Mythbusters - Impossible Heists

Distributed by Beyond Productions

R4 DVD

Reviewer: Bob Estreich

Mythbusters has been running now on Australia’s SBS and an increasing number of world TV stations for five seasons. For those who haven’t yet seen it, the show examines and tests urban myths and legends and, as in this DVD, Hollywood special effects. Is there a grain of truth in there in all the hype? If it is just a special effect, what would it take to recreate it in real life? The myths and effects are rated as Busted, Plausible, or Confirmed. The testing may involve, with luck, big explosions. The presenters are Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, who have been doing special effects for years and are well placed to comment on the excesses of Hollywood.

This DVD looks at the security systems featured in films like Mission Impossible. Are they realistic? Can they be beaten? With the help of viewers’ suggestions, they test Fingerprint Scanners, Thermal, Ultrasonic and Motion detectors, and safecracking. Some results are quite surprising. Some are almost predictable – when the Mythbusters are given a safe to crack, you just know there’s going to be a big explosion in the end.

A second DVD is included which looks at a competition between Jamie and Adam to see who is “The Ultimate Mythbuster”. Who can use a small box full of odd items to drop an egg 26 feet without breaking it? Or throw a tortilla the furthest? They must use their mechanical ingenuity, knowledge of physics, and experience.

This is another great DVD from a great TV series, and it’s well worth watching. It’s inoffensive yet irreverent and gives Hollywood films the serve they deserve.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.2 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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