David Beckham: Into the Unknown

I really enjoyed it. If you're a fan of David Beckham it's a must, if you're not and you're just going to rip it apart then don't bother as some of us enjoy watching him on screen! It's nice to see a different side of him enjoying himself. It's like a special episode of Top Gear but a lot slicker with David Beckham in it.

After really enjoying ewan mcgregors trips around and down we gave this one a try. It was super aweful listening to beckhams countless monologues about himself and how he can't stand leaving his family - as he has been a stay at home dad for the last 20 years. Everywhere they go a ready prepared meal and hammok awaits them. You feel like whatching a PR Show.

This is a hugely embarrassing effort and quite a shockingly patronizing film. The first hint of the approach is in the title. It's all about him, I mean HIM. the great one and a great number of white folks visit (After 1 hour 15 mins of not much happening) Indians assembled by a missionary to be zoo creatures to be ogled. They are paraded with the usual titillating shots of naked teens which are de riguer in these films where the Indians are exotic curiosities. Ludicrously our protagonist, after hearing the difficulties experienced by the yamomane Indians, takes time towards the end of the film to lament how hard it is for him to make friends because he is so rich and famous. a final moan is how busy he is ( he's actually retired) and how he and his assorted buddies roughed it ( no showers for six days). Fortunately this film is so dull and self indulgent it won't attract any viewers.

I'm far from a football or David Beckham fan, but I really enjoyed this. It was a great insight into his life, personality and some of the restrictions of his fame. I was impressed by him in this and it certainly humanised his character... plus I dream of these kinds of adventures. The production was spot on and the presentation was great.

David Beckham and three friends use bikes, cars, planes and boats to traverse a section of the Amazon and visit a native tribe. There is enough here to keep you interested but it doesn't live up to the heights of other adventure travel documentaries. It plays out like a super expensive version of a package adventure holiday.

Beckham proves himself to be a genuinely nice, family focused man, albeit a little dull and vane with regards appearance. His oldest and best friend is among the mates he brings along and he adopts an almost Karl Pilkington attitude to the whole trip, spending most of his camera time moaning about one thing or another. It doesn't really give the impression he appreciates this once in a lifetime trip that he's been taken on. Beckham also talks a lot about not being able to go anywhere without being recognised, I doubt it helps when you're being followed around by a camera crew.

At one stage they have some bike trouble and this is made into a big deal when it appears as though the chain has just slipped off, at worst it's snapped. Hardly trip ending fare, one of his friends is supposed to be a mechanic and I'm sure the support vehicles have spares up to their eyeballs.

A member of his production team seems to be in charge of health and safety on the trip and is quite strict regarding certain elements of the trip but has no trouble with them riding around in t-shirts on highways in the rain...

Overall I would say if you're interested in watching it please feel free but don't go into it expecting the heights of Long Way Round or the charisma either.