The Great Escapists (2021) User Reviews

A Fantasy Sit-Com About Two Guys Stranded On An Island

[dwightb-57633 · 7/10 · 2 February 2021]

This is a fantasy sitcom about two guys who get stranded on an island. One guy desperately wants to get off the island, while the other wants to stay and enjoy it. They build ridiculous contraptions in their efforts to either stay or to enjoy themselves. The two guys happen to be Richard Hammond and Tory Belleci playing themselves. OR This is a parody fantasy version of what would happen if Richard Hammond and Tory Belleci got stranded on an island together.

Once you realize what this show is, you might find it funny and cute. If you sit down thinking that it's a documentary / reality show / builder show, like Top Gear, Grand Tour or Mythbusters, you're going to be disappointed. It's a fantasy TV show. Or it's a parody. Or it's Gilligans Island where Tory and Richard play themselves. After I accepted that, I enjoyed the stupid humor and binge watched the whole season. I hope they make more. I've enjoyed Hammond and Belleci over the last 20 years and thought they were fun together. I hope they make more of these or that they do some kind of other show together.

The negative reviews are really the result of expectations minus reality.

Warning! Engaged your kid brain! It's for kids!

[dazfast · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

Warning do not watch this, it's unbelievably shallow, contrived and nonsense lol. Right, now I've got that out of the way, let qualify that statement. It should read, do not watch it with your grown-up brain engaged, people, giving it a right slaying but failing to get that it's definitely aimed at kids. I sat for the first 15 mins with my head in my hands, turned and looked at my 8yo and he loved it. So forget the science, acting, depth, building, survivorship and everything like that kind of Bear Grills type show. It's entertainment for kids and in that context it works better than first thoughts.

Don't treat this like Top Gear

[connordbakes · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

This is not top gear, Grand tour, or mythbusters. If you go in with that mindset it's quite enjoyable to watch. The dialogue is still Ted and the editing is rough but it's a fun time.

Not Bad

[feritciva · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

I have never watched Top Gear and I have no idea what Mythbusters is. So these guys are new for me. As I dont have any previous experiences which fills my head and creating bias in my view, I watched this with fresh mind... and liked it!

Yes it's not big deal, yes it's not very much creative but scenery is excellent and it's lighthearted fun for passing time.

Also I couldn't smile at the adorable cuteness of reviewers who complain that "this is scrpited" :D Guys, this is TV! When did you see anything NOT scripted here? Still this show is way more natural than any news broadcast that any mainstream channel shows these days!

To much "acting", too little fun

[dgard-94949 · 2/10 · 12 February 2021]

I feel that this show could have been so much better if they scrapped the "acting" and just stuck to the science/engineering.

Don't get me wrong,I know that even so called unscripted shows usually have a script of some sort, but sadly the Myth Busters / Brainiac: Science Abuse hybrid show that I was hoping for doesn't materialise.

A very charismatic bait and switch

[emason27 · 7/10 · 31 January 2021]

My son and I were both really excited about this because we love to watch all of Hammonds car shows and Mythbusters reruns. It wasn't as, let's say... realistic as we expected. After our initial disappointment and our expectations adjusted we just enjoyed two really fun guys goof around in a Gilligan's Island meets Swiss Family Robinson wish fulfillment sort of way. We had a lot of laughs from both scripted and genuine moments and he picked up some more science fundamentals along the way. I think they should change the concept and try again. Maybe like Monster Garage or something closer to their wheelhouse and straight forward.

Great Idea, dreadful execution

[alister-818-796537 · 4/10 · 29 January 2021]

I was so looking forward to this. The trailers make it look dynamic and interesting, but it isn't. I thought I was going to see 2 smart and normally entertaining guys doing what they do well, solving engineering challenges using junk and scrap, but that's not what happens. The contraptions are pre made, we never really see anything made from start to finish and any science or explanation is glossed over. Why they have to have a story that Hammond and Beluchi recount to their interrogators I don't understand, it just makes it more fake than we know it already is and they are not actors, they are presenters. It's contrived and boring. Clearly a lot of money went into the stuff that is built, but we never see the process, it's not built by the presenters and as a result this is a show that just doesn't know what it's meant to be.

