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Freeride Revolution 2
When I was a kid, my father was into going to different kinds of races and such. He usually would drag me along and for the most part, I had a fairly decent time. I never really got into car races or monster truck events, but I did enjoy going down to the track to see the dirt bikes. Of course that was well over a decade ago and childhood inklings subside with time.
Every now and again while I'm flipping through the channels though I'll come across a motocross event and pause for a few moments to check it out. Usually people are drawn to these outings, not only to see some amazing acrobatics and the like, but to also see these death deifiers crash and burn. Freeride Revolution 2 offers all the motocross action you could ever want, minus the smell of cheap beer and exhaust fumes.
The basic concept of this disc is that it takes some of the world's most well known riders in the sport, compiles footage of various competitions and tosses in a little bit of behind the scenes conversation. It's not really a movie, but more of a documentary on the sport, though there really isn't a lot of commentary. This is absolutely and positively a release that is only geared towards fans and you have to be REALLY into motocross in order to appreciate what goes on here. Otherwise it'll just look like a bunch of tattooed hooligans speeding around on bikes to a heavy metal musical score. Oh, wait, that is what's going on here, never mind.
The disc follows a tour of some of the more well known riders like, Mike Metzger, Nate Adams, Brian Deegan and Drake McElroy. These guys are champions in their field and make some incredibly dangerous stunts look like child's play. The stuff they do in the sport now is leaps and bounds beyond what I used to watch when I was younger. I do have to admit though that while watching Freeride Revolution 2, I felt I was being subjected to a spin off of Jackass. When the guys aren't on the track they are getting drunk, breaking out into fist fights, and being all manner of social deviants.
The troop takes their shenanigans around the world too and there are quite a few locations presented here. While they do make appearances in places like Reno and Disney's California Adventure, they also go to Thailand, Japan and Malaysia. I never realized that this sport was so popular in those parts of the world, and apparently neither did some of the riders. A lot of them really seem to be fish out of water and very not comfortable about being where they were.
After finishing watching Freeride Revolution 2, I couldn't help but feel that I was watching a heavy metal music video for a band I never heard of and a sport I didn't care about. Yes, I enjoyed this stuff when I was a kid, but in no means does that mean that my interest was peaked even slightly by this material. Chances are good that if you're reading this review then you already have an interest in the sport and possibly the DVD. You'll probably enjoy it if you are a fan, but unless you are a complete diehard with a pair of underwear signed by "Mad Dog", then you're better off skipping it.
Freeride Revolution 2 is presented with a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio and has many flaws in its print. First of all the material was filmed with different types of cameras so the quality varies depending on what part you are watching. The image is very soft, loaded with edge enhancement, grain and a decent amount of speckle. The lighting and contrast at many times is very poor due to environmental exposure. The picture looks best when it's not in an arena, but that's not really what you're here to see.
The disc is also presented with a 2.0 English track that is pretty irritating. The music overlaps everything, like 85% of the time, and is obnoxiously loud at parts. Voices are often at a softer level than the edited in soundtrack. There is little to no directionality with the audio, but aside from the volume issues there really isn't any other flaw.
The only bonus feature on the disc is called "Duel in the Desert". It's not really an extra though since it's just more bikes riding around, but guess what? This time it's in the desert! This could have just been added into the regular content just fine probably and it's even set to the same music.
If you're missing teeth because you kissed a handrail, are partially deaf thanks to all of the heavy metal and enjoy getting drunk off of beer and gas fumes, then chances are you'll really like Freeride Revolution 2. I, however, enjoy none of those things. I always try to stay objective with my reviews and I liked watching dirt bikes race when I was a kid, but the stuff here just isn't my cup of tea. It's a form of Jackass on wheels that will only be appreciated by its target demographic. Skip It
Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!
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