Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #838 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-03-23
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 141 minutes

Synopsis
Join Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for two more of the TOP GEAR teams Great Adventures. Includes 'Botswana Special' and 'Vietnam Special'.

in 'Botswana Special, the dynamic trio embark on the perilous quest from a tiny village on the border between Zimbabwe and Botswana that will culminate on the Namibian border. However, the three have to negotiate a dangerous and wildly varied terrain that includes rivers, the Makgadikgadi salt pans and the unforgiving Kalahari Desert.


In 'Vietnam Special' the boys attempt to travel the entire length of the sprawling country in only eight days but in a unique twist, have to do so using motorcycles!

Customer Reviews

Oliver!!!!
Yep, they're back to their tricks again. The 2 dvd's come in seperate cases, one for each adventure, and are bound in a cardboard case. 1st disk is the brilliant Botswana adventure with a few added scenes that aren't on the television version. Great picture and served up with a stereo soundtrack, the extra's are limited to behind the scenes photo's, a commentary soundtrack and some very amusing deleted scenes.
2nd serving is the Vietnam adventure, again a few scenes not in the TV edition, with similar quality picture and sound. The extras are also the same fare, and this time we get to meet The Stigs communist cousin! This would have got 5 stars had they not changed the soundtracks, the music used on both TV versions seemed more evocative and had more impact.
All in all though, over 2hrs of good hilarious antics that we've all come to expect from Clarckson, Hammond and May.

Ambitious but Brilliant Everywhere!!!
There here again and back for more mayhem than ever. The DVD comes in cardboard with two seperate standard DVD cases and two discs. The 1st special is the Botswana Trip and its the Director's Cut version as well with content not seen on TV. This was the special that made me laugh the most as James May nearly drives into Zimbabwe (where the BBC isn't allowed), Richard Hammond falls in love with his car and calls it 'Oliver' and Jermey Clarkson endlessly breaking down in his Lancia car.

The 2nd Special was in Vietnam, which was recently on, and still made me laugh and feel sorry for Jeremy as he can't ride a bike as travelling through Vietnam, although Richard Hammond and James May enjoyed the trip but were constantly pursued by an American coloured Motorbike if any of their own bike's broke down and had to be left behind. We also actually get to meet The Stigs Communist Cousin. Also keep in mind that this isn't a director cut, just the Botswana Special.

This deserves five stars because for the first time (I think) it actually has some Special Feature Extras like Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery, Commentary Soundtrack with Executive Producer Andy Wilman and Crew and very funny Deleted Scenes on both DVD's. The picture is also excellent and perfect music and is just for any die hard Top Gear Fan. The only thing that anyone will moan about is that some of the soundtracks have changed from the TV edition, but hey, who care's? It's still good Top Gear!

Another fantastic release! Hail Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow!
I love the specials on Top Gear. Whenever they decide to ditch their usual show format and go on a great big adventure, like their epic trips to the USA or the North Pole, you know that Jeremy, Richard and James are going to be caught-up in a mammoth journey that will test them to the peak of their abilities, and feature all manner of wild antics, real-life dangers and amazing discovery.

The previous Great Adventures box set contained the U.S. Special and the director's cut of the Polar Special. And it was an absolutely brilliant release, despite several music edits that received great backlash from many fans. Although the music edits were dissapointing, it was nevertheless an essential purchase for all Top Gear fans, because we finally had the best episodes ever on DVD.

Since then, we've had two more great adventures from the lads around the world. Their trip to Botswana and their journey across Vietnam. These two specials have now also received the home release treatment in this two-disc box set entitled Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2.

The Botswana Special poses an interesting question: are great big lumbering 4x4 cars REALLY necessary in cities? To find out, Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow head off to Africa and purchase bog-standard two-wheel drive cars...to cross the spine of the continent over a distance of one-thousand miles. This was a highly-entertaining special, very memorable for things like Jeremy's Lancia breaking down every five minutes, the Stig's African cousin, the dangerous trek across the notorious Makadikadi salt flats, traversing through the Okavango Delta and all its lethal predators, the modifications to their cars, James' brief but hilarious wrong turn into Zimbabwe, the menacing, looming presence of the Volkswagen Beetle...and of course, the sheer poignancy of Richard meeting and falling in love with his beloved, unforgettable Oliver.

Like the home release of the North Pole special, this version of the Botswana Special gets the Director's Cut treatment. There's six minutes of brand new footage here, as opposed to the ten minutes of unseen material in the Polar Special DVD. Although there's no new discoveries or real dangers unearthed here, the extra footage is noticeable and there are some really hilarious moments that make for great viewing.

The Vietnam Special is truly incredible and spectacular for so many reasons. The lads have to travel the entire length of Vietnam in eight days, but with not enough money for cars in the overpriced market, they're forced to resort to bikes to go the distance. Along the way, they'll brave dangerous traffic, night-driving and bad weather, sample unique food, get tailor-made suits, buy expensive cumbersome presents to try and bring home in one piece, bicker and argue, attend a driving school, and most importantly...drive down the most stunning roads in the world and experience absolutely breathtaking sights-to-see.

The thing about the Vietnam Special is that it is just so refreshing. The lads being forced to resort to bikes instead of cars is a real nice change from the usual formula and makes for all the more entertainment. It has all the great things we come to expect from the show, but the antics of Jeremy, Richard and James are almost undermined by the country they travel through. Vietnam is a beautiful place and the sights the lads see are just astonishing. And just when you think it's all over...there's one last challenge in store that perfectly caps off the episode. The producers really do Vietnam's beauty justice with their filming. The views, seas and countryside are truly awe-inspiring and easily on a par with the North Pole.

As I said earlier, the last Great Adventures boxset was heavily criticised by a number of fans because of the music changes that were made. It didn't deter me from buying it and watching it again and again, but it is understandable why there was outrage. Sadly for those fans, contractual obligations strike again. Quite a bit of the music for the Botswana Special has had to be substituted for different soundtracks. However, it's nowhere as severe as it was for Polar/U.S. Special DVDs. Although I much preferred the soundtrack on the original broadcast, there's a good selection of replacement music for the Botswana Special, particularly the Autobots' theme from Transformers, music from Pirates of the Caribbean and (believe it or not) Crash Holly's theme (WWF/E fans will know what I'm on about). Bizarrely though, the Vietnam Special's original soundtrack seems mostly intact, which is good.

When reviewing the last Great Adventures collection, I noted that I would've liked to have seen a couple of special features like audio commentaries and deleted scenes. It appears that the BBC have listened again, because that's what both DVDs have. Each episode has an audio commentary by Andy Wilman and his film crew, providing a great insight into what also happened during the adventures, the painstaking process of editing, the whole production aspect of the show and other nice little anecdotes. There's also some fab photo galleries of both adventures, as well as an excellent collection of deleted scenes, which were cut out for time. Check out the Vietnam ones in particular to see James competing against two racing cows, as well as the Stig's Communist cousin in action.

As with all Top Gear DVDs, you can expect quality presentation. There's useful subtitles and a beautiful DVD transfer. The picture is so clean and crisp, and at such a bargain price, it's yet another essential release for all fans. Top Gear: The Great Adventures 2 is more proof why this is the best show on telly today and why you should own it. Another worthwhile collection.