Opiniones de usuarios

I was so stoked to see that Charley and Ewan decided to embark on another bike journey together. Africa was a revelation and a visual smörgåsbord. I enjoyed their reactions and the tensions that emerged and subsided, which gave us access to their humanity. Including more of the support crew added dimension, although I do agree that Claudio should have been given more play. Enjoyed the pre-trek prep. Could have done with less griping about time pressure. Thought it was a bad decision to make this a plot point because there were so many other interesting suspenseful things. Really thought the energy and focus dropped off when Eve Mcgregor joined the trip. She added nothing. I felt there was some hidden agenda going on that had nothing to do with the spirit of the adventure. I agree with a previous post that said if she wanted to participate more in her husband's recreational passions she should have done that off camera. As a viewer I somehow felt used by her insinuating herself into the situation. It was like inviting yourself to a rock concert with your son and his friends, or showing up at rehearsal wanting to be part of their band. Hope she does not tag along on the next one.

Even with Eve tagging along this was my favorite of the series. The vistas and people of Africa were quite nice. So much so that I can't wait to go there myself. They could have easily made twenty episodes and I really wish they had.

That being said... the elephant in the room was Eve, Ewan's wife, imposing herself not only into the show but on to the trip as well. Her neurotic character was on full display and, in my mind, an embarrassment for all. Eve's inexperience on bikes should have the deciding factor of her not going to Africa. (not really the place for a beginner to be sure)

They are divorced now and its the best thing to happen for Ewan. In a perverse way it makes me happy.

I feel like perhaps this will get buried because people may see it as a motorcycle show before a travel show. Charley and Ewan really bounce of each other well (though not as well as Long Way Round or Long Way Up), and I enjoy seeing just two friends share this incredible experience with each other.

As noted in other reviews, the rushed nature of this series brings it down a bit and I'm glad that they address it in the show, though it being too late to change the schedule. Charley just ignoring requests to not wheelie always made me laugh as it just shows how much fun he was having out there.

(I have mini grips with the team member Dave (one of the Americans) but he's not there enough to cause any real annoyance.

Then of course the big one...Eve. I have no idea why she is there and it feels as though his "star power" created an environment of no one really telling him no other than his mate Charley. Throwing a wife in this late in a trip and one that's allowed two friends to just be laid back and make jokes just threw off the entire energy between the two. It doesn't ruin the show but it would've been better had she not been there.

Just watch it and enjoy it. Great look at the world and an admirable way to travel.

The first adventure seemed to be an actor's version of travelling around the world. But the cameras and support team did allow us to be in on their great adventure to pretty much unseen (to non-locals) parts of the world.

Long Way Down re-unites the old team, now all good friends for a trip to another adventurous part of the world, Africa. Race to Dakar could be viewed almost as a scouting trip for this journey.

To begin with Charley and Ewan say that they don't want to do a three and a half-month journey again but curiously their second journey seems to be 3 months long. Their schedule is more compressed and less free-ranging, and they have been allotted less episodes to tell their story in (one less episode makes a noticeable difference). And affecting it even further is the unusual addition of a fourth rider, Ewan's wife, for 10 days of the journey, who up until a few months before the starting date had never ridden a motorbike.

The presentation is identical to Long Way Round due to being made by the same people, and the journey starts off fairly similar in the European leg (a more adventurous route along the Balkan peninsula was abandoned in the planning stages). Also they have again chosen to use large, heavy BMW motorbikes, but presumably due to the X5's fragility in Race to Dakar, the support vehicles are two Nissan Patrols.

The series starts to get interesting when they reach Libya where US citizens are not allowed. Minus two of the crew, Charlie and Ewan are shown around some Roman ruins that rival those in Rome. Until more equatorial latitudes are reached, Charlie and Ewan essentially complain about the tight schedule and not being able to enjoy the experience. They relax as the scenery turns green and they reach areas with more infrastructure, and essentially have a blast the rest of the way except for the frequent border crossings. By the time the scenery turns brown (but not desert) again they are trying to savour the last of their experience. However most of what we see only seems like scratching the surface, if the story was a little more in-depth it may have captured the feeling of adventure than the first journey had. As it is it only seems like an extended highlights reel and unfortunately in a few places has a home movie feel to it as it is essentially a gathering of friends and family.

Overall I think it's a good look at another less well-known part of the world, Africa, but it seems a little flat and forgettable in comparison. It is still (mostly) compelling viewing and makes me want to explore Africa myself.

Granted the LWD didn't have the kind of edge Long Way Round had but lets not forget, Ewan and Charlie never started this with the intentions making it into a DVD. It specifically says at the beginning of LWR that they initially planned to film it themselves as their own record but a second thought was to do it properly.

This is not a made up drama series, it's real life... they don't write what comes over the next boarder, what's over the next hill... take it as you come. I am glad that they were kind enough to let us into their adventure.

Really liking the Long Way Down Under idea though.

