MacGyver is no ordinary
secret agent. He never carries a gun. His drinks aren't shaken or
stirred. And he fights for justice using the most dangerous weapon of
all: his intelligence. Richard Dean Anderson stars as television's
favorite boy scout-turned-action-hero: Angus MacGyver. When an
American pilot is shot down over Central America or a top-secret
missile is stolen, the authorities call on MacGyver, a former Special
Forces agent, to save the day. When all other means of solving
problems are exhausted, a call goes out for MacGyver!
CRITIQUE
The second season of
MacGyver improves the stories a little and overall flows better
than the first one, but that's not saying very much. The show is still
kind of silly in terms of some dialogue, acting, and execution of
scenes. The show seemed different back in 1986 because our time was
simpler and less complex, but looking back at it you realize times and
memories change, which is why MacGyver is now only borderline
decent when I remember it was kind of fun so many years ago.
This season MacGyver
helps out and saves a lot of people including a young boy involved
with scam artists (the weak "The Wish Child"), a botanist held in
Central America ("Jack of Lies"), a nun and some orphans from
murderous soldiers in Southeast Asia ("The Road Not Taken"), two rare
golden eagles ("Eagles") except an escaped felon wants him dead, a
woman and her son who are kidnapped by a former agent ("Family
Matter"), a pregnant woman fleeing her murderous husband ("Birth
Day"), an expert kidnapped by modern-day pirates ("Pirates"), a pilot
on trial for being a spy ("Bushmaster"), a human rights activist
(season finale "For Love or Money"), and finally himself as he learns
of a bomb plot only to receive a head injury causing amnesia ("D.O.A.:
MacGyver"). The few standout episodes are fun to watch, but there are
also a handful of weak ones that made me cringe several times while
watching them.
THE VIDEO
Paramount presents
MacGyver in 1.33:1 fullscreen format. The video looks pretty dated
with lots of grain, specks, fuzziness, etc. I wasn't looking for a
crisp transfer here (though colors look pretty much alright) but at
least a little cleaning up. Adding insult to injury, no subtitles are available
for this release.
THE AUDIO
Paramount presents
MacGyver
in English Dolby Digital Mono. Dialogue is easy to understand most of
the time, while the music and sound effects come across good enough
depending on your set up. The front speakers do a nice job but overall
the audio sounds dated and faint in a lot of spaces. The theme song
sounds pretty sweet, though! Like it always has.
THE EXTRAS
Nothing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With MacGyver
in syndication on the Spike network and the lack of extras, this DVD
does not warrant a purchase. Fans may want to get it, but anyone else
is better off renting it.
