The DVD set released through Acorn Media via Athena productions is a nice set for the most part. You get three discs worth of James May going from continent to continent explaining inventions that made huge impacts on human life. He starts out with very general topics and breaks down what inventions impacted those topics, and more importantly how those inventions were discovered and created. For example, there is an episode where he discusses how teenagers were created, which seems pretty straightforward to most of us who are parents, but it isn’t what you think. He discusses the persona of the modern teenager and what inventions turned a well disciplined individual in the early 20th century into an independent ruffian in modern times. Those things included the invention of Vinyl (records), headphones and motorcycles.
What’s particularly neat about May’s show is that you can’t anticipate where the topic is going. At first, this method of storytelling seems extremely messy and disorganized, but soon it all comes together like a good mystery where you’ll think by the end that it was a fun ride. This is what kept me watching this DVD set and why I viewed the entire thing in two days. It’s addictive, intriguing and just as entertaining as the Top Gear show.
As for the DVD set, the first two discs are direct from the television series. They contain six episodes of aired segments. Each episode is around 29-minutes a piece. Some of the more fascinating episodes include:
Episode 3 – Body Fantastic: This episode talks about how far medicine has come with helping out with medical problems, replacing human limbs and replacing the human heart. The heart portion of this episode is absolutely fascinating, as we get to see what people use to have to do (horrifying) and what they do now. You get to see a human heart stopped in surgery and repaired. It’s gross, but it’s amazing.
Episode 6 – Big City, Bright Lights: This episode takes the viewer through the history electricity in large cities and countries (including Britain), and it talks about glass on skyscrapers. The glass segment of this episode is mind-blowing. I won’t ruin it, but picture a mini-cooper getting dropped on a plate of glass, and the glass doesn’t break. You’ll like that one.
There are solid episodes in the entire series, though I wish he would have done more. This is a good show, especially if you like James May. He describes all the inventions intelligently and backs up everything with easy to follow facts. It’s positively one of the more addictive shows I’ve seen from BBC.
The last disc in the trio of DVDs is full of bonus content about future gadgets. In the first episode he talks about finding a flying vehicle to substitute having to drive. The next episode talks about creating a human-esque robot. The last talks about capturing and distributing power through different methods (sun, sea, etc). it’s about 180 additional minutes of content that is worth a damn. On top of this, you also get his biography.
Everything isn’t perfect with this release, though. First, the picture and footage is absolutely stunning. He goes to some really gorgeous areas on earth. It all shines on the DVD, but wouldn’t it have been better suited for Blu-ray? I do understand the cost/return of a Blu-ray, so the equation would have to make sense, but I would have loved to see this content on the HD format. It would have been absolutely gorgeous.
Second, this man needs more episodes. I hope this series continues, as it’s just as good as Top Gear (no, seriously). May is a great host and he is knowledgeable. More episodes for the series would have been nice, and maybe the next go around I will get my wish. Altogether the package is definitely worth the $59.99 that is being asked for it, but they needed to put more faith in his ability to make a show interesting. If they had, this would have been one of the best BBC DVD releases on the market. Still, it’s definitely one of the more entertaining of the BBC bunch.
All in all, this is a solid DVD release that deserves your attention, regardless if you’re a Top Gear fan or not.
