Search - Real Wheels - Mega Truck Adventures (With Toy) on DVD

My 2 year likes this but ...

M. Baya | Ellsworth, ME United States | 10/30/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"He'd probably watch it if it were just the monster trucks without any narration. Having seen this DVD about a dozen times in the past 48 hours since it arrived I have come to some conclusions. Before I write my opinions as a 36 year old father, let me repeat again that my 2.5 year old enjoys this video (though just the monster truck one really, the other ones seem to lose his interest). I'm sure he'd give it 4 or 5 stars, but then again he'd do the same for a camcorder recording of some nearby construction jobs. Anyways...

I find these videos strangely inspiring, in that anyone with a nice camera and a person with no acting ability willing to ham it up as a host could make a children's video. Dave does a good job being a 'real life' Homer Simpson type character, making stupid very predictable mistakes and saying 'I shouldn't have done that!' which I'm guessing is a tag line for these videos. He acts as narrator and over-enthusiastic big kid host. Other comments have hinted this isn't Dave & Becky's first video, which is unfortunate cause I thought maybe this was a pilot and they had better repetoire and 'characters' in future episodes.

Here's the thing, over the years I have made some really dumb and silly unscripted camcorder videos with friends and I recognize ad lib dialogue and 'lets make a story from the footage we have' type productions and these reek of that. I can't imagine the production costs for these videos was more than a few thousand, possibly just a few hundred, dollars. It's also is clear they spent at most a day or two shooting each segment, if not just a few hours.

This is certainly better than some free videos I've found on the net when looking for construction, motorcyle and monster truck videos (for my 2 year old), and while others have complained about Dave & Becky fighting there's no real violence (just basically falling in the mud). It's also a good combo having construction equipment, monster trucks and tanks on one DVD, and I was glad the Tank section didn't get into too much war talk. However, while this video isn't horrible, it could have been alot better. After recently viewing some of the well produced PBS series 'Modern Marvels' and other documentaries about construction equipment and trucks, this falls far short of what it could have been. Even with a target audience of kids there is no reason to do something this 'cheap' in look and feel, and it's also just 'dumb' entertainment, no real effort in trying to educate in any manner (except for occasional 20 second bits where Dave rattles off data way too fast with no context). Occasionally an off camera narrator comes in and gives an overly enthusiastic and overly brief bit of information that puts things in more context. I just think they could have made a much better 'story' that would work better in the context of the show and if they spent a few more dollars and/or hours in producing this they could have made something that would catch adults interest and challenge kids to learn more about the subjects they are covering.

I'm sure Dave & Becky are rich by now considering the number of these DVD's they've probably sold compared to the low production costs, so who am I to judge on what makes a good video? I just thought I'd write my honest opinion while these videos were fresh in my mind.

So basically, it's dumb but fun for kids. It could/should have been better but since it's target audience doesn't have a clue of the difference between something that took effort and something half-baked, it's good enough I guess. I just was hoping for more."

Too Much Becky & Dave Fighting

Tony Hernandez | 10/18/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I am a strong supporter for the earlier Real Wheel Videos (before Dave and Becky began to fight during each of their episodes); however, this one should be skipped for more sensitive children. Specifically, Dave and Becky fight a little more harshly than in their previous videos, and I am not too keen on having my children exposed to monster trucks named "Big Dummy." Granted, they'll probably be exposed to this language later on, I'd just rather it didn't happen on my watch."

Fun dvd -- 3 adventures plus extras!!

audrey | white mtns | 02/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Our family enjoys these Dave Hood shows, and this DVD contains three: There Goes a Bulldozer, all about construction vehicles; There Goes a Monster Truck, with Dave and Becky driving trucks and visiting a monster truck show; and There Goes a Tank, where Dave messes up in the military!Extras are good also: bloopers, a song and an interactive construction zone, where you watch things blow up in forward or reverse."

We Love Big Trucks!!!

Eleanor Katz | Renton, WA | 10/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My family and I are such huge fans of this series! When we found out there were two more DVD's (Rescue Adventures) out we bought them both right away! My 3 year son adores this whole series! Both my husband and my son particularly love this DVD because there are enormous trucks and they get to see just how they work and move. The DVD has some really cool special features as well. The bloopers are great and we think the host, Dave, is fantastic! If you have kids or know of any kids who would love to learn and have a great time doing it, this series of DVD's and videos is the way to go!"