Multipla, part one: Pretty awful. Loads of recycled "jokes" - is anyone really still laughing at the 'Clarkson and his hammer'-bit? Made me think they sat down and said: "Let's make a film to piss off the FG-crowd"
Plus: Making cheap jokes at the expense of the elderly? We've already had fat-jokes, so what's next? Retard-jokes?
News: Probably the best news-segment this series. Reminded me how good this bit can be... funny, but still lots of info on new cars. Also highlighted a problem I have with TG recently. They mention cars on the news, stating how much they like them (the up! in this case) ... but they never test them on the show. Why? BTW: That up GT would be a perfect candidate for the next reasonably priced car. If it's anything like the Lupo GTI I used to own, it should be brilliant.
Range Rover: Great setting, great race, great opponent. Plus James actually managed to squeeze in a nice little review of the RR at the start of the film. Best bit of the show. Agree with JC on the styling. Too bling for a Range Rover.
SIARPC: Great guest. I like (most of) McAvoy's work and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. And guests celebrating wildly in the studio after a good lap is always a plus.
Multipla part 2: More pointless cheap jokes at the expense of old people .. the whole film never grabbed my attention as it went from one unfunny situation to the next.. culminating in the mother of all forced endings. Is this really the best they could come up with? Might as well have JC say "I've fitted something to the car that will take us into orbit and on to the moon" and end with a cheap FX shot of the Fiat in space.
Almost cruel of them to show us a glimpse of the Cool Wall at the end.
Interestingly enough, this was *not* a bad episode if you ignore the Multipla-film. But since it was the centerpiece of this show, I'm going with a
6/10
Very true. I get the 'proper' review on Drive weeks if not months before I get in on TG. So the only reason the RR review has a right to live, is because of the extra bits, like the autonomous truck.
That's utter nonsense. There's a difference between a totally dry/serious review (say, Old, Old TG) and doing a "serious-fun" hybrid. TG used to be great at this, even without elaborate setups and high production values. Remember the "Pacific Rimmers"-comparison ... or the 911/M6/Aston comparison on the Isle of Man .. or even the very first cheap car challenge. They drove from London (IIRC) to Manchester.. and that thing was brilliant. It's those kind of reviews and films that drew me to TG in the first place.
S.