Build It Bigger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Build It Bigger Blu-ray Movie Review

Imperfect as it may be, this bargain-priced release may appeal to fans of the series...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 9, 2010

What is it drives mankind to tame the elements? Construct towers that stretch toward heaven? Massive ocean liners and battleships the size of shopping malls? Stadiums designed to house a hundred thousand people? Or other daunting feats of engineering with little practical purpose? Frankly, Build it Bigger -- the ongoing, eight-season strong Discovery Channel production hosted by architect and professor Danny Forster -- doesn't attempt to answer such lofty, philosophical questions, nor do he or the show's producers really seem to care. Build it Bigger is all about the fire, grime, smoke and testosterone; a flashy, at-times superficial engineering documentary series far more interested in the how than the why. Still, there's something to be said for the awe and exuberance that fuels each episode, not to mention the enthusiasm Forster exudes at every stop. It's infectious to say the least, and makes the Discovery Channel's Blu-ray release of the series' fourteen sixth season episodes worth some consideration.

The factory used to build M1 Abrams tanks is even more impressive than the machines themselves...

First, a word of warning: the Blu-ray edition of Build it Bigger is a bit odd. Is it a complete series collection? A single season? A selection of fourteen fan-favorite episodes? Actually, the 5-disc set features the show's 2007 season, it's sixth to be exact. Not that the box art, synopsis or product listings indicate as much. (Considering three years have passed since it's release, it's also safe to assume the Discovery Channel isn't planning to announce Blu-ray editions of earlier or more recent seasons anytime soon.) And then we come to the discs themselves. The episodes are presented out of order, an admittedly minor point of contention when it comes to a scattershot series like Build it Bigger, but strange nonetheless.

Build it Bigger opens with a bang -- literally -- in "Super Fast Warship," a look at the development, design and construction of an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer. The go-to destroyer of the United States Navy, the mammoth Arleigh Burke is a marvel of modern engineering; a steel skinned, fire resistant, aluminum core war beast that boasts a fine balance of power, speed and maneuverability. In "Fault Zone Tunnel," Forster shifts his attention from the high seas to an underground superstructure being built to channel fresh water to Southern California. However, because the pipeline is situated near a fault line, various measures have to be put in place to keep water flowing regardless of how volatile the ground around the structure might become. From there, Forster visits a training facility in "Boot Camp" where professional drivers are taught how to operate enormous construction equipment, and travels to Eastern China in "World's Tallest Skyscraper" to tour the final stages of construction of the Shanghai World Financial Center.

"Battle Machines" introduces viewers to the M1 Abrams tank, as well as the Fort Knox warehouse and workers responsible for making the American military's armored powerhouse. Assembled around a ferocious gas turbine engine, the tank weighs more than sixty tons, is decked out with advanced countermeasure systems, and packs a startling armament of devastating weaponry. "Coaster Build Off" turns to the fast-paced world of roller coasters as Forster examines the nuts and bolts of the Griffon, a floorless Busch Gardens attraction, and the Renegade, a wooden behemoth located in Minnesota's Valleyfair park. Then it's off to Spain for "Mountain of Steel," an overview of architect Peter Eisenman's astonishing City of Culture buildings, and the Bahamas for "Floating City," a comically oversized, 15-deck Freedom-class cruise ship built to host more than 4,000 guests at a time. Ridiculous? With a doubt. Amazing feats to behold? Absolutely. So much so that the sixth season's most underwhelming episode, "Hurricane Proof Homes" -- a look at innovative modular homes -- seems decidedly dull by comparison.

It's "Vegas, Baby!" as Build it Bigger descends on the Palazzo hotel and resort in the aptly titled "Biggest Casino." A $1.8 billion dollar Italian-themed monstrosity, the Palazzo offers high rollers more than 3,000 luxury suites and 100,000 square feet of gaming space. Following suit, "High Risk Tower" finds Forster scaling all ninety-two floors of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, Illinois. Bursting with condominiums, swimming pools, retail space, parking garages and a full-fledged hotel, it lords over the city, second only to Chicago's own Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower). As Forster's sixth season tour of duty winds to a close, he flies to Turkey in "Deepest Tunnel" and delves into the development of the Marmaray, a two kilometer undersea rail tunnel in Istanbul; takes to the waves with offshore racers and their high-powered "Turbo Charged Boats" (which look every bit as fun as they sound); and digs into the tireless efforts and endless concrete that goes into the construction of a "Major League Stadium." Through it all, Forster proves to be a peppy, engaging host, and rarely loses sight of the raw ingenuity and daring spirit required to produce some of the biggest, baddest structures known to man. The series itself is too hyperactive for its own good, catapulting viewers from one on-site jaw-dropper to the next, but it retains its integrity, even when it prioritizes entertainment over Forster's detailed explanations and informed interviews.

