DVD Corner

IRT: Deadliest Roads Season 1 Blu-ray Review

“Ice Road Truckers” spin-off “Deadliest Roads” is better than the original.In this 10 episode spin-off, truckers Lisa, Alex, Rick and Dave head to the Himalayan mountain roads (with spotters/guides) in India to transport statues, fuel, mountain town supplies as well as supplies for the Jaypee Dam Project in wooden trucks. The roads, however, are unquestionably more dangerous than those in Alaska as a person is estimated to die every 4 ½ minutes on the roads. To make it even more stressful for the drivers, they have to confront rail-free ledges, heat, MANY other vehicles, cliffs, truck maintenance, flat tires, angry drivers, rockslides, storms, brutal traffic, and even a rickety bridge.

While an engaging show at times, the original “Ice Road Truckers” was clearly suffering from repetition. Thankfully, the showrunners seemed to have noticed this as well as they decided to make a far more interesting spin-off set in India. The stranger in a strange land approach to this spin-off automatically made the show more interesting in my eyes because the audience (and the drivers) are unaware of what they are really in for. Add to the fact that these roads are far more dangerous than anything they’ve encountered and you’ve got a far more intense, unpredictable, and downright stressful show.

Another aspect of the show I liked is seeing the drivers learn about the culture in India and even helping out people (and animals) in some ways. For me, two of the highlights of the series were seeing Rick providing food for a family and Lisa rescuing a puppy. It was these moments of humanity that really helped the viewer connect with the stars of the series.

Summary: If you like “Ice Road Truckers,” I highly recommend checking out the superior “Deadliest Roads- Season 1.”

Video/Audio:

The picture quality shines on these Blu-ray discs thanks to the striking India cinematography.

No problems with the DTS-HD 2.0. It does the job. 

The only extras here are additional scenes titled “6000 Miles From Home,” “This One Looks Good,” “I Just Hit A Kid,” “Lisa’s Goats,” “I Need To Turn Around,” “That Hurt,” “Rick At The Bar,” “Live Cargo,” “Single Lane Bridge,” and “No Doors Needed.”

June 25, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads Season 1 Blu-ray Review, IRT: Deadliest Roads Season 1 Blu-ray Review