Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Top Gear: The Complete Season 15 Blu-ray Movie Review

Too fast, too furious, too funny for words. 'Top Gear' has something to offer everyone...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 2, 2011

Top Gear's droll Brits -- jaded journalist Jeremy Clarkson, dynamic co-host Richard Hammond and man-with-a-plan James May -- return to Waverly for their fifteenth fiendishly clever season, digging up rare vehicles and auto-oddities many a seasoned enthusiast has never heard of, sinking their teeth into absurdly hilarious projects few gear heads would ever conceive of, and coyly sliding behind the wheel of red-line roadsters and slick super-cars any horsepower addict worth their exhaust would give their left arm to drive. But you don't have to live, breathe and bleed Motorola to enjoy Top Gear. Quite the contrary. Clarkson and his cohorts manage to make the most mundane car reviews entertaining, transform the most shoulder-shrugging industry banter into pub-worthy conversation and find ways to make each and every bit, excursion and episode as accessible and amusing as series fans have come to expect. Translation? Whether you're a careless driver or a Motor Trend subscriber, chances are you'll enjoy your time with this wildly popular BBC show.

Hammond introduces yet another crafty challenge...

Season 15 doesn't waste much time. Episode One sends the Top Gear trio in three different directions: Clarkson tests the Bentley Continental Supersports GT coupé before driving a Reliant Robin, an expensive three-wheeled abomination that has difficulty staying upright; Hammond gives the show's ever-trusty Chevrolet Lacetti a proper funeral (and most literal burial) before introducing its reasonably priced replacement; and May attempts to climb the face of an active Icelandic volcano in the now-disheveled Toyota Hilux the gents used in their ninth season Polar Special. From there, the Stig -- the series' mysterious masked racer -- puts the Bentley GT through its paces, Clarkson and his co-hosts discuss the Ferrari 599XX, a team of Hyundais play a game of oversized football, and the crew attempts to host a celebrity barbecue. (To Hammond's dismay, Angelina Jolie doesn't turn up.) Episode Two doesn't skip a beat. Clarkson, Hammond and May use three modest cars to compete in a series of challenges (a race down the Autobahn among them), the Stig gets a shot at driving the Reliant Robin, Hammond compares a Porsche 911 Sport Classic to a Porsche Boxster Spyder, and Tony Blair's former Director of Communications and Strategy braves the couch for an interview with Clarkson.

Episode Three picks up speed. The hosts try to determine whether an Aston Martin Rapide, a Porsche Panamera Turbo or a Maserati Quattroporte is the sexiest four-door sedan for a well-off working stiff, shuttle wedding guests to a reception and host a drag race at an airport. But wait, there's more! Hammond pits a Mercedes Benz E63 AMG against a new Chevy Camaro, Formula One pro Rubens Barrichello tries his hand at the "reasonably priced" track in a Suzuki, Rally driver Ken Block takes the Reliant Robin out for a less-than-graceful spin, and Ronnie the Bear (Harry Potter alum Rupert Grint to most of you) stops by for a lap and a chat (one that leaves the usually dour Clarkson laughing uncontrollably). Next up, Episode Four. Discussion topics range from deadly roads to cars designed for the blind, Hammond compares the Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet to the Audi R8 V10 Spyder, and the three presenters engage in a friendly competition of camper-van makeovers. (Needless to say, Clarkson, Hammond and May go all out.) Naturally, the whole ordeal spins out of control, deadpan hijinks ensue and a particularly unfortunate van meets a most grisly demise. Before all is said and done though, actor Andy Garcia sets a reasonable time in the series' reasonably priced racer.

Episode Five is the weakest of the season, but isn't disappointing by any means. May tops 250mph in a Bugatti Veyron Supersport, Hammond has a showdown with snowmobile racers in a modified Volkswagen Touareg, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz set impressive times on the track (and manage to squeeze in a plug for Knight and Day), and the gents pay tribute to Brazilian Formula One champion Ayrton Senna (who died tragically at 34 in a 1994 track accident). Finally, Episode Six finishes strong. The ever-energetic Jeff Goldblum proves nature doesn't always find a way (at least not on the track), the trio take a look at the latest and greatest auto gadgets on the market, Clarkson gushes over the Ferrari 458 Italia mid-engine monster and gives the Stig the opportunity to demonstrate the full capabilities of the beast, and the hosts tackle their final challenge of the season (with an assortment of classic cars from Lotus, TVR and Jensen-Healey to boot). When all was said and done, I had grinned my way through all six Season 15 episodes in no time flat and came away itching for more.

