Hawaii Five-O - The Complete First Season (1968)

$432 FOR INCOMPLETE "COLLECTION" ---OR--- BETTER/CHEAPER BOXED SET

I was suckered into buying this 1st set, like many others, out of pure LOVE for this series. And it's because of my high regard and respect for those who crafted it, and my own disappointment w/ OMITTED EPISODES, UNSPECIFIED EDITING, [disclaimer-ed on the boxes for all but the 1st Season] and somewhat poor quality (compared to my own Five-O recordings, cheap late 60's cartoon sets, etc. - as if it was not remastered at all), that I am writing this poor review. I wish I had known before I enthusiastically emptied my wallet. I could have better spent the $36/set.

That's $36 x 12 Seasons, carry the one, for a total of $432!! For an INCOMPLETE, EDITED, NOT-SO-SHARPLY REMASTERED "COLLECTION". For my money, if I like a series enough to own it and to pay for better quality than I can get from broadcasts, I want to see/own EVERY episode, unedited, and at least as clearly as my own recordings! You may consider waiting another 2 years (at this release rate ~ 4 Seasons per year) for the inevitable and much less expensive Boxed Set, which we've all seen in stores at Christmas for even much less popular series. And Boxed Sets always have features to make them more attractive, such as "high resolution digitally remastered", "previously unreleased episodes", and "un-edited original broadcasts", the very things they haven't included in these, along with something like a Steve McGarrett replica badge or 1/25th scale Mercury. Not to mention, a MUCH smaller price tag! August 10, 2008

LOUSY acting

Reminds me of that ham actor on CSI Miami, except it's not just the star that is a losu actor. The whole staff comes-off as fake, fake, fake. The movements seem unnatural, as if I was watching a high school play instead of professionals.

Clearly this show has not aged well.

As for the stories, it's just your typical cop show fare. Nothing special or unique about these. June 15, 2008

good price if you can still play vhs

as the title insinuates.... got these for an old fan of macGarret .. wheelchair bound. June 11, 2008

Hawaii Five 0 The Complete First Season DVDs

First of all, this is NOT the COMPLETE First Season of Hawaii Five-0. The episode previews are MISSING. Instead of the previews, which are an IMPORTANT part of the episodes they gave us the TRASHY 1996 'Emme's Island Moments'.

There is a disclaimer stating that episodes 'may be modified from original telecast version. NO question, they ARE MODIFIED. Don't fall for the 'digitally restored' line either. The picture quality is only Fair to poor.

There's a great ERROR in Episode 10: BY THE NUMBERS
[Just before 25 minute mark--there's a loud 'hello' in the middle of the scene of McGarrett and Danno--then, it switches to a bar scene]

The last disc of the set DOESN'T play on my laptop.

The episode descriptions are poorly written.

These dvds were made in MEXICO. They're NOT a quality product. They're an insult to JACK LORD's years of dedication and work on the series.

The dvds should have been made in the USA. If I made them, I would have included: The complete episodes with previews. An episode guide with date, synopsis, cast, crew, photos and episode stills.

These dvds are a disappointment. If you can believe it, the dvds being sold as 'The Complete Series' online are of even poorer quality.

Please NOTE: This is NOT a review of JACK LORD, his work or Hawaii Five-0. This is a review of the dvds themselves. I hope one day they'll have a high quality boxset with the items I would have included.


Addendum:

For Season Two, they added episode previews as the 'Special Feature'. NOT all of the previews are here. In fact, they left out an entire episode.

For Season Three, they again added episode previews as the 'Special Feature'. NOT all of the previews are here.







June 9, 2008

For "Cocoon" Alone, It's Worth The Money

Until I purchased this, I had never seen the pilot episode of "Hawaii Five-O". Nor do I remember any of the other episodes featured in this set. The show premiered just two years before I was born, and by the time that started watching it, it was already getting long in the tooth.

That being said, "Hawaii Five-O" was one of my favorite shows growing up, and to see how well the boys at CBS DVD and CBS Paramount Television pulled off the transfer to DVD is just touching. It's a trip back in time to see not only the original Five-O gang (which included an actor named Tim O'Kelley as the first Danno and veteran actors Philip Ahn and Lew Ayers as the attorney general and governor, respectively), but to also see others who are now known as stars. That includes Leslie Nielsen, Gavin McLeod and the late Ed Flanders, who appears in an episode in which art virtually imitated his tragic end in real life.

Back to "Cocoon", the pilot episode--virtually every iconic image associated with "Hawaii Five-O" appears in the original opening, which is preserved here. That includes the famed wave, the 707 passing over the light towers on final approach to Honolulu International Airport, the hula dancer (whose face is seen in the pilot), and Lady Columbia, the statue at the National Cemetery in Punchbowl Crater. Of course, the post-pilot episodes include the better known opening sequence and the original closing sequence, riding the back of a Honolulu police motorcycle down the street with the blue light flashing.

This was a treat for me to be able to see many of these episodes for the first time. Who needs "Law & Order", when you've got quality acting, top-shelf directing and plenty of action in one of the most beautiful places on Earth? I'm looking forward to picking up all the future seasons of this great crime drama! June 2, 2008

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