RIP Chuck Norris!! Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos (Warner Archive) DVD-R Review + Screenshots + Packaging Shots

In 1986, Chuck Norris tried his hand at a kids TV show with Karate Kommandos. It did not work but it is worth checking out.

Studio: Warner Archive
Release Date: September 15th, 1986 (television premiere) / July 8th, 2011 (DVD release)
Run Time: 1 hour 48 minutes 30 seconds (entire series)
Region Code: FREE

Disc Count: 1 (DVD-R5)
Picture: 480i (1.37:1 aspect ratio)
Sound: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: No
Slipcover: No
Starring: Chuck Norris, Alan Oppenheimer, Kathy Garver, Keone Young, Robert Ito, Bill Martin, Sam Fontana, James Avery
Written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond (episode one), Jack Bornoff (episode two), Matt Uitiz (episode three), Mike Chain (episode four), Janis Diamond (episode five)
Directed by John Kimball and Charles Nichols (all episodes)
Rating: Not Rated (animated action scenes)

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Poster

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What's It About?

Martial arts master Chuck Norris brings his thrilling mix of heroism and incredible athletic prowess to this animated action series, blending the courage and ingenuity of the American frontiersman with the willpower and stoicism of the samurai warrior. Through five exciting installments, Norris and his Karate Kommandos warrior crew battle the sinister organization Vulture, a sophisticated terrorist cabal led by The Klaw and his lieutenant Super Ninja. Norris created the series and kicks off each adventure.

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Video/Audio

Presented in the show's orignal TV aspect ratio of 1.37:1, KARATE KOMMANDOS doesn't look all that great at all. While this is a 15 year old DVD release, it didn't look too hot by those standards either. The main thing I noticed is that everything looks a bit faded like Warner Archive used episodes recorded off TV instead of the original tape masters. On top of that, there are the usual imperfections one would find with older film prints: hairs and scratches are present throughout all five episodes. None of this is outright terrible but it doesn't seem like Warner Archive cared all that much about how this release looks. The English Dolby Digital track is fine. Dialogue is easy to understand and the music and effects don't overtake anything.

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Extras/Packaging

There are no extras on this release.

The packaging is as basic as it comes. The front cover features the main image of Norris that was used in all the advertisements back in the day, just with a Hanna Barbara logo at the top. The disc, which is a DVD-R, features the same artwork.

The disc is REGION FREE

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Overall

CHUCK NORRIS: KARATE KOMMANDOS is exactly what you would think it is. This is Norris' attempt to appeal to kids through a terrible G.I. JOE knockoff. The episodes are laughably bad with Norris giving one of the worst voice-over performances I have ever heard. I wouldn't be surprised if his lines were recorded in his house over the course of an afternoon. The animation is what you would expect from a Hanna-Barbara show which is to say it's crap. The show even had Norris showing up at the beginning and end of each episode to give some G.I. JOE advice about bullies and whatnot. That being said, the show does have some appeal as it is a time capsule of what television animation looked like back in the 80s. I am not surprised this show didn't go beyond these five episodes as we already had G.I. JOE so we didn't need this.

This DVD-R release is as budget as one can get. The picture is decent at best and the sound is good for what it is. There are no extras and the packaging is very cheap looking. I picked this up because I wanted to see what I missed out on as a kid but I can't recommend this outside of Norris fans, who have probably already picked this release up, and those who love 80s TV.

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Extras/Menus