Season 15 didn't need to win me over. Season 14 already won that war of wills a few days earlier. Before watching the series' fourteenth season, I hadn't watched a single episode of Top Gear. But after digging through its six standard episodes and two specials, I greedily shoveled every available season of the show into my Netflix queue. (A most unexpected development considering I'm a casual auto enthusiast at best.) The only thing Season 15 needed to do to woo me was fuel the flame Season 14 left burning, and it did just that. I laughed even more (the celebrity BBQ bit being one of my unabashed favorites), shamelessly gorged myself on episode after episode like an unrepentant alcoholic, and found myself talking about the trio's challenges, reviews and misadventures through Europe all week long. (My wife has been giving me strange looks, no doubt wondering who or what is posing as her husband.) From the presenters' snarky chemistry to their cheeky defiance to their pop shots at leading auto industry manufacturers, Clarkson, Hammond and May have enough ensemble spit and soul to propel Top Gear for another fifteen seasons. After all, there's no shortage of new cars on the market, no shortage of industry news to be had and apparently no shortage of wit, charm and humor under Top Gear's hood.

Top Gear: The Complete Season 15 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As is the case with the Blu-ray edition of Season 14, BBC Video's Season 15 release sputters a bit with a hit-or-miss 1080i/AVC-encoded presentation; one that falls victim to all the usual suspects. While much of the series is shot in high definition, low-res visuals still abound, aliasing and artifacting are apparent (especially when Clarkson and his co-hosts hit the road), and several scenes come dangerously close to being labeled "DVD-like." For the most part though, each issue that arises is either fairly innocuous or inherent to the already spotty source. Under the bright Top Gear studio lights though, the image fares much better. Colors are nice and warm, skintones are accurate, contrast is vivid and black levels are reasonably well-resolved (but less than perfect). Detail is impressive as well, at least as far as interlaced television presentations are concerned. Fine textures are commendable, closeups delight in Clarkson's every cantankerous wrinkle, overall clarity is satisfying and edge definition is decent (albeit a tad inconsistent). Aliasing still takes a toll, mind you, but never to debilitating extremes. All in all, Season 15 offers a comparable encode to Season 14. And while it isn't always as pretty as the roadsters rounding the track, it should satiate its fans' high definition appetites.

Top Gear: The Complete Season 15 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately, Season 15's audio offering is comparable to its Season 14 counterpart too. BBC Video's 192kbps Dolby Digital stereo track is inadequate (to put it mildly) and fails to evoke the power, presence or weight of the cars tearing across the screen. Voices are distinct and intelligible, but air hiss, street chatter and strong breezes come to bear on the soundscape whenever the trio venture outside of the studio. Effects are flat and unresponsive, dynamics are dull and immersion, at least of the sonic variety, is frankly impossible. And with no LFE punch or rear speaker support to speak of, the entire experience is thin, two-dimensional and unengaging. Even a lossless stereo mix would have helped matters. Instead, fans will have to settle for a track that never distinguishes itself from its standard DVD rival.

Top Gear: The Complete Season 15 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray edition of Season 15 doesn't feature as much supplemental content as Season 14, but no matter. What it offers is sure to stir up a few solid laughs.

• Featurettes (HD, 13 minutes): Five mini-featurettes are included: "Bentley Continental Supersports, The Stig's Lap," "James Cooks Volcano Lunch," "James Checks Tire Pressure on Hilux," "Porsche 911 Sports Classic, The Stig's Lap" and "Presenters End of Series Chat."
• Celebrity Laps (HD, 16 minutes): Go behind-the-track with guests Alastair Campbell, Rupert Grint, Andy Garcia, Rubens Barrichello and Jeff Goldblum.
• James May's Journey (HD, 29 minutes): Join May on his daily commute to the Top Gear offices.
• Outtakes (HD, 8 minutes): Four outtakes round out the package.

Top Gear: The Complete Season 15 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yes, the Blu-ray edition of Top Gear: The Complete Season 15 isn't as value-packed as the series fourteenth season release (the latter includes two additional hour-long specials). Yes, Season 15's uneven video encode is almost identical to Season 14's problematic presentation, its bland Dolby Digital stereo mix is just as middle-of-the-road as its predecessor and its supplemental package is less enticing. But the episodes themselves are just as entertaining, engaging and downright addicting. If you haven't been properly introduced to Top Gear, there's no time like the present, especially when it comes to such a reasonably priced release.