THE MOVIE

For those of you who haven’t seen any of Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures allow me to introduce him to you. Russell Coight is this countries foremost outdoorsman, an adventure and Australian of the highest caliber. The kind of guy you’d want to have with you if you were stuck in the wilderness.

Russell Coight is also the creation of Glen Robbins and Tom Gleisner and is a wonderful satire on the current wave of outdoors adventure programs. Each episode features our hero showing us around ‘his backyard’ and teaching us lessons we may need if we are ever stuck out there.

This release features the first two seasons of the series which screened on channel 10. With each DVD containing a complete series of episodes.

If you have never seen this before, where have you been? This is one of the best TV comedies Australia has ever produced. The writing is excellent and although the jokes are predictable that is what makes it so enjoyable. Russell is a bumbling idiot and this type of slapstick comedy is sadly missing from popular culture today. Well done to all involved.

THE TRANSFER

Video:

Aside from the very first episodes all episodes are presented in 16x9 enhanced, 1.78:1 widescreen. The image is nice and clear and there is plenty of detail on offer, although some of the night scenes display some noise. Colors are good and strong, coming across very naturally and making the show look more authentic.

There are a few instances of MPEG artefacts and aliasing but these are never overly distracting.

All up this show looks good and is pretty standard for a modern TV series transferred to DVD.

Audio:

The audio on both DVDs is very simple and comes in the form of a DD 2.0 track. The main thing here is dialogue and all of that is clear and always audible, lining up well with onscreen action. The music is well suited to the show and comes across well on the soundtrack.

THE EXTRAS

Each disc comes with it’s own selection of extras. The first disc kicks off with a grouping of outtakes/cut scenes from the first series. This runs for about 13 minutes and is pretty interesting to see, especially if you have already seen the episodes. Next we have Russell appearing on Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton. This is pretty funny stuff and runs for about 7 minutes. Finally we have five soundbites of Russell’s favourite phrases.

Disc two features 14 minutes of outtakes/cut scenes like the first disc as well as highlights of Russell’s promo tour for the second series. We are also treated to an interview with the man himself about his life and work. This disc also includes photos and a cool Easter Egg.

SUMMARY

This is a great DVD release and it will make a wonderful Christmas present for many people this year. The show is original, fresh and funny and the DVD is very cool. Well done to Roadshow for releasing the two series together with some good extras. One of the better local releases of recent times.