DVD Corner

Ice Road Truckers Season 3 Blu-ray Review

“Ice Road Truckers” is a watchable show, but it doesn’t have any replay value.

In the 13 epsiode season three, 6 truckers (Hugh, Alex, George, Tim, Jack and Lisa) take on the dangerous mission of transporting goods (such as toxic waste, pipes and diesel fuel) from Fairbanks to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields in Deadhorse, Alaska. Their task is to transport supplies on the icey Dalton Highway before the ice melts in approximately 12 weeks time. Among the dangers the truckers face are snow, winds, a blizzard, truck complications, fog, hills, animals, other trucks, and slippery roads.

Unless you’re a trucker, an Alaskan, or a daredevil, I’m kind of baffled as to why “Ice Road Truckers” is so popular with TV audiences. Basically, if you’ve seen one episode, you’ve seen them all. It’s a very routine reality program about a deadly job that includes over the top, dramatic voice over narration. I suppose people tune in out of morbid curiosity just like they would with one of those TV specials about the most dangerous so-and-so, but for me, that’s not reason enough to keep watching. Granted, the job (and the brave truckers themselves) are interesting to learn about and watch, but how many seasons can the History Channel keep dragging this show out for? ‘Truckers’ would have worked far better as a documentary movie instead of an ongoing series.

Summary: “Ice Road Truckers” is a perfectly watchable show in small doses. Give it a rent or a watch on the tube if you are curious to see what all the fuss is about.

The widescreen picture quality is superb. This is a show that greatly benefits from being in HD. You really feel as if you’re right there on the road with the truckers.

The DTS 2.0 audio track is nothing special. The narration is obviously clear, but the truckers can be hard to hear sometimes (especially when they are outside their vehicles).

The only extras are 30 minutes of bonus footage. Topics include, weather, a man walking on the road, a man named Pappi making a memorial, Lisa, a truck stop, a whiteout, tire chains, a mechanic garage, a trucker who crashed his truck, a dispatch center, a spun-out pilot truck, and a segment called “Frontier Life”

June 13, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Ice Road Truckers Season 3 Blu-ray Review