Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

MacGyver: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 4, 2021

Paramount has released the complete seven season (plus two TV movies) collection of MacGyver to Blu-ray. The release follows a 2018 season one five-disc release; no other standalone seasons were made available, and that season is, of course, also included in this mammoth 33-disc set. The season one inclusion is identical to the standalone release (the discs still retain the 2018 copyright notice) and feature the same lossy audio option; additional seasons feature lossless two-channel mono. Please click here for some thoughts on the show broadly and season one in particular and see below for a little more on the show and on this featureless collection's video and audio presentations moving forward from season one.

Chances are many who regularly frequent Blu-ray.com have fond memories of watching MacGyver before Monday Night Football back in the mid to late 1980s, as this writer does. For eight or nine year old eyes, the combination was magic: settling in for a long evening with dad, watching in wonder how MacGyver would do this or that, escape from one jam or another, and foil whatever bad guy of the week and master plan was placed in his path with the proverbial chewing gum wrapper, a strip of wire, and whatever he could find lying around the conveniently populated place he found himself working, or held captive, in. Follow that with some hard-hitting NFL action and Monday nights were the night for family friendly action delights.

MacGyver aired on ABC, debuting on September 29, 1985 and running through May 21, 1992. It was a quintessential 80s Action show, a standard bearer along with the likes of Magnum, P.I. and The A-Team that rose Richard Dean Anderson to stardom (it's debatable whether he's best known as the popular culture icon MacGyver or for his role as Jack O'Neill in the fan favorite Sci-Fi franchise Stargate SG-1). Anderson's MacGyver, or perhaps the character's actions, have become ingrained in popular culture; to this day to "MacGyver" something is to find a creative or resourceful means of solving a problem with whatever item may be at hand.

The wonder of MacGyver wasn't whatever character development happened along the way or even so much the crude story framework that would be explored in one episode to another: it was watching the craftsman at work and anticipating the way he would foil the bad guy or escape from a tricky situation using only common items most would consider trash or never consider combining to perform a task other than intended. Audiences may often be left wondering if the science actually works. In fact, many, if not most or all, are based in scientific fact. Maybe there's some stretched reality or corners curt for dramatic purpose and time constraints (and to avoid children mixing up dangerous chemicals or making other hazardous devices), but the "MacGyverisms" as they are known clearly highlight the show. And considering that in every episode it's something fresh, with new items and new ideas how to use them, it's quite the feat. This is like the odds-and-ends tinkering equivalent of parkour, a man making the most of his environment to do some really nifty things.

That is not to discount the stories which, as they are in shows like this or Knight Rider or The Incredible Hulk -- gimmick shows, as they were, just as this one is -- do take their time to set up a plot worth caring about (for the most part) and explore a framework that extends beyond the gimmick. Not every episode is a dramatic gold mine, to be sure, but there's enough human interest and pure television drama to make for palatable hour-long stays with Big Mac and make the wait for the inevitable volley of everyday item trickery to make its way into the plot. The stories do not necessarily build on one another; for the most part they're self contained, of the episodic variety, and more or less can be watched in nearly any order. This is the epitome of the "pick up and watch" type of show; one episode is, generally speaking, jut as good as another when a little MacGyver sounds like the ticket to a relaxing evening after work (or, now, making one's own rewind pre-MNF experience.

Yet even as MacGyver proves his resourcefulness in a nearly superhuman manner every week, the character remains infinitely relatable. Unlike, say, The A-Team which relied on guns and explosives and all sorts of chaotic action to get the job done, or the 80s musclemen superheroes who shot up the big screen in films like Cobra and Commando, MacGyver was a down to earth sort, always willing to help others. He did not carry a gun. A Swiss Army knife and duct tape were always nearby, but never a firearm. Not only was he a positive role model, then, for relying on his mind and heart rather than blunt force or violence, he was also a role model for the power of the mind and human ingenuity. Certainly such vast scientific knowledge, and the ability to apply it, is beyond the reach of most individuals (as is the ability to kill hundreds of bad guys while sporting a bodybuilder physique), but the different approach and healthier perspective is much of what made the show work so well.

