G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: The M.A.S.S. Device – DVD Review

The Show:

Cobraaa!

For guys who grew up in the 1980s, is there anything more nostalgic to us than the G.I. Joe cartoons? They bring a smile to our faces, because those cartoons captured a perfect quality for our youth. Devoid of current politics, the rush of seeing a pro-U.S. team of heroes, rallying and defeating bad guys on the TV was incredible for young boys, especially since afterwards, we could turn around and play with those characters with our G.I. Joe toys. It was a perfect one-two punch, of smart marketing from Hasbro.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero-The M.A.S.S. Device is the introductory mini-series that aired in September 1985 from Sunbow Productions. These five episodes, feature the evil terrorist organization of Cobra stealing a very powerful weapon called the M.A.S.S. Device that could bring the world to its knees. Before the Joes can stop Cobra, they must find three rare elements to create their own M.A.S.S. Device to combat Cobra’s plans. Will they? Of course! Yo Joe!

Seen now, after the nostalgia wears off, they are pretty campy, but that only adds to their charm. The silly comedic relief, the sinister whining from Cobra Commander, it’s a lovefest for children, since they don’t know the difference. Today, we just smile at the camp. This is the birth of the classic cartoon series, after this initial runs success, one year later another 5-part miniseries came, The Revenge of Cobra, that all but proved that this was going to be a huge franchise. Much like Filmation’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe had large, bold dialogue, creative characters that were quickly sold as a toy. The key difference between the shows, were the small amount of continuity in G.I. Joe, and better animation.

These five episodes are a lot of fun, but you got to handle the cheesiness now, something most recent animated fair, like Batman: The Animated Series or X-Men: The Animated Series, dealt away with, treating the stories as maturely as possible. But that wasn’t G.I. Joe‘s goal; it was aimed to sell toys and be fun for the little boys of the 1980s, and it was, perhaps being better than the Transformers animated series at that time. The M.A.S.S. Device is the ultimate shot of nostalgia, that should bring back a lot of fun memories.

Shout! Factory has released a full Season 1 set, featuring these episodes, as well as the other four miniseries, that when in syndication, became known as Season 1. I would recommend this DVD release, if you feel like just a little G.I. Joe could go a long way-and it does-but for the completists out there, the Season set is a better package with more extras. Just keep that in mind.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: While it is not a full-on restoration, these episodes look really good. Keep in mind that there are some dirt, but the colors and black levels are a standout. It might show its age, but I was pretty impressed. The audio has no pops or hiss, keeping with the original stereo, everything is just as good as originally aired.

Looking Back with Writer Ron Friedman: This was on the season set, but it really worth while, making it a nice addition here. Friedman was one of the original writers to the series, and offers up some really fun information and tidbits. For fans, this is a bit of Heaven.

Conclusion: This really inexpensive release is perfect for fans that think a little Joe goes along way. Shout! Factory delivers a solid release. Yo Joe!

The Show: Rating:

The DVD: Rating:

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