Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Don't listen to the negative reviews

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This was a really nice documentary, loved watching you guys n memorizing my rides, i am a rider so being a rider i feel proud riding other but i realized few things, i felt both riders were not at all experienced and they didn't know much about riding or their bikes but they were riding to make this documentary which was awful pretending someone you are not, both riders rode bikes like kids, fallen on even roads where they even any rider with some experience would have done better, i am from India and i would love to invite such so called rider to come here and ride around himalaya places eg. Ladakh, maana pass, sach pass and so on many places, before starting a such long ride first come and experience real riding here... Both of guys were riding BMW but were riding like a 100cc bikes pathetic... Thoudsand of riders come to India to ride on most difficult and highest roads in the world mostly German rider... Hopefully next time you guys will make documentary o With true riders with really great experience which i didn't feel in this documentary series... Anyways both rider did great job so hats off for both of you and one more thing the third rider cameraman i guess in movie was much better

When I reserved this series on Netflix, I had no idea who Ewan McGregor was and, still, barely know anything about Borman. Since, I've watched a couple of McGregor films and have forgiven him for the Star Bores outings.Some viewers, pretending to be "real motorcyclists," have panned this program because of the "support" McGregor and Borman managed to provide for themselves from manufacturers and a small production team. One goofy character called this team "massive," which must run him out of adjectives when he has to describe a concert crowd or a rush hour bus. The actual team was small, compared to the task they set out for themselves. A couple of technical folks, a producer who managed some of the boarder and transportation logistics, and a constantly whining Russian doctor/nurse in a pair of cages that rarely managed to be at the right place at the right time. The three bikers, including a bike-mounted cameraman, managed to get themselves from one end of the world to the other with minimal assistance from their "massive team." If you've ever attempted anything long-distance on a motorcycle, you know what kind of accomplishment this was. If you've ridden a street bike, which the BMW GS bikes are, offroad, you have to be impressed with this achievement. If you're an idiot, you burn up your trustfund and pay for your trips yourself. If you have a clue, you turn your vacations into a production and get vendors to kick in a little assistance. Anyone whining that these guys weren't self-funded fools is just jealous because he didn't have the talent required to get help for his last vacation.Part of the charm of the program is the unpreparedness of the two primary characters. They weren't serious, or skilled, off road riders, neither were competent mechanics, but both are motorcyclists in the best sense of the word. I'm sure that the scale of the intended production added some motivation to finish the trip, but it still took incredible perseverance to travel from London to New York, the Long Way Round.Not only did I enjoy this program, I bought it and have watched it several times. It has also inspired me to make my own mini-backroad tour to Alaska this spring.

Absolutely brilliant, excellent or every other superlative! I bought the DVD and every time I finished an episode I got the feeling deep inside to go into garage take my bike and start a trip like that - it creates that yearning inside to do the same thing - really unbelievable. Both Charley and ( superstar ) Ewan McGregor are that naturally guys - they are so likable. It is so funny to listen to there conversation, they are joking during the whole time even when they completely destroyed because of the unexpected circumstances. I felt like watching close friends and there keeps a kind of emptiness inside when the DVD is finished ... Absolutely have to be seen!!! I finished the DVD some hours ago and I could start watching again just right now.