Build it Bigger takes several cues from shows like Mythbusters and its ilk, albeit all the wrong ones. Mythbusters hurls explosions, memorable personalities, dry wit and an incredible amount of information at its fanbase, but it also tackles a number of experiments at a time. Build it Bigger is anchored to one or two locations per episode, meaning its whiplash-inducing quick-cuts and rehashed footage grows old fast. The series' pacing isn't grating, but it isn't effortless either. Forster gushes at the camera, grinning and laughing in the belly of a tank one minute, waxing poetic about the manpower that goes into a war machine's construction the next. It's jarring on occasion, and I constantly found myself wishing Forster and the show's producers would take a break from the grind, even if for a few moments in each episode. Of course, it all comes down to personal taste -- hyperkinetic showmanship doesn't sit well with me when it comes to a series like Build it Bigger -- especially considering the show has continued to thrive for seven years and eight seasons, a point that speaks volumes.

Build It Bigger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Regardless of what you think about the series, it's tough to sink into the Discovery Channel's unremarkable 1080i/AVC-encoded presentation. (Not that I expected much more.) Hobbled by every conceivable issue -- prevalent artifacting, sometimes severe macroblocking, unsightly banding, poorly resolved fine textures, persistent noise, bleached colors, skewed primaries, inconsistent contrast, hit-or-miss detail, obvious ringing, occasional bleeding and other seemingly random anomalies -- the transfer doesn't have much going for it, other than its clear superiority to its standard DVD counterpart. Black levels are quite deep, but only because contrast has been boosted to detail-mashing, crush-inducing extremes; object definition ranges from decent to good, albeit thanks to some at-times egregious artificial sharpening; closeups fare well, but only because other shots are so problematic; and a handful of episodes look better than the rest (depending on the subject matter and the conditions present while filming). Worse, it's difficult to tell whether each issue traces back to the production, the cameras, the on-site elements, the transfer, or the interlaced, single-layer, 2007-born presentation. It all fuses into a disappointing eyesore. Average at best, mediocre at worse, the Blu-ray edition of Build it Bigger doesn't offer much beyond the series itself.

Build It Bigger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Discovery Channel's standard Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track isn't exactly impressive either, but the majority of its issues can be attributed to its original source rather than a disappointing technical presentation. Narration is warm, clean, well-prioritized and intelligible, and on-site voices are reasonably clear (at least as clear as they could be with rattling machinery, roaring diesel engines and clattering steel flooding the soundscape). LFE output isn't as hearty or bombastic as it might have been had Build it Bigger been granted a lossless audio track, and rear speaker support lacks the finesse and precision listeners would require to submerse themselves in Forster's engineering expeditions, but each one is adequate, lending some much-needed presence and power to the experience. If I have any lingering complaint it's that each element in the soundscape doesn't distinguish itself from the next. Groaning metal, screaming saws, clanking chains and hissing smoke tend to melt into a chaotic belch of noise; crumbling earth, fountains of concrete and jack hammers clumsily combine forces to strike the same, ear-splitting chord; construction equipment, toppling bricks, streams of water, barking workers... it's all reduced to a dull, over-compressed roar. Ah well, as television documentary series and standard Dolby Digital tracks go, it isn't a complete loss. Fans of Build it Bigger will shrug off such inherent shortcomings within minutes and enjoy their purchase in spite of its knuckle-dragging mix.

Build It Bigger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 5-disc Blu-ray edition of Build it Bigger doesn't include any special features.

Build It Bigger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Build it Bigger's sixth season may be spread over five discs, but you'd think all fourteen episodes were crammed onto two. Its video transfer is ungainly and poorly encoded, its Dolby Digital audio track grunts and groans its way into adequacy, and the set doesn't offer any bonus materials. That being said, the Blu-ray edition of Build it Bigger offers a solid season from an already thriving series, and features some of the world's most magnificent construction projects (well, those that were underway in 2007 anyway). With copies of the set available on Amazon for fifteen or twenty bucks -- sometimes less -- this five-disc set is worthy of some bargain-bin consideration.