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Amazon.co.uk Review
Joe 90 was Gerry Anderson's penultimate puppet show of the 1960s, following Captain Scarlet (1968) and preceding the little-known The Secret Service (1969). In 2112 professor Ian McClaine has invented the BIG RAT (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope, Record And Transfer), a machine for copying knowledge and experiences from person to person. WIN (World Intelligence Organisation) uses this to prime their top undercover agent before sending him into the field on missions which range from foiling international terrorists to recovering a nuclear weapon from beneath the polar ice. So far so good, but in perhaps the most mind-boggling concept ever to reach children's TV, that agent is McClaine's nine-year-old adopted son, Joe.
Somehow even as it stays true to the Gerry Anderson techno-fantasy formula of secret organisations, gadgetry, and action-packed adventure full of spectacular explosions and violent death, Joe 90 remains blithely unconscious of its own implications. The missions are as globe-trotting as anything in Anderson's classic Thunderbirds series, and sometimes Joe does save lives, performing a risky brain operation or rescuing trapped astronauts. Yet even then his criminally irresponsible father brainwashes the lad each episode before placing him in a highly dangerous adult situation. Though the production values remain way ahead of anything else being done on British TV at the time, the question remains how did this ever seem like a good idea?
On the DVD: Joe 90 comes complete in a five-disc box set of the entire 30-episode series. Each disc contains six 25-minute episodes presented, as usual with Gerry Anderson DVDs, behind a lovingly crafted menu. As expected the 4:3 picture quality is superb and the mono sound is full, detailed and without a trace of distortion. Each disc contains several pages of character biography and background information on the show, a photo gallery and varied extras such as location stills or a gallery of promotional images. --Gary S Dalkin
DVD Description
The Joe 90 - Complete Series box set contains five discs and over twelve hours of the pint-sized secret agent, nine year-old Joe McClaine, with every episode of the show included, plus extras! With a pair of special glasses, Joe can assume the knowledge and expertise of any individual. Aided by his father, an eminent scientist who can transfer brain patterns from one person to another, Sam Loover, head of the World Intelligence Network (W.I.N.), Mrs Harris, the oblivious-to-it-all house cleaner, and his armoury of gadgets, Joe undertakes a series of daring special missions. Extra features in the complete series box set include character biographies (of Joe, Professor 'Mac', Sam Loover and Shane Weston), W.I.N. and Big Rat Intelligence Files, Joe 90 "I Love the 90s" Trailers, plus more.
Episodes in this box set:
Episode 1: "Most Special Agent": With the invention of Big Rat, Joe becomes W.I.N.'s most special agent. Joe's first mission sees him steal a new Russian prototype plane.
Episode 2: "Hi-Jacked": The world's most dangerous gun-runner and smuggler is on the loose and Joe must devise a plan to stop him.
Episode 3: "Splashdown": Joe assumes the persona of a crack test pilot in order to investigate the deaths of two electronics experts.
Episode 4: "Operation McClaine": A famous writer's life is in the balance when the leading specialist is injured in a plane crash. It is up to Joe to perform the lifesaving operation.
Episode 5: "Three's a Crowd": Joe had to get involved when Professor McClaine's new girlfriend is not everything she appears to be.
Episode 6: "International Concerto": With the aid of BIG RAT, Joe steps in as a replacement for a World Famous Pianist.
Episode 7: "Big Fish": Joe's mission is to retrieve a secret submarine stranded in enemy waters.
Episode 8: "The Unorthodox Shepherd": Joe along with his father and Sam Loover investigate a supposedly haunted church.
Episode 9: "Relative Danger": In a race against time Joe assumes the brain patterns of a leading explorer to save three trapped men in a deep cavern.
Episode 10: "Business Holiday": Joe is given the brain patterns of an Army Colonel in order to steal a tank and repel a military force.
Episode 11: "King for a Day": Joe is assigned to protect a Middle Eastern heir by posing as a decoy, but ends up being kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity.