Harmless fun

[rodgerclarke · 9/10 · 31 January 2021]

If you are watching this as a serious science, engineering or survival show you will be disappointed. If you are looking for what is essentially a sitcom themed around two very knowledgeable guys who rub each other up the wrong way whilst trying to get off a desert island then it's great fun. It's probably helpful if you already know them from top gear and mythbusters respectively and know a bit about their personalities but not essential.

It's a bit of fun.

[tcecoleshaw · 6/10 · 15 June 2021]

OK, definitely no Swiss Family Robinson. And zero authenticity, which is disappointing. But It's filmed in a nice location and you could imagine this fitting into a monkey island computer game in a way. Shame that Hammond has to rely on using the Clarkson name for entertainment rather than relying on his own reputation. Definitely the least meritorious of the Three G. T. presenters spinoff shows bug entertaining all the same.

Such a shame....

[businesss · 3/10 · 29 January 2021]

Though I'm a fan of "old" Top Gear and The Grand Tour coupled with a passing fancy for an episode or two of Mythbusters on occasion, I went into this with (honestly!) a positive attitude - full of hope, for another and somewhat guilty (!) pleasure. Sadly, the show is just truly dreadful - almost to the point of being un-watchable at times - ruined by stilted dialogue/narrative and really terrible editing. What a shame, it had potential, but in truth, overall, it is just quite awful. A missed opportunity.

Don't expect Mythbusters or Grand Tour/Top Gear

[metalmilitia-69790 · 10/10 · 31 January 2021]

Everyone seems to think that because they didn't show the structures and vehicles being built, that takes away from the show. I see this show as a comedy vehicle for the two funniest guys on their respective shows to have fun with, you can tell they get along and work well together and that's good to see. Sit back and enjoy this piece of total fiction, think of it like a comedy instead of a documentary. I mean, they're obviously not trapped on a desert island, so why take anything else they do or say seriously?

I've been a huge fan of Mythbusters and Grand Tour/Top Gear for years now, and this show made me laugh more than I have in a while. I honestly don't care if they don't show how they build stuff, or if it's scripted and contrived, that's what good fiction is. In fact, they scripted and contrived this very well in my opinion, since their goal is to entertain and not win an Emmy.

Don't take it seriously, and just enjoy Hammond and Belleci act crazy together.

It's good to see Tory and Hammond is always entertaining.

[lawrencelawrence86 · 7/10 · 24 April 2021]

It's not as good as I hoped it would be but if you remove Torys mythbuster history and watch it as a kind of sitcom it's good, prob would have been a great program for just Tory, Kari and Grant R. I. P.

Utter dross

[namepete-86684 · 1/10 · 29 January 2021]

Imagine Scrapheap challenge if all the build work was done by the crew off camera. Should have just had a five star hotel wash up on the beach rather than the notoriously buoyant shipping containers

If they dropped the "story" part, I would have loved it

[michael-85954 · 7/10 · 29 January 2021]

I really enjoyed watching them build stuff from whatever they had lying about. Sure, there may have been liberties taken here and there, but it was still fun to watch.

However, I could not stand the story/acting part of the show. I suppose that it was intended for kids. It's too bad, because I really did enjoy watching them build stuff. If they cut down on the story/acting part, it would have made the show enjoyable for EVERYONE.

I'm sure it was fun to film... it wasn't to watch

[christopherlewisprice · 4/10 · 30 January 2021]

I feel this could have been good. It clearly had a huge budget, know-how and a great setting, but it just fell completely flat. The only redeeming quality is the dessert island setting.

They don't go in to any depth explaining how things are made or what the things are making actually do, because they spend 70% of the time on stupid cutaways and daft acting sketches.

Who edited this, a badly trained chimp?

[neilmerritt · 30 January 2021]

This show had so much potential to build on previous formats like Scrapheap Challenge, Mythbusters, Bear Grylls, Top Gear, The Grand Tour etc. Hammond and Tory are both fantastic presenters and the location is beautiful but the content is edited so poorly that it feels like a trainee swept up all the clippings off the floor and spliced them together in the dark.

The sequencing makes zero sense, there are scenes which clearly refer to earlier ones which have not yet been shown and what the hell is the part about recounting the story to interrogators? Were they 20% short on material and got as drunk as possible to come up with this idea for a filler?

