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MIAMI VICE
SEASON ONE
FROM UNIVERSAL TELEVISON
Release Date: January
11th 2005
MSRP Price: $59.98
(estimated price)
Amazon Price: $41.99
Costco Price: $36.99
Episodes: 22
Format: full-screen 1.33:1
Studio: Universal Television
Run Time: 12 hrs 25 min
Number of Discs - 3
Sound - Remastered Dolby Digital 5.1
Created by: Anthony Yerkovich
Producer: Michael Mann
Network: NBC
BEST
MIAMI VICE WEBSITE
Miami Vice Season 1
Boxed Set Rating: "A"
Video: B
Audio: A
Content: A
Acting: A
Bonus Material: C
Overall: A
STARS:
Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas,
Edward James Olmos, Saundra Santiago, Olivia Brown, Michael Talbot,
John Diehl, and Martin Ferrero
This is the series
that made cop shows cool. Miami Vice was an instant success and the
first series to mix a television series with popular music of the
time. Creator Michael Mann went so far as to create episodes based
around songs like Smugglers Blues. How many shows actually had Elvis
in it. Sure it's an Alligator, but it's the thought that
counts.
Vice was an explosive
mixture of expensive cars, fast boats, beautiful women, classy
acting and dialogue to rival television series today. Each episode
contained the feel of a feature length film presented in televisions
one hour format.
When the show
premiered in 1984 I was in the middle of my military enlistment and
I never missed an episode. VCRs weren't cheap back then and neither
were VHS tapes, but the series was worth recording. It was amazing
the list of actors and rock stars that came through the series.
Bruce Willis, Phil Collins, Glenn Frey, Sheena Easton, Jimmy Smits,
Wesley Snipes, Steve Buscemi, Bill Paxton, Chris Elliot, Penn (of
Penn & Teller), Melanie Griffith (Don Johnson's wife at the
time), Kim Coates, Micheal Madsen, Keye Luke, Pam Grier, Charles
Dutton, Gene Simmons, Oliver Platt, Lori Petty, Julia Roberts, and
many many more.
This is where the 80's
TV nastalgia began. Miami Vice took a budget of $1.3 million per
episode and turned it in to the most memorable series on television.
Creator Anthony Yerkovich and Producer/Writer Michael Mann left a
mark on television that is unmatched. It never created the spin-off
craze of Star Trek, CSI or Law & Order but nothing since has
come so close to television perfection. Miami Vice is 21 years old,
and 16 years from the airing of the shows final episode. It has
weathered the test of time with quality writing which surpasses the
multitude of crudely written television series since.
Don't believe it when
other reviews tell you the show doesn't hold up well or there is
compression noise. It all blows. The series is 21 years old and it
still looks great. Miami Vice kicks ass even today.
PACKAGING
The packaging for Miami Vice has become the new standard with the
slide our slip case of carboard with the fold out sleeves. The
images on the cover looks good but the colors could have been
brighter and the photos a higher resolution. The inside images are
true Miami Vice style. Don't get me wrong, the packaging looks good,
but it isn't going to jump off the shelf at you like it
should.
VIDEO:
The digital transfer from the 21 year old masters looks good. It
obviously remains untouched. Dirt, debris and scratches remain throughout every episode. That being said the transfer still looks
good. The colors are solid and not washed out. and there's no blurry video or
pixelation problems. The images are still sharp despite the shows
age. The first six episodes have the shows original theme, which is
quite different from the famous version everyone remembers. The
video is beaten for the segment looks horrible but it didn't look
that much better back then. The only downside to the disc set is the
use of double sided discs. It makes for easy scratching, but is
likely the main reason for the cost of these series to be dropping
under the $40 mark.
AUDIO:
The remastered audio in Dolby Digital
5.1 more than makes up for the video flaws. It's not the best 5.1
you'll ever hear, but it wasn't recorded in 1984 to be converted
down the road. The characters voices
are clear and the background noises are sharp. The action puts
the Dobly Surround to work quite a bit.
All of this probably could have been
achived with the Dolby Digital 2.0.
BONUS FEATURES:
They are minimal and who cares.
Just how much bonus material was created for DVD in 80's? Uh... like
none maybe. You do get a few things and it's enough.
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The Vibe of Vice:
Discover how Miami Vice forever changed the face of television.
-
Building the
Perfect Vice: From developement to primetime: Behind the scenes
of Miami Vice.
-
The Style of Vice:
How Miami Vice's trendsetting fashions gave the series the
signature look and influenced pop culture.
-
The Music of Vice:
How the music of MV transformed television storytelling,
attracting music's biggest stars to the series.
-
Miami After Vice:
From the 80's to the present. How the city of Miami has evolved.
SUMMARY:
This sure beats the hell out of watch
my SLP collection of Miami Vice I acquired
in a video trade years ago. What a quality boxed set from Universal
Television despite what anyone says.
It just flat out doesn't get any better than this when it comes to
classic television on DVD. This creation from Anthony Yerkovich was
given a masters touch from Michael Mann and his creative
storytelling. Miami Vice works on many levels combining action,
drama and music in a fashion that has never been done again.
What's on the
Discs?
Disc#
1 - Side One
Pilot
Heart of Darkness
Disc#
1 - Side Two
Cool
Runnin'
Calderone's Return Part 1
Calderone's Return Part 2
One Eyed Jack
Disc#
2 - Side One
No
Exit
The Great McCarthy
Glades
Give A Little, Take A Little
Disc#
2 - Side Two
Little
Prince
Milk Run
Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle Part 2
Disc#
3 - Side One
Smuggler's
Blues
Rites of Passage
The Maze
Made For Each Other
Disc#
3 - Side Two
The
Home Invaders
Nobody Lives Forever
Evan
Lombard
Miami Vice Season 1
Rating: A
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