Episode 12: "Double Agent": Joe by accident gains the brain pattern of a double agent and now it is a rush for W.I.N. to identify who the agent is before he can cause more trouble.
Episode 13: "Most Special Astronaut": With the aid of a top astronaut's brain pattern, Joe is able to save two astronauts in peril.
Episode 14: "Arctic Adventure": Joe is sent into the Arctic wasteland in order to recover a nuclear bomb and secure its time mechanism.
Episode 15: "The Fortress": Joe must save a fellow W.I.N. agent from a San Marino jail, before W.I.N. secrets are revealed.
Episode 16: "Colonel McClaine": With the aid of the brain patterns of an explosives expert and a top army driver, Joe transports a dangerous cargo across Africa.
Episode 17: "Project 90": Joe acquires the brain patterns of a balloonist in order to save his kidnapped father.
Episode 18: "The Race": An experimental brain transfer allows Mac and Joe to dream the same dream; they end up involved in a madcap rally race from London to Monte Carlo.
Episode 19: "The Professional": Joe takes the brain patterns of a professional safe-breaker in order to recover eight million dollars in gold bullion, which are misappropriated funds.
Episode 20: "Lone Handed": Joe 90 dreams of becoming a western sheriff, and then finds himself involved in a shoot out.
Episode 21: "Attack of the Tiger": With the brain patterns of a top pilot, Joe flies a VG 104 fighter bomber to destroy a nuclear rocket base holding the world to ransom.
Episode 22: "Talkdown": A hypersonic fighter plane crashed under mysterious circumstances and it's up to Joe to unravel the mystery.
Episode 23: "Breakout": In an unusual twist of fate Joe adopts the brain patterns of a bob sleigh champion in order to save the life of the Canadian Prime Minister under attack.
Episode 24: "Mission X-41": Joe needs the brain patterns of a top virologist in order to stop the X-41 virus, threatening to destroy everything in its path.
Episode 25: "Test Flight": With the aid of a computer specialist and an explosives expert's brain patterns, Joe is able to stop a sabotage threat.
Episode 26: "Child of the Sun God": In order to receive an antidote and save the life of a statesman, Joe must convince a lost Indian tribe that he is their legendary Sun God.
Episode 27: "Trial at Sea": Joe takes on the brain patterns of a terrorist to avert disaster on a transatlantic super liner under siege.
Episode 28: "Viva Cordova": When a Mexican president's life is threatened Joe takes on the brain patterns of a top agent to be his bodyguard.
Episode 29: "See you Down There": In order to stop the fraudulent activity of an entrepreneur, Joe takes on a variety of brain patterns to convince the businessman to change his ways.
Episode 30: "The Birthday": It is Joe's 10th birthday and as a special treat for him, Professor McClaine and his friends recall some of his son's greatest adventures.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a W.I.Nner!,
By
This review is from: Joe 90 - Complete Boxset [DVD] [1968] (DVD)
OK, so I'm probably being biased here. As Joe 90 is my favourite Anderson outing, then I'd' award it five stars regardless.I can understand the point of view of an earlier reviewer; this set does feel like it's a bit of a rush job, which is strange as I don't think they'll be a Hollywood version anytime soon! Again as previously stated, the extras are a bit thin on the ground, but maybe that's due to the age of the product. I'm sure in the 60's when the cost of tape was at a premuim, they didn't tend to save too much extra material, they just wiped it. Watching a Gerry Anderson production is always a special experience from the excellent Barry Gray soundtrack to the quality of the props and vehicles in the show itself. The BIG RAT looks great. I did try and watch every episode over a weekend once, but my wife put here foot down after one disc! They don't understand, do they?!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Joe 90 still seems to be a hit with todays pre-teen boys,
By Keith Joseph (West Berkshire, England) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 10 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Joe 90 - Complete Boxset [DVD] [1968] (DVD)
This 'supermarionation' puppet series offers 'Daredevil excitement every young boy dreams of'. Adopted nine year-old Joe McClaine becomes the "Most Special Agent" of the World Intelligence Network thanks to a device called the BIG RAT (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope - Record And Transfer) capable of recording the brain patterns of one person and transferring them to another. The series was first broadcast in 1968/1969, and it's set somewhere in the early 21st century. Unusually for the time, Anderson chose a real English boy, Len Jones, to provide the voice of 9 year old Joe 90 rather than use an actress. Anderson later commented that 'His performance was only adequate as he was got to repeat his lines parrot fashion, but more importantly he sounded authentic' - I would say his voice is definitely an asset to the series. Maigret star Rupert Davies provides the voice of his dad: Professor McClaine, and Sylvia Anderson is the voice of Ada Harris.
