Long Way Down [DVD] [2007]

I was a huge fan of Long Way Round, as was the entire world. Here in the U.S., we had to wait much too long to get the series on DVD . When Long Way Down became avialble on DVD and in a format that was universal across all zones, I rushed to get one. After ordering, I got on this site and started to read customer review, which were almost universally negative. Now that I've seen it, I just don't understand this swell of negative customer reviews.If you are a fan of motorbikes or of travel, this is thrilling. And these two guys are so incredibly and contagiously charming. Yes, the episode with Ewan's wife on her bike is an all-time low, but who are we to decide on the McGregor family travel plans? Come on, people! They kept it to under an episode. I was sad when Charlie went offroading on his own.The commaradarie between the boys is lovely. The production values are superb. The BMWs and all that challenging riding is thrilling. The scenery adn the people through Scotland, France, Italy, Africa ... it's a once-in-a-lifetime trip.Frankly, Long Way Round/Down just WORKS. They know how to do it and they know how to make TV out of it. I hope that are many more series to come. And, have faith, if you enjoy motorbikes or travel, there is so very much enjoyment in Long Way Down for you. And, yes, Ewan and Charlie are endless entertainment and inspiration.

I would like to have rated this dvd 5 out of 5 as I did for the other excellent dvd's in the series namely Long way Round and Race to Dakar but this particular dvd falls just short of a maximun score. Don't get me wrong because this dvd is still great entertainment and I watch it along with the other 2 titles every 2 to 4 weeks or so as they beat the pants off most of the other trash we viewers are subjected to nowadays. The main gripe with this series is that we (the viewers) are soon very aware that all is not well in the Long Way down camp, with the main problem being the pace of the trip. Both Ewan and Charley have their moan about this (Ewan is concerned that he is'nt staying anywhere long enough to appreciate the whole african experience-not necessarily ancient monuments etc- whilst Charley does'nt like to keep arriving late at the nightly rest points. These frustrations between the two come to what we the viewers must assume (as we don't actually see the bursting point) to one almighty argument and outburst of feelings. This seems to have done the trick but there is another main problem that crops up, which is the fact that both the guys are clearly BIG family men and miss their other half and kids greatly. This is only natural of course but speaking as a producer myself I would have built into the budget a contigency whereby Ewan and charley meet up with their wives and kids at a suitable point half way through the trip and then again at the end destination. I feel this would have kept up the morale of the guys and given them a nice halfway mini goal to aim for. This scenario would only apply if Ewans' wife Eve had'nt joined to trip during part of the journey. With just a little more thought (and I don't want to take anything away from producer Russ Malkin here who, without doubt, is one of the best producers in the business), this could have been averted especially as I for one don't like to see Ewan and Charley having major fall outs as they clearly have a fanatastic bond and sense of camaraderie which helps to make all their shows so enjoyable and long may it last. Just keep the shows coming guys and thanks for everything so far.

I saw 'Long Way Round' and thought that 'Long Way Down' would be worth a watch, too, as I'd enjoyed LWR so much.It was, without doubt, entertaining yet seemed hurried by comparison. I don't think they spent enough time on places they passed through though I do take the point that the whole thing was about their motorcycle experience. What they did show was very good indeed but I do feel that they could have given us a little more depth but they were probably saving time to accomodate MacGregors wife. I didn't enjoy the friction it caused between the boys nor did I like the time constraints that were very evident in the first few parts. This again caused very visible friction between them and did nothing to enhance the production. I didn't like the very obvious amount of money that had been thrown at this production which was very evident in the standard of accomodation they enjoyed throughout much of the trip. It did nothing to enhance what was supposed to be a fairly 'iffy' yet epic journey. I took exception to the appearance of "the wife" aboard a motorcycle she couldn't stay on and how Charlie was abandoned for the days that she was present. I thought it was all about the two boys on an epic journey and was dismayed that "the wife" was allowed to muscle in on the easiest part of the route yet still managed to keep falling off. If I'd wanted to see a film about relationships then I'd have bought one. It smacked too much of "Prima Donna'ish behaviour and left me wondering if threats like "If she doesn't come for this part of the trip then its all off" were made to the film company and they were given no option but to indulge him.I'm glad I bought it, though, as some of the profits, apparently, go to charity but the series really is nowhere near as good as LWR and if a star rating were required then LWR would get 10 with LWD getting 5.