Customer Reviews

Macgyver - The Complete Series

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This is the first-ever "complete series" set of any show that I've purchased and I knew from reading product descriptions not to expect anything in the way of bonuses or extras (save for the two made-for-tv movies which ARE included on an extra disc), but I have to say I was still pretty disappointed with how this package was put together. The box itself is quite a bit smaller than I'd expected, given that it's holding 7+ years worth of material; when I opened the box, however, my only reaction was "huh?". All of the discs are stuffed together into two loose cardboard "pockets" (meant to resemble the pockets on MacGyver's backpack or shirt? who knows?), and aside from ths the only thing included in the box is a bare-bones episode guide that's text-only...no screen-shots, no cast or guest-star photos, not even any information on the air-dates of the episodes. On the plus side, yes, it's a great show and wonderful to have the full series and movies together all in one place. Still, knowing that Paramount has already put together a "collectors' edition" with all of the 7 seasons packaged individually, it's pretty underwhelming that a complete series box adds so little and leaves you with disc packaging whose durability I'd say is questionable at best. Hopefully there'll be enough people who feel the same way that Paramount makes a better effort next time.

LOVE the series. LOVE Richard Dean Anderson. Big fun seeing all the cameos of people like Teri Hatcher. That said.....

The packaging: I agree with Joan. The packaging is just sad. Considering the price of the full series, they should have done a better job with it. I'm trying to decide if I should buy something to store the individual DVDs in so they don't get ruined.

The content:I can understand the frustration of the people who purchased each season when they came out regarding the additional movies. I am in the same boat with Stargate SG1 and the additional material that will be included in the new package coming out. It drives me crazy that the studios keep screwing over the fans this way. Releasing limited product only in full series is unfair to the fans who buy all along. (It also drives me crazy when they release Special Editions in Widescreen but don't include all the Special features that are in other editions...). Guess it is just the almighty dollar speaking - if they can get you to buy it as it comes out, and then spend hundreds of dollars for the full series in order to get extra features......

Quality: Just be aware it does not appear that any of the episodes were re-mastered so the quality is not the best in the earlier episodes.

As you read this review you must keep in mind that most Macgyver fans already own the entire series. They more than likely have bought the DVD's as they were released as individual seasons. The best thing about this set is that it includes both of the Macgyver movies that can be found nowhere else. More than likely I'd say that they'll release the two movies on their own, so unless you have to have them right now I'd suggest waiting. Now, as for the Macgyver freak I'm sure this set is well worth the cost in spite of the relatively cheap packaging. I'd suggest buying a DVD case to store the discs in so that it doesn't take forever to find the disc you are looking for.

What I was able to see of the first 1 and a half episodes of this complete series was great--just like I remembered it from the 80s. However many of the DVDs in my initial order were scratched, spotted with some kind of residue, and utlimately unplayable. I was only able to make it through the first 30 minutes of the first disc before the DVD damage interrupted my veiwing. Upone receiving a replacement set from Amazon, I discovered that this too contained DVDs with scratches and spotted with a residue as well, rendering discs in the replacement set being unreadalbe as well. So, like other reviewers, I agree that the cheap packaging done by the manufacturer is to blame as DVDs should not be unreadable right out of the box.

I have contacted Amazon and they are issuing a refund and launching an "investigation". I will wait to re-order these until I am certain that I won't receive un-playable DVDs.

The first thing is they did not need to make another MacGyver DVD set when they already have made the seven seasons. All they had to do is add the two movies in with the last season and that would have completed the set, but no they wanted to waste money by making a very sloppy job on this set with a cheap box and almost all of the CDs are scratched up and smeared with glue. It was not a bad set, because I had bought two box sets from two different places and both of them were the same way with scratches and glue on almost all of the CDs. I only kept the best one because I wanted the two movies and the rest is trash!

When I received the DVD box, ALL the discs in it were scratched beyond repair, and I returned the product. I then got ANOTHER box where ALSO all discs were severely scratched, beyond use, and had to return that one too.

After this, Amazon wouldn't sent me another box, pending investigation of the broken products, but they also did NOT refund the expensive return shipping from Sweden that I had to pay for twice, leaving me with having payed the full value of the product, and still having gotten nothing else than a lot of work and lost time. :-( THIS REALLY SUCKS!

This DVD set comes as a slap in the face to all of the MacGyver fans who purchased seasons 1-7 individually. While the folks at Paramount are lining their pockets, we are deliberating over whether or not we should spend $100 in order to own the two movies that should have been included as bonus material in the first place. I submit that all angry customers (and from the looks of these reviews, there are many) should voice their concerns by e-mailing Paramount Home Video and demanding that the movies be released seperately.
MacGyver is the best show ever. It deserves so much more...

I agree with everyone that the studios are once again ripping us off. The TV movies SHOULD be made available to all of the fans who already purchased the individual seasons. I believe that fans would even accept the tv movies as a "disc only" offer (no packaging) at a reasonable price... for those contacting the studio.

Regarding "whole series" box-sets;

I think it's a good idea, but NOT an idea that truly works at the moment. My main complaint is the amount of discs and the non-standard (LARGE) boxes used for most series. Sure, it looks nice in the store and online, but it sure doesn't fit nicely on a shelf with the rest of your DVD collection. Try putting a couple "complete series" box sets on a shelf and see how quickly it starts to look ridiculous!

I prefer buying individual seasons, which fit nicely on a shelf (with the rest of my collection) and ussually have better packaging. Remember that some of the "whole season" box sets either have the discs laying on top of each other (loose) or simply sliding into little notches in cardboard (which scratches the discs).

The true answer for whole season sets will be the increased capacity of the BLU-RAY format. Less discs, nicer box (standard size), etc. Until then, I plan to buy seasons individually.

JM

When you open the box, there are basically two stacks of DVDs, separated by very thin paper flaps that only cover half of the underside of each disc. These discs move around a lot when the box is moved, and consequently half of the discs show scratching.

Great show, but this set is a really poorly made product. Buyer be warned.

I purchased this set as a gift for someone else. I was initially skeptical due to the amount of negative reviews related to scratched/damaged/unreadable discs. I was happy to find the set I purchased arrived in excellent condition, without blemish to any of the discs. Have been testing them out on a pretty cheap dvd player and haven't had any problems viewing them thus far. Based on the packaging I see how some people may end up with damaged sets, but at least in my case they showed up fine.