickle' is among the better 1940 Popeye cartoons.
'Females is Fickle' is one of the shorter Popeye cartoons and somehow it does feel a little too on the short side. The very end was a little unsatisfying and like the story had run out of gas.
It has always felt odd hearing Olive voiced by somebody else other than Mae Questel, Margie Hines somehow doesn't do it for me (that's true too in all the cartoons where she replaced Questel), her voice doesn't fit the character design or have the same amount of energy when voicing her and she fails in making Olive (who has little to do here) endearing enough.
However, Popeye has great comic timing and that it is evident that he'd do anything for Olive showed him to be a likeable character too. The undersea characters are colourful support and really liked how they were used in the numerous and often hilarious gags. Especially in the second half and the wonderfully wild climax, the pace throughout is lively and the fight sequences are visually inventive, exciting and fun.
Animation is neatly and expressively drawn (especially with Popeye) and still very much like the work that goes into the backgrounds. The music, appropriately like its own character, is as beautifully orchestrated and characterful as ever. Jack Mercer shows once again shows why he was the most popular Popeye voice actor and the definitive one.
Summarising, impressive. 8/10
