Knight Rider- The Complete Series 4K UHD Review
“Knight Rider” is an entertaining 80’s sci-fi action series.
Created by Glen A. Larson, 1982’s “Knight Rider” is a sci-fi action series that spawned an entire franchise. The series begins with a dying Billionaire (Wilton Knight) saving a cop (Michael Long) who was shot in the face. Michael undergoes surgery, gets plastic surgery, and winds up taking on a new identity as Michael Knight. Wilton passes away shortly thereafter, but his colleague Devon Miles takes over his business. What exactly is his business, you ask? He’s in charge of the FLAG organization (Foundation For Law And Government). Devon recruits Michael for FLAG where he can become a crime fighter essentially and make a difference. As an added bonus, Michael gets a partner in crime as it were with the technologically advanced talking AI car known as K.I.T.T.
Over the course of 4 seasons, Michael and K.I.T.T. take on numerous assignments to stop thieves, criminals, corporate crooks, crime lords and finds missing people, spies or saboteurs. Other plots involve murder investigations, corruption, weapons, bodyguard and protection duty, globe trotting adventures, Dr. Bonnie and April (K.I.T.T. technicians), K.I.T.T. upgrades/reprogramming/rebuilds, races, undercover jobs, Devon in danger, and The Street Avenger (AKA RC3). Michael and K.I.T.T. also go face to face with villains like the evil car K.A.R.R., Garthe Knight (the estranged son of Wilton that drives the advanced car Goliath).
Before the era of serialized TV, the 80’s were known for popular sitcoms and action centric series like “Knight Rider.” While it basically morphs into Michael taking on a “job of the week” formula, the entertaining and often cheesy series proved to be a hit thanks to a winning cast and, of course, cars. Let’s be real, the reason people tuned in to the show was to see the car stunts, car jumps, wheelies, and K.I.T.T. smashing through buildings. It goes without saying that the slick looking K.I.T.T. instantly became one of the coolest cars in television history. It was the real star of the show and for good reason. It was a car with a personality! Who could have known how prescient the series would be too in terms of showcasing an advanced automobile with AI technology?
As for the human cast, David Hasselhoff rocketed into stardom as the heroic Michael Knight. To this day it remains his best role. He was tailor made for the part. It was also amusing to see him in dual roles as the villainous Garthe. Edward Mulhare classes up the show as Devon. Patricia McPherson (who was not in season 2) was a fan favorite that was brought back for seasons 3 and 4. She had exceptional chemistry with the cast and was easily one of the best characters.
It should be noted that this set does feature edited out music and edited episodes (the 2 parters edited into syndicated form) which may bother some fans.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.33:1 2160p. How does it look? There has been a bit of controversy regarding the 4K release due to the compression and artifacting. It is indeed noticeable, but despite these issues this is still the best looking transfer to date. The image quality is certainly sharper and the show has never looked better.
Audio Track: 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 2.0 track impresses. The iconic theme music and the explosive action sounds particularly noteworthy here.
Extras:
* Commentary on “Knight Of The Phoenix Parts 1 and 2” by David Hasselhoff and Glen Larson.
* “Knight Rider 2000: The Movie”- The biggest inclusion here is the 1991 TV movie follow-up.
* “The Great 80’s Flashback” TV special.
* Photo and Blueprints galleries.
* “Knight Moves”- A featurette on car stunts.
* “Knight Sounds”- A featurette on the music/score.
* “Knight Rider: Under The Hood”- Cast and crew interviews, tidbits about KITT and the production of the series, and more.
* “Knight Rider: Behind The Wheel”- A bonus Blu-ray disc houses this new 61 minute documentary that covers 80’s TV history, cast and crew interviews, production and Universal lot stories, discussions about car stunts and more. A fun extra for “Knight Rider” enthusiasts.
No comments yet.
Share This Blog
Robert Ham
dmanderson
Andrea
nicklyons1
DVD Corner 
Leave a comment