MacGyver: The Complete First Season [DVD] [1985] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

If you've never seen the show, the basic premise is that MacGyver is a government agent type - but he doesn't like guns, isn't keen on violence, and uses his knowledge of physics and chemistry to build himself "weapons" to help him out of whatever situation he finds himself in. As with a lot of American TV shows, the moral is laid down with anvil-like subtlety and a certain suspension of disbelief if definitely required - oh and, in true 80s TV style, the bad guys are incredibly bad shots and no-one ever seems to get killed (they just get knocked out and arrested later!) There's a certain "James Bond" element to the show too - MacGyver always seems to get the women and the bad guys, if they ever catch him, always dream up some elaborate way to kill our hero - rather than, say, just putting a bullet in his head - from which, of course, he can "MacGyver" up an escape plan.

The first season has a good mix of episodes - some better than others - but is often let down by what appears to have been a seriously limited budget when it comes to hiring actors to play the bad guys - particularly in "The Golden Triangle" and "Target MacGyver" they are almost painful to watch! And "Thief of Budapest" is particularly hard to watch if you've ever seen "The Italian Job".. I mean, if you're going to save money by borrowing footage from a film for your car chase scenes, don't borrow it from one of the most classic, well-known car-chase films of all time!

Despite all this though, the series is thoroughly enjoyable - it's lighthearted fun, the "MacGyverisms" are entertaining and, what the heck, RDA was cute when he was younger.. :)

There don't appear to be any extras on the DVDs, aside from the option to change languages, but seeing as the show has not been available at all previously, it's nice just to be able to have the episodes and watch them. Roll on Season 2!

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The main draw of the series is, obviously, RDA and his great personal appeal. MacGyver is not really a slick James Bond figure, although he gets up to some similar capers; he's a pacifistic government agent who comes up with inventive solutions to rescue hostages, capture bad guys, defuse bombs, and generally do good deeds. The morality behind the episodes is not at all subtle, but like everything else about the series, it goes down easily enough thanks to its overall charm.

The violence is naturally not remotely graphic, this being an 80s show, but it's also non-cartoonish; when someone gets hurt, whether it's our hero or the bad guys, they obviously suffer from it instead of bouncing right back to keep going (which adds a helpful flicker of realism to the 'somehow, no one ever quite dies' action-adventure antics). And while MacGyver often 'gets the girl', it never leaves a bad taste; he's portrayed as being friends with women as often as ending up in bed with them, and you get the impression that a good time is generally had by all, no hard feelings involved.

The show is not without its flaws (most of them attributable to being an American TV show made in the 80s, with all that entails) but on the whole it's so enjoyable that they really don't stick with you. If you're a fan of RDA or of light-hearted adventure shows in general, this one certainly worth checking out. Here's hoping the later seasons will get a region 2 release sometime soon.

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