All in all, I am very dissapointed but believe this series could be saved. Pull the show now, edit it properly and include more of the actual making process and you'll have at least a half decent show. As it is, it is simply not worth wasting your time. 1 out of 10 - must try harder!

Needs some polish, overall not too bad

[harrywhy-39303 · 6/10 · 1 February 2021]

The story is a bit odd to start with. It is more like Robinson Crusoe, but not enough details. The edit can be better to tell the whole story and make it more entertaining. The science and experiment behind each episode are amazing and fascinating. However, it was not that convincible since there is not much details. It may caused by the limitations of the materials and tools that they have. Still a good idea, just need a bit polish.

Terrible

[jamesdunlopfilmmaker · 1/10 · 30 January 2021]

Forced myself to finish episode 1, no more for me. Too scripted, too contrived; pace between inventions off, awkward to watch, unrealistic script, not relatable. It's classed as a documentary on Amazon but should be a drama, and a poor one at that.

Director and DOP did a great job though. I reckon horrific pre and post production ruined it. Sorry team, not for me.

Very silly top gear / mythbusters mashup

[ilcool90 · 8/10 · 29 January 2021]

Both Hamster and Tory don't take themselves seriously and just having silly fun. The stranded part is completely unrealistic but it is clearly visible that they never went for realism so no harm done. Just a funny show to watch.

Pretty stupid but still quite funny

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 9 February 2021]

The pretence of this six part series is that Richard Hammond, of 'The Grand Tour' fame, and Tony Belleci, from 'Mythbusters', have been shipwrecked on an island 'somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Over the course of the series we see them using various items that have conveniently washed ashore to build shelter, make assorted tools and an energy supply. As time passes they also try to find ways to escape the island and end up falling out. Intercut with this we see them being interviewed by the authorities about what they got up to.

The first thing that must be said about this is that it is very silly; I can't imagine anybody, even young children, believing that anything we see wasn't scripted and staged. During the first episode I thought about quitting the show but decided to stick with it... it continued to be silly but I did find myself laughing quite often and ended up rather enjoying it. The various inventions they make, no doubt with off screen help, are fun. It helps that neither presenter takes it too seriously. The camerawork, including numerous drone-shots may prove that they were never without a film crew but was impressive nicely showing the small island. On the down side I was a little disappointed that most of the series was set on the same beach and they didn't explore more. Overall this isn't a must see but it is good silly fun that can be enjoyed by all ages if you can get past the fact that it is obviously not real. I suspect children will enjoy it the most though thanks to the general silliness.

Two fools on a scripted island

[michael-561-692892 · 4/10 · 8 February 2021]

I wish the producers had decided a completely different method of structuring this show. The scripted scenes are cringeworthy as the two act out being "stranded" on an island (with a full staff) and build out a fort. Had it been simply "what you can do to live when stranded" and show the process of creating the structures that would have been more entertaining than this garbage.

If you didnt understand the title

[aaron_distortedreality · 10/10 · 31 January 2021]

It's an escape. It's fun. Taken at face value. Science dropped in here and there. Get over yourself and just chill.

Great concept, but over scripted

[puscasu-and · 6/10 · 20 April 2021]

It's fun, it's an escape to an island from this pandemic. It has some interesting things, what they built or whoever built it was beautiful, I really got annoyed when they started ruining it everything at the end of the series. Belleci's 'acting' is terrible, Hammond knows a few things more than him. I know that Top Gear and Grand Tour are scripted, but they have finesse, which it cannot be found here. All in all it's worth a watch, don't think you can find anything similar.

This could have been so good!

[robertd94 · 1/10 · 21 February 2021]

Way over scripted; pointless story line for a show that had a lot of potential to be a cross between the Grant Tour (Top Gear) and a Bear Grylls style show. Maybe it was targeted more at the kids...

Fun, engaging and educational

[leeabaldwin · 7/10 · 3 February 2021]

The series has its quirks, however, it had a lot of interesting and engaging moments. The idea of creating builds and contraptions on a deserted island as a means to survive was brilliant. I enjoyed the builds both Richard and Troy created and also the idea behind it on how it works and so on. The script at times seemed very vague and I found at times Troy's acting time be quite forced and uninteresting. The show got better as it progressed.

Don't expect this to be like Top Gear or The Grand Tour just because it features Richard. It is it's own standalone style and show which should be given fair judgement.