Top Gear USA – Season 3 (2012 – 2013/BBC DVD Set)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: A Episodes: B+
Sometimes
remakes of shows in other countries don’t work out, but the BBC has had better
luck lately than most, as Being Human
(reviewed in both U.S. &
U.K.
versions elsewhere on this site) shows.
In the case of Season 3 of Top Gear USA, a new version of a huge
hit show in its second life (like the BBC’s own Doctor Who, also reviewed all over this site), the show is on the
upswing commercially and even critically.
Each
episode, you can join Adam, Tanner and Rutledge as they race anything with a
motor, anything from modified junk yard cars to million dollar super cars as
they test the limits and capabilities of the vehicles. They show off their skills as they show which
cars are the toughest, fastest and best for all situations. From crossing scorching sierras deserts, to
playing car football, to building a car for the apocalypse, anything car
related these guys take up the challenge.
Of
course, it is not all about the fanciest fastest and most luxurious cars the
U.K. version is about, as this Top Gear
is more interested in pushing what any car can really do, but Adam, Tanner, and
Rutledge choose all kinds of models no matter their status or cost, even
competing in their choice cars to prove whose is the best. They are definitely car experts too like their
U.K.
counterparts, drivers and willing to abuse, even wreck a car to prove their
point. Adam is a New York City driver (no e-mails please),
Tanner is a former racer, and Rutledge is Jack-of-all-trade car expert. Along with the occasional appearance of the
U.S. version of the mysterious F1 Driver The Stig, these three friends do road
races to cross country endurance races in taxis to cop cars, to the even the
top of the world to prove their cars over nature. The winner usually gets to show off million
dollar Supercars and what the best money can buy.
This show
is for you if you are a into cars, you get to see the hosts, 3 car
fanatics/maniacs, do all sorts of crazy thing to cars going through all sorts
of terrain, weather, and beautiful vistas they use and abuse their cars and
make you want to go for road trip yourself.
They also show off cars with million dollar price tags that cost more
than house (of course, the don't wreck those ones). Certainly this season they
seem to have a much larger budget with all the cars they wreck, modify and
traveling around the world to find any place to test their vehicles.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo are just
fine for this format, as good as they are going to get and more than comparable
to the DVDs of the current U.K.
show, so playback is fine. Extras
include extra scenes, commentary, host interviews, and behind the scenes. For more on the show, try these links for the
previous seasons:
One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11096/The+Perfect+Game+(2008/Image+Bl
Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12076/Top+Gear+USA+%E2%80%93+The
- Ricky Chiang
