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Man vs. Wild Complete Season 1
Man V.s
Wild,
the
television show that shows us how to survive if we are lost in the
wilderness. Bear Grylls, the star of the show, battles through the Rocky
Mountains, the European Alps, a deserted island and even the Kimberley
in Australia. All of this with only a few essential items for survival
such as a water bottle, a knife and if he is lucky, some rope.
This
show is into its 6th season which makes this season feel a
little dated but it is interesting to watch these episodes, especially
what was obviously the pilot episode. The episode set in The Rockies is
very obviously different from the others, with emotional asides to
camera from Bear about the struggles of being lost in the wilderness as
well as intersections from safety experts watching everything Bear does.
Thankfully they got rid of these aspects as it diminishes some of the
masculine adventurous appeal of the show.
This
show is essentially adventure porn that we can watch in order to
experience a rush of adrenalin as Bear jumps off cliffs and runs away
from grizzly bears. On top of that we can gain pleasure from watching
him eat all manner of things, ranging from hand caught fish to a dead
badger and the maggots that cover the body. All of this from the comfort
of your own home! We can imagine that we would do the same if we were in
that position without actually having to do it. This show is an appeal
to the inner cave man (or woman) in us all. Don’t expect to actually
learn anything though, I mean how often are you travelling in the
Everglades in Florida and if you do, will you remember much of the
wisdom Bear has imparted upon you? I doubt it, and if you are that sort
of person, then why are you sitting at home watching television and not
exploring the world?
The
season 1 DVDs of Man Vs. Wild have been split into two separate
sections, Extreme Terrains which has seven episodes and Push The Limits
which has eight episodes. The problem with this is that there isn’t much
of a distinction between the two sections. It is never made clear why
the episode in the African Savannah is pushing his limits whereas the
Moab Desert episode is an extreme terrain. I would imagine that both
push his limits and both are extreme terrains. This is a minor gripe
though as the episodes are all thoroughly enjoyable, though a little
repetitive at times.
The show is a lot of fun to watch and it makes me feel like an
adventurer whilst barely moving, lying in my lazy boy chair at home. The
lack of special features is slightly disappointing but the episodes are
fun enough on their own, what with all the bare teeth ripping into fish
and consumption of grubs and maggots. A marathon of episodes may make
you feel like you are living your own, adrenalin filled, version of
groundhog day though overall this is a great ‘Limited Edition’ Steelbook
DVD box set that every adventure seeking man or woman should own. |
