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Top Gear Australia
Remember the US version of the office? Hopefully not because it was
down right horrible and finally after years of rehab, I've almost
removed the bad taste from my brain... almost. Some things should be left alone, especially
TV shows from the UK, like the Office, Being Human and more importantly
Top Gear!
Unfortunately Australia done the unthinkable and tried to create their
own version of Top Gear which really left a bad taste in not only my
mouth but lots of other petrol heads from around Australia. Even though it starred a
relatively impressive cast that included Steve Pizatti, Ewen Page and
Shane Jacobson, it was unfortunately missing that "X" factor and seemed
like a pale copy of the UK version.
The
witty banter and camaraderie of the UK hosts was gone and may of the
jokes seemed forced and contrived. This was not light hearted, this was
disappointing. Even the cars they test are missing that "X" factor which only
made me want to watch the UK version even more. There were a couple of
interesting segments that included the Caparo T1, Australia's fastest
street legal supercar and the Great Australian Adventure which follows
the boys racing off-road. It was good at the time but the overall
quality just wasn't there. Even the guest stars are a little flat such
as Craig Reucassel, Lisa McCune or Michael Clarke who just seem out of
place.
One
fun aspect of Top Gear Australia is Shane Jacobson but unfortunately Pizatti and Page
didn't compliment him too well. Jacobson is a very funny man but not
even his talents could save Top Gear Australia. The only highlight of this
release is that it contains The Ashes Special that links the Australian series back to the UK
and yes, the UK team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May
are there. Ok... that was fun!
The
video quality is good that supports 16:9 with sharp images, vibrant
colours and strong blacks. Audio supports Dolby Digital 2.0 and
unfortunately there are no special features. I would only recommend
this lengthy collection if you really enjoyed the TV show, if not, save your money and buy
the REAL Top Gear!
Disappointing to say the least!
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