Review Max Headroom: The Complete Series (Lenticular Cover)

Max Headroom: The Complete Series (Lenticular Cover) Best Review

As many have said before Max Headroom was ahead of its time in a lot of ways. I believe this was the first, dystopic cyperpunk styled television series to be released on either side of the pond. And not many came after that. In other words all you William Gibson/Blade Runner fans out there should take note. This show was dark, gritty, and with loads of tech goodies. It delved into the same Gibson-type themes like class warfare, dependence on technology, the rise and domination of major corporations, and more. In many ways it takes on this material better than most cyberpunk movies did at the time.

Max Headroom started off as a fictional computer construct that had his own show. Of course back then the technology wasn't there to make a decent enough computer generated image so the character was portrayed by Matt Frewer (Honey I Shrunk the Kids) with a lot of make up and video editing effects. The Max Headroom Show was essentially a music video program with Max as the host. The concept was Max was an artificial intelligence. People loved it. He also did Coke commercials, specials and even was featured in some songs. Then a TV movie called Max Headroom and 20 Minutes into the Future came to be. From there this television series was born.

Building on the A.I. concept the show gave an origin for Max as the digital alter ego of a prolific news reporter Edison Carter from said dystopic future. In this future government is put to the side in place of big business, and the biggest are the television stations. So Edison goes around finding great exposes for his relatively benevolent TV megacorporation Network 23. So that's the premise in a nutshell. Lots of great ideas came from that including commercials that can fry your brain, pirate tv channels run from mobile vans, subliminal mind control, dream recording, and other crazy stuff.

The Max Headroom series was really ahead of its time in a number of ways. A part of Edison's crew includes a "controller" that can access various public and security cameras as well as hack into security access and other subsystems rather easily. This controller also can pull up just about any information Edison needs from whatever database she accesses (Internet anyone?). Max himself seems to be able to talk to and get into just about any computer, television or other network device available. There are episodes that deal with gene manipulation on the fetal level, conspiracies to gain attention through false terrorist acts, people not acknowledged because they are not on any database, apocalyptic religions. This all may seem old hat these days. However television didn't really touch on a lot of these subjects in those days.

So yes, Max Headroom is cool if you like this kind of stuff. Now this DVD has been a long time coming. All 14 episodes (that includes the one that didn't aire in the U.S.) are already slated. Not much else has been announced on what's going to come with this set, but this is supposed to be a five DVD set release and it's hard to believe all that space is just going to be the shows. Here are some things that are out there that could be possible options:

Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future - This is an obvious choice as it is the telefilm that launches the American TV series. It's the origin story of Max and establishes the setting and vibe of the entire series.

Unproduced Scripts - There are three known scripts that never made it beyond pre-production. They are Xmas, Theora's Tale and The Trial. Would be nice to see them along with any pre-production footage that exists.

The Max Headroom Show - It might be too much to ask for the entire 17 episode run, but it would be need to get a peek at a couple of the best snippets.

The Coka Cola and Radio Rentals commercials - They are definitely a sign of the times, but still would be interesting to have a few in here if they can get the licensing from the respective companies.

Music Video - Art of Noise did a song called Paranormia that featured Max rambling on to music. Could be a quick and easy addition to fill space.

Max Headroom on Sesame Street - A short appearance he did reciting the alphabet.

The Original Max Talking Headroom Show - A short lived interview show from Cinemax.

These are all well and good, but just about all of them are just pertaining to Max Headroom the character and not the show. Here's hoping Shout! Factory can dig up some behind the scenes footage, outtakes and bloopers, interviews with cast and crew, anything about the show. As for there being a Blu-Ray release it likely won't happen anytime soon. Shout! Factory hasn't had a Blu-Ray release yet. I don't think they have the resources for the remastering and touching up that is involved. Oh well. Maybe we'll see it 20 minutes in the future.

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Max Headroom: The Complete Series (Lenticular Cover) Overview

Television networks battle one another in an unrelenting ratings war. Whoever controls the airwaves controls the dystopic world in which they broadcast. So when Network 23s star reporter, Edison Carter, uncovers a deadly secret that could shake up the dominion the station has over its viewers, the only option is to eliminate Carter before he can make his story public. After his “accident,” his mind is uploaded to create the world’s first self-aware, computer-generated TV host: Max Headroom! But will Max bow to his creators? Or will he be the key to his human alter ago bringing down a network superpower?
Able to boast his own international talk show, music videos, countless endorsements and merchandising, the puckish Max Headroom became more than just a character on television. He was a decade-defining icon, never better represented than in this sardonically witty, adventurous look at society and the place of media within it. Now all 14 uncut episodes — starring Matt Frewer (Watchmen), Amanda Pays (The Flash), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) and Morgan Sheppard (Star Trek) — are finally available together in one long-awaited DVD collection!

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Customer Reviews

Praise be to "The Shout Factory!" - Rykre - Carson City, Nevada
All us Sci-Fi fans have been waiting for this short-lived, but very important TV series from back in the eighties. Any company could have picked up this series and made a fortune for themselves releasing this ardently-sought-after TV series.

I even expected that Rhino could have gotten the license to release this series. But anyway, I know many of us are hoping that this series would be released simultaneously in Blu-Ray with the DVD release, but I really doubt that that will happen. Even Rhino, hasn't released anything in Blu-Ray, because High Definition mastering is a whole different ball game.

But, anyway, now many of us who have been holding on to our old dinosaur VCR's just to play our own old TV recorded VHS tapes of episodes of Max Headroom will now be able to watch the series on DVD and will be enjoying a hell of a lot better sound and picture.

I can't wait. Thank you, Shout Factory.



About time - D. R. M. - Minneapolis, MN United States
When this show was on originally in 1987 (on the cover of Time or Newsweek and it still was canceled), I fell in love with it and managed to tape most of the episodes on my Beta recorder. My last Beta machine conked out 15 years ago and I was unable to watch Max (and a few other shows) ever since. Last year, though, I found a Beta deck at a yard sale for the grand sum of ! And it works great! (A pro quality Toshiba that weighs a ton!) So, I've been watching Max again. And boy, does this show hold up! It's a precursor of so many TV shows and movies it isn't funny. Way ahead of its time. Also, it predicts the plague of garbage reality TV we suffer from today. If you've never seen it, at least Netflix it when it comes out. I wouldn't be surprised if you end up buying it. I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing the show--with its great dystopian look and feel--on sharp new DVD transfers. It's one of TV's smartest, funniest sci fi shows.



Not to nitpick, but - chiricahuaa -
How come in this day and age are they not coming out with a new release also in Blu-Ray. Probably so we'll all buy the DVD (cause we really want it!) and for Christmas they'll come out with the Blu-Ray version. Or maybe more versions in progression, as in the George Lucas sales method. Come on-we'll even pay more for Max in Blu-Ray! One star off because of no blu-ray.

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