The account of this round-the-world motorcycle trip was extremely disappointing. I gave it two stars only because there are a few funny moments and a couple of thought-provoking sequences. But, on the whole, I found the journey itself lackluster and the documentation haphazard and artless. First (and worst) is the "reality TV" format. In this style, the entire documentary is made up of sound bites—few scenes lasting for more than 10 seconds, and most for only a fraction of that. This is a poor format for any kind of documentary reporting—but for a road trip—which consists largely of views and experiences long and deep (rather than short and shallow) it must be the worst way to present the ambiance of such an adventure. The second disappointment is with the event itself. Travel accounts are generally by and about a single traveler. This adventure, however, is more of a traditional expedition. The principals (actors Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor) are not alone on their voyage. They are attended by at least three 4-wheel support vehicles and a huge crew. The plan was for the riders to stay ahead of the crew and rely on them only for assistance at border crossings; but it hardly works out that way, and the motorcyclists rely heavily on the crew vehicles for all kinds of support. Boorman and McGregor are also accompanied by a third rider, the principal photographer (known only as Claudio) who presumably shares all their experiences but is almost never seen or heard from. I was never sure of his nationality but he spoke a heavily-accented English. He was brought on at the last minute and had no say in the planning of the trip, nor did he have any of the training that the two principals underwent before the ride. Indeed the relationship of these three riders must have been odd: two mates who make the trip as best friends plus a stranger who stands outside their experience and documents it. The viewer can't help but wonder: was the photographer included in their intimate evening conversation? Did they care about his thoughts or observations? Was he treated like a gentleman's gentleman rather than a fellow traveler? In the end, though Claudio has ridden the very same roads and suffered the very same hardships as Boorman and McGregor, he does not join in their victory celebration. Knowing he is there, but is being kept literally out of the picture puts a strange cast over the entire proceedings and adds to the viewer's feeling that the whole expedition is more like a stunt than a true journey.The two actors know almost nothing about motorcycle mechanics. Indeed, they have chosen for their trip overly large and highly sophisticated motor cycles—bikes they cannot maintain or repair. As it turns out, the photographer's mount is damaged and finally abandoned for a basic Russian model that seems better suited to the task. It is interesting to note that Ted Simon, a man who traveled over the entire world (not just circumnavigating the relatively short 50th parallel) learned to strip and rebuild his bike before leaving on his four year solo journey. Indeed, Simon repeated the trip again at the age of 70, and Boorman and McGregor actually meet him in one brief scene.The preparation for the journey is undertaken, not by the two bikers, but by an enormous staff of secretaries, facilitators, and specialists. The budget for the trip itself—exclusive of filming costs--must have been in the millions—not counting the support of sponsors such as the bike manufacturer and others. Boorman and McGregor have literally hordes of lackeys to arrange for the travel documents and other necessities, producers who get them appointments with ambassadors and trainers of various kinds—they even rent and remodel an entire building to serve as an operating and outfitting center. Shakelton—the 19th century Antarctic explorer--probably did more of his own preparation that these two did; and countless unrecorded travelers have made much more remarkable journeys with far less outside supportLastly--and perhaps "worstly"--is the amazing inarticulateness of Boorman and McGregor. They speak no foreign languages, have little or no knowledge of the geography, history, the flora or fauna, or the cultures of the places through which they travel. As a result, all they can do is look happy or sad--depending on the difficulty of the road. "It's fantastic" is about all they can utter as they try to describe the scenery or the people. They sound more like a couple of uneducated pot heads than a pair of observant travelers. ("All the wildlife we've seen!" McGregor enthuses in one scene, as the film cuts to a one-second image of a crow sitting on a post.)I gave the film two stars, however, so here is what I liked. The travelers did, in fact meet many people who helped them—people who had no idea who they were, or how big and obscenely funded their expedition really was, and I was genuinely moved by what would seem to be the basic goodness of common people everywhere.Another engaging sequence was their travail in eastern Russia, on the so-called "Road of Bones" where the entire expedition would have been stopped in its tracks, except for the assistance of Russian truck drivers in extremely tall and rugged vehicles who help them across rivers and patches of seemingly unsurpassable terrain. What is engaging about these sequences is that the expedition members and the truck drivers labor side by side to create passable fords, or build log bridges. It is probably the only time on the trip that the two dandies and their friends ever do any real work.A film has been made of Ted Simon's journeys—a camera crew following him on one leg of his second trip, with fabricated flashbacks to the earlier journey. I have not yet seen it, but I am sure it would make an interesting comparison.