Long Way Down is the feature cut of the second season of the road trip documentary featuring Ewan McGregor and his buddy Charlie Boorman on their motorcycle adventure from the Northern tip of Scotland, to the southern tip of Africa. Brushing up on the past adventure is not a requirement for getting your visa for this trip. The film suffers mildly from the lack of build-up and planning for the trip, which would have added more of an introduction to the traveling company, but the ramping right into the adventure helps the pace of the 2+hr film. As a whole the film works as an African postcard, a buddy road trip, and the greatest advertisement for adventure tourism ever made. It is impossible to watch this film and not have an immediate desire to skip the beaches of Hawaii for the far-reaches of the African wilderness. McGregor and Boorman featured equally are both likable, and yet oddly familiar. They are the friends on any vacation that you realize the longer you stay with them, the more disagreeable and yet likable they get. McGregor checks any star ego he may have at the Scotland border, often embracing his lack of motorcycling skill "I fall down a lot", and is surprised when he is not mobbed while visiting the original 1977 Star Wars set in Tunisia. Unlike the rest of the celebutard reality shows that infest the airwaves, Long Way down is not about following the everyday life of a celebrity, it's about following two friends on the adventure of a lifetime…one of which just happens to be obi-wan Kenobi.

Traveling vicariously with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in LONG WAY ROUND, I was pleased to see them continue their adventures in LONG WAY DOWN, a trip from the top of Scotland to the bottom of Africa.

I thoroughly enjoyed Long Way Round. Their travels were tremendously entertaining, with absent roadways, accidents, and playful banter that made it a fun travelogue. It was also strange to see such out-of-the-way places where roads vanished, streams swelled requiring special crossings, and the people that turned out and took them in. It was a microcosm event where we got inside the heads of both the travelers and those they visited.

But things changed for the worse with Long Way Down.

First is the overuse of the helmet cameras and microphones. The sound was often exceptionally muffled, forcing one to rewind the DVD and turn up the volume in hopes of hearing what was said. The helmet cams, too, gave poor quality video and were often grimy or rain-splattered, not letting the viewer enjoy the sites around Africa and beyond.

And where Long Way Round started off with a bang, giving us some great entertainment right from episode one, Long Way Down didn't really pick-up for me until episode four when we are fully entrenched in Africa's amazing countries.

It was also a bit perturbing to see so much time given over to their time with UNICEF. Although I think this is a very worthy cause, it isn't why I like watching travel diaries like this. I want to experience the road and the people and the countryside. Having it on the DVD's extra features was fine, which is where most of the UNICEF information should've remained (I still would've watched the extras, too).

For those familiar with Long Way Round, they'll be happy to learn that Claudio is back in the saddle with our two boys, filming every move and crashing and burning yet again! The guy needs to pay closer attention to the road.

There's been some negative comments made about Ewan's wife's choice to join them on one leg of the journey. I thought this was excellent. She turned out to be a good diversion for Ewan and Charley, as well as quickly becoming an adequate motorcyclist.

I will also say that it was wonderful to see so many different cultures as the two crossed the African plains. I was particularly impressed with Ethiopa, which I'd always pictured as arid and depressing. But here we get to see the lushness of its green, verdant lands ...and it's incredibly gentle people.

Indeed, all of the people Charley and Ewan meet are amazingly gracious and hospitable. Perhaps even more than the tough roads they traveled. Many miles and many friends were passed during this trip. And I'm glad I watched it. Just not as glad as when I'd finished Long Way Round.

Geez, they're traveling very long journey, through some very interesting places -- but they are always in such a rush. AND, the guys never stop whining-- about the trip and about each other....

Some interesting places and people overall. But it's the complaining that takes away so much from a trip they'd been anticipating for more than 6 - 12 months.

I loved the trip to Africa but really feel Eve McGregor joining the trip brought tension to Charlie's and Ewan's relationship and their rapport seemed forced through much of the trip. I said to my screen, "Gee McGregor grow a pair and tell her no", but he didn't listen and even defends the decision by suggesting her addition brought kittens, rainbows and unicorns to the trip meaning she was just so down to earth and helpful to all the people they encountered that her presence was a gift.

With the addition of Mr. McGregor's father, brother and mother,this series seemed to be all about pleasing Mr. McGregor; not about filming a buddy travel film and that is a shame.

Watched the whole of LWD on Love film after catching most of it on the TV. I was just left mildly interested, but ultimately uninspired. I still can't quite put my finger on it, other than say to LWD just didn't deliver.

The reasons for this I feel are 1. Six episodes, as opposed to 10 on the extended LWR DVD. So felt rushed, someone said they went though three countries in one hr on one of the episodes? The guy's said they didn't want to be away from their family's for an extended period of time- no problem with this but the schedule compromised the quality of the show. A lot of moaning in particular.

2. Support crew were a main character as much as Charley & Ewan- this of course completely understandable in Africa where they were often in unstable territory, so need to stick together, but from an exploration/enjoyment point of view made it a less appealing show.