MacGyver: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings MacGyver to Blu-ray with a full series set that is very comparable to the season one release. The season one presentation is identical (again please click here for a full review) and its essential qualities and characteristics carry over through the rest of the seasons. All seven seasons (plus the two TV movies; see the "Special Features and Extras" section of the review below for more) retain the original 4x3 aspect ratio, placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the modern 1.78:1 high definition screen. The picture generally looks great. It holds to a true natural filmic grain structure which spikes in intensity from time to time but never to a distracting extent. Generally speaking, the grain field holds true and pure and very satisfying, capturing the essential film-like quality of the original source material quite nicely. With no serious noise reduction in play, then, textures hold up very well. The image is often tack-sharp where the camera is in focus, revealing precision and oftentimes razor-sharp clarity to the standards like faces and clothes and also, often critically, the junk piles and odds and ends and various environments that play to MacGyver's advantage. The clarity and attention to detail are terrific. Granted, a few messier shots, and several inserts that are clearly still in standard definition, creep in from time to time, but given all of the consideration it's difficult to find any real fault.

Likewise, the color spectrum is solid, bordering on spectacular for this vintage television show. While there's some mild fading in play in a few places, as well as some scattered spots where the contrast looks too bright, colors are generally very rich and full and natural. Skin tones are beautiful, natural greens delight, and various manmade environments, especially in urban areas, hold to a very positive depth and neutral temperature. Whites are pleasantly crisp and black levels usually hold fairly steady, if not looking a little too pale at times.

There are a few stray vertical lines and minor signs of print wear here and there, but this is generally a very methodically clean and fluid image. On the whole the print is very clean and organic. There are no distracting encode issues, either. Paramount has done a wonderful job with this one.

MacGyver: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While season one retains the same lossy Dolby Digital soundtrack from the standalone release (once again please click here for a full review), season two through seven (plus the TV movies; see the "Special Features and Extras" section of the review below for more) offer lossless two channel DTS-HD Master Audio presentations. The differences between lossy and lossless are not drastic. Fullness and clarity are boosted to a degree but mostly the front-side experience simply holds to good basic definition within the original sound design parameters. Music, especially the high energy opening title score, is impressively wide and detailed with good instrumental clarity if not wanting a hint of depth to round it out. Various in-show effects are nicely detailed, as is general score throughout the series. The sides stretch fairly wide but don't expect a completely seamless front end stretch. Dialogue images perfectly to the middle. Clarity and prioritization are just fine.

MacGyver: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there is no supplemental content across any of the 33 discs. The seasons come packaged in individual Amaray cases packed into a fairly flimsy but passably workable slip box. A few points of interest that differentiate the season one release from this set: the discs from season one are blue while all the discs from seasons two through seven are gray. The season one standalone release included an inner print episode guide; that is not here for season one or for any of the other six. Season one artwork is different in the boxed set, redesigned to match the layout found on the other six packages. Also of note is that the season seven case holds two TV films, both found on the last disc in the set. They are Lost Treasure of Atlantis (480i, 4x3, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, 1:32:45) and Trail to Doomsday (480i, 4x3, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, 1:32:39). As is to be expected, the video quality is a far cry from the show proper; the SD resolution struggles to maintain stability and clarity, accurate coloring, and push aside the various artifacts associated with SD content. The audio fares well enough, certainly lacking immersion and depth and detail but satisfying core requirements.

MacGyver: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What else can be said of MacGyver? It's one of the quintessential 90s TV shows and it's earned a stellar Blu-ray full series collection. Granted, it's a shame that there's not even a smattering of extras (a commentary here, a retrospective there, a vintage piece on this disc, a few deleted scenes on that disc all would have been nice) but with the quality of the show and its Blu-ray release, it's hard to complain. Hopefully this signals the start of a steady wave of full series TV release from Paramount (next up: The Andy Griffith Show). Highly recommended!