The DVD set has all 30 'digitally remastered' episodes. Audio is English only and there are SDH subtitles in English [no other languages]. There's also a few extras: Character Biographies [Joe McClaine, Professor McClaine, Sam Loover, Shane Weston], The W.I.N. Information files [e.g. The Big Rat, Mac's Culver Bay Cottage, W.I.N., Mac's Jet Air Car, Joe's Briefcase], Joe's glasses warning sequence, The unorthodox shepherd location recce, I love the 90s trailers, Original artworks [e.g. A14 tank, World Airforce Bomber, Missile recovery minisub, Presidents mono-train], Merchandise, Original end title sequence and Behind the scenes galleries. Although nostalgia for lost childhood leads me to rate the series higher 40 years on, I wasn't such a massive fan of Joe 90 as a boy, although I happily watched all the episodes as I loved Gerry Anderson's earlier work [Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and in particular FireBall XL5 and Stingray]. Really I was a bit too old at 12-13 for Joe 90, and at the time was watching the likes of 'Dr Who' and 'Time Tunnel'. Joe 90's script, production values, DVD picture quality and sound are quite good on this nicely presented set, particularly when viewed on the standard 14"/21" 4:3 CRT TV set it was designed for. Plus the `Danger Man' theme to the series is a bit different from GA's other projects [which often drew heavily on Captain Scarlet's plotline]. Captured and digitally remastered from 35mm film, the image colour is also nice and bold - I had to watch the original broadcasts on a B&W TV. The special effects are at least as good as GA's other series. Despite Joe 90 having some violent themes, it is rated U - and it isn't as dark as it's predecessor 'Captain Scarlet'. There was only one season of Joe 90 made (30 half hour episodes). Anyway, as it was far cheaper than Terrahawks for around the same viewing time, I bought this set for my son (spookily then also 9). He rather liked the series, and busily went through the episodes at one or two before bedtime. I suppose he identified with the young boy lead. However he did lose interest after a (longish) while and so far hasn't got to watch the final DVD - and the same happened with his large Terrahawks DVD set (he has so many other TV/gaming choices, and we probably should have got these sets when he was a bit younger). However he quite enjoyed what he did watch, and for those nostalgic reasons I love the set as well. My daughter has no interest in these puppet series at all, much preferring the likes of The Worst Witch. So, recommended for today's youngsters, particularly pre-teen boys from 6 upwards - and of course any adults who watched this series as children back in the 1960s.
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More Anderson Nostalgia!,
This review is from: Joe 90 - Complete Boxset [DVD] [1968] (DVD)
Although Joe 90 isn't a patch on Thunderbirds or Captain Scarlet, Carlton DVD have beautifully remastered the complete series of the Sylvia and Gerry Anderson series 'Joe 90': the special boy agent capable of amazing powers thanks to the Big Rat! The techincal team has spent months removing scratches and errors from the original films and the result is crystal clear picture quality and amazing sound quality. There are a few extras too including the recent BBC2 I love the 90's trailers and as you'd expect a collection of production photographs. The only disappointment is there are no interviews with the production team to give you further insight into the making of the series. The packaging is fun and well made too, providing more proof that plenty of care has gone into the release of the set. If you have young kids, they will love discovering the series...and if you grew up with it, then it's sure to bring back a few memories!
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