3. Ewan's wife, Eve, being a part of the trip- just didn't understand why they allowed a rider with virtually no experience to ride in a really tough environment- also no explanation of when she passed her bike test, we see her doing her CBT & then nothing? It was quite clear that Charley was not in favour, although he cover this well, so as not to upset Ewan. I think most of the crew, other than David Alexanian were think the same thing.

4. Lack of detail- LWR seemed to cover a lot more & seemed more "from scratch" whereas LWD was more corparate & rushed. I don't think the audience cared so much for the characters & where didn't seem t be in so many compromising situations.

I watched Race-to-Dakar as well. Also read the book, and found that more interesting, though not enough to buy it.

LWD did have some good points in it though. Seeing the ferry from Italy to Tunisia, as described in Ted Simon's Juniper's travels was great; seeing how different counties dealt with not having medical care- as we know it; the great work that Unicef do & the history of the conflict that went on- & is still going on in Darfur.

Love watching these guys & hope they take more care with Long Way Up!

Sequel lives up to the Original, Ive watched this series half a dozen times. The only part of the series that I hated and most people didn't like was Ewans wife (now Ex) demanding she come on the trip. Like she never road a bike b4 yet she wants to ride through Africa, delusional. It forced the team to find a pet of the trip that would be easy for her to ride. They couldnt go off-road with her, and the. You remember when Ewan broke his leg, his wife left him to go skiing with the others. You can tell she's not a good person, even when Ewan was showing her the bike and how to work things, she screamed "I know I know I know" then immediately she couldn't even start the bike because she never Pressed the Green Start button. I hate people like her, glad she was done and dusted by the 3rd long way up trip. Charlie did not want her on their trip.

Had the best time ever watching this. I'm not at all into motrocykles but found it super interesting, Charlie and Ewan are just fabulous, and so Is the rest of the team. I absolutely loved it!!

The only bad part was Eve inviting herself . It was quite evident that Charlie didn't want that, and Ewan probably didn't either, he just couldn't really tell his wife he didn't want her along.

But apart from Eve it was good. Getting to see Africa and the African culture and how hospitable and generous and kind the people were was truly beautiful! A great show and a ten out of ten for me.

I actually saw this series before I watched, Long Way Round. I was not disappointed in the least. I was amazed by so many things in this program: the beauty of Africa, the struggles of the people, their openness, the wonderful friendship between Charlie, Ewan and the crew. I loved seeing how completely humble, caring and super funny Charlie and Ewan were especially. What an excellent example of a strong and lasting friendship. I admire their courage and sense of adventure.

I thought Eve, (Ewan's wife) joining them for part of the trip was brilliant! To the nay sayers, I say, look at her courage in learning to ride a bike, her dedication and her obvious love and appreciation for her husband. She was an appreciated addition; being friendly with all, and making an effort to keep herself in the background so as to give Charlie and Ewan their adventure time. Why would anyone complain about a wife wanting to join her husband in an epic adventure? Besides, Eve is truly lovely! I highly recommend BOTH series. It's a wild ride of fun, learning and laughter.

Long Way Down is a solid continuation of the Ewan and Charley adventures-funny, scenic, and emotionally grounded adventure through Africa and its beautiful (and less beautiful) parts. Still, I was disappointed they once again rushed through Europe-France and Italy were barely featured, which felt like a missed opportunity. As a Croatian, I also found it slightly disappointing that they skipped the Balkans entirely. That route would've offered incredible landscapes and eliminated the need for the Sicily-to-Africa ferry. The inclusion of Ewan's wife felt off and disrupted the chemistry with Charley. The ending, like in Long Way Round, felt a bit rushed-but it's still a top-tier motorcycle travel series.

The inclusion of Ewan's wife really ruined this show. She had no interest in bikes, can't ride and just came out of jealousy. She ruined the dynamic between Ewan and Charlie, Ewan having to Miss part to pamper to his incompetent wife. She is such an irritating person, very clingy to Ewan and had no place in this adventure. I imagine Charlie must have felt very much like a spare part. I guess the was included to make it more "reality" show, but that was the brilliance of the other two shows- didn't pamper to the masses. She fell Off on the first corner-how useless is that! Not a biker, not her dream, no place.

Of Charlie and Ewan's three motorcycle trips, I enjoyed this one but found it not as good as the first and the third.

The first had originality and more spontaneity, whilst the third was technically better and more polished - plus it had the interesting addition of new electric vehicles.

Africa was definitely a challenge and well undertaken by the guys, but a few of the earlier episodes were slow and monotonous - though the later episodes picked up well.

The journey becomes uninteresting after a while as it lacked the adventure of discovery of Long Way Round. Instead this becomes a sort of stamina journey to just get there on a tight schedule. The time on a bike affects the narrative and the spontaneous feeling of Long Way Round is absent in this which is a great shame. The friendship also appears to be a little forced in places and lacks the character give and take of the original. This time they are conscious of the commercial aspect of the trip and it loses something because of it. Disappointed.