Crappy film

Am I Missing Something?

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I loved Long Way Round for MANY reasons. But possibly the most compelling element, surprisingly, had little to do with travel... it is the genuine affection and friendship shared by these two guys. I've had many good friends during my wonderful life... but nothing like what these two have. They truly care about each other and have a fantastic time hanging out, and giving each other hell, of course.The video diaries were exceptionally good - they dealt with feelings of insecurity, depression, irritation, worry, fear, and fatigue. I watched many scenes twice and destroyed an entire weekend watching the whole series non stop.

First of all I thought I was going to see two bikies make a long and dangerous journey on their motor bikes from the U.K. to New York. I soon realized of course they had a back up team who followed them and helped them when the journey got too tough.I got the impression that Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor whilst being motor bike enthusiasts did not know a lot about the engineering aspects and relied on others to help them in distress.Some of the roads encountered were no more than tracks with deep pot holes filled with water. There were numerous rivers to be crossed, so many in fact one wonders how well researched their journey was in the early preparation of the long trip.The cameraman who rides the third bike is rarely seen because the documentary is about Charlie and Ewan.The warm relationship between Charlie and Ewan is felt throughout the film and the love they had for their wives and children was forever in their thoughts as they journeyed through lands which seemed devoid of people. Occasionally though they did meet families who opened their homes to them and gave them a comfortable bed for the night. Ewan remarked on the friendliness of every stranger implying that we human beings are really the same the world over despite our different languages and physical features. Food differences can be a problem at times and one can gag at even the thought of it.The journey is very long and no more than a minute can be devoted to some of the interesting places they visited. The film is divided into 10 episodes with a large proportion of the time spent in Mongolia. The Road of Bones over which our bikies travelled snakes its way for many miles and remains as a memoriam to the millions who died while constructing it and there bodies interred where they fell.When I set out to watch the 3 DVDs I thought I might find them a bit repetitive and may be boring, but it proved to be otherwise. The more I watched the more interested I became and I felt a little disappointed when their journey ended. It was really good sharing their trip in the comfort of my lounge chair and to hear their cries of "We made it! We made it!" mixed with a few tears when they reached the end of their journey.

A staged travelogue with, and about, two overgrown adolescents supposedly riding motorcycles from London to New York.This series goes to show two men can do anything, as long as they have sponsors to donate tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment including new BMW bikes, trainers and advisers, a staff of numerous people to do the dirty work of getting visas and making arrangements, and several "support vehicles" to bail them out of any real difficulties. This was billed as a road trip, but in the end, it winds up being little more than an ego trip.As entertainment, the series is padded with irrelevant footage, presumably because they had to guarantee a certain run-time minimum to get the project sponsored.Rather than waste your time on this, take your own bike out for a spin.

Many people dream of round-the-world trips but few are ever able to take them. Be it time or financial constraints, the barriers are often broad and appear unwieldy. So many times we have to experience the rest of the world vicariously via magazine articles or, in this case, a documentary.LONG WAY ROUND was the brainchild of actor Ewan McGregor (STAR WARS) and his longtime buddy Charley Boorman (ON EDGE), two men with a passion for motorcycling. One day they decide to give this round-the-world idea some wings by mapping out a course across the globe ...but instead of traveling by plane or rail, they decide to do it using two BMW motorbikes.Preparation for the trip starts months in advance as transportation is arranged, passports collected, boarder crossing ensured, and training of the two riders takes place (CPR, first aid, exercising, motorcycle training, Russian language classes, etc.) The trip begins in London, England and ends 115 days later in New York. The trip starts out well enough, with adequately paved roads and quaint villages. But the further east McGregor and Boorman travel, the less biker-friendly the way becomes. Smooth asphalt quickly gives way to pitted asphalt, then divot-riddled asphalt, then into dirt roads. Once into Mongolia, anything resembling a sustainable thoroughfare becomes completely blurred by bogs, riverbeds and stretches of absolute nothingness.Difficulty of traveling aside, the two bikers meet some of the most incredible people. Ewan McGregor being Ewan McGregor, he is initially seen as a hero, a movie-star bringing notice to these otherwise unnoteworthy locales. Police escorts pop-up out of nowhere and guide Ewan and Charley into small townships where parties await them in their honor. But, again, the further east our two journeymen head, the less this happens. In and out of Mongolia, they soon head up into Siberia where they encounter The Road of Bones, a stretch of road built by slave labor during Stalin's tyranny (many a dead slaves body rests somewhere beneath this road ...or so it is said). No one knows who Ewan McGregor is here.Pushing themselves to the limit, the two slush through wetlands, river crossings and some of the worst roadways in the world. Even a support crew that follows them has great difficulties, one time crashing their vehicle and nearly killing some of the passengers.Arriving 115 days later in New York, many viewers will breath a sigh of relief for Charley and Ewan. The intensity of the trip is well-spent on the audience, helping the viewer feel the pressure and difficulties of the route. But it also helps us see that what is often said to be impossible is, in fact, possible if you apply yourself hard enough. That and the exposure to the myriad of other cultures makes this documentary a strong film.