Hyperdrive (NETFLIX)

[Barrass]

This popped up on Netflix last week, watching the trailer i didn't want to like it.

Apart from the whole "Best drivers in the world" quotes all the way through I quite enjoyed it.

Still all the american 3 dramatic shots of everything but a canny line up of cars and variety of drivers from different countries makes up a canny watch

[brachunky]

My brother rates it but I've not managed start watching it as yet. There is so much crappy car stuff on at the moment that my telly time has become too precious to waste on sommat mediocre

[Rusted Pistons]

Cheers for the recommendation - I'll give it go!

[comfortablynumb]

Yeah same opinion, having seen it for the first time this afternoon not bad, but really annoying ends to make sure you scroll on to the next episodes

[Laters]

Just finished watching this earlier.
I enjoyed watching it.
Some bits were very predictable where some others have to be setups.

Amazing how some of the cars got battered and the owners didn't seem bothered.
As for Wacky Mick Wilkes he lived up to his name for sure.

[comfortablynumb]

Aug 27, 2019 17:44:44 GMT Laters said:

Amazing how some of the cars got battered and the owners didn't seem bothered.
As for Wacky Mick Wilkes he lived up to his name for sure.

Yeah I did think that, and did you see the driver who jumped onto the seesaw bridge? Either a setup or the guy needs a van to carry his ba**s around, they must be the size of oil drums!!

[Laters]

Aug 28, 2019 16:23:41 GMT comfortablynumb said:

Aug 27, 2019 17:44:44 GMT Laters said:

Yeah I did think that, and did you see the driver who jumped onto the seesaw bridge? Either a setup or the guy needs a van to carry his ba**s around, they must be the size of oil drums!!

Yes that was the Japanese Drifter Atsushi Taniguchi that did the jump on the leveller.
From the rest of his driving he has some skills & enjoys his car.

There were a couple of noteable other moments.

When Fielding Shredder had his off & all of a sudden when they go head to head for a bonus place his car is very battered but driving again.
When the German drifters car was modified with the water & they all seemed surprised.
Did they not realise how much damage water can do?

[b3nson]

Maybe I’m naive but didn’t feel like it was staged in anyway, I actually really enjoyed it!

[Deleted]

I'm a bitter cynical old fart and I usually hate anything like this and can draw upon a random selection of reasons why I thought it was cr4p. So I started watching it late last night, pre-loaded with contempt, and found I really enjoyed it. I think it needs to bed in a bit but I found it very watchable. I really wanted to see what Wacky Mick did so I ended up stacking about four episodes and going to bed at 2am.

It's hard to claim something was rubbish if you stayed up cramming episodes in like that.

[Barrass]

My only gripe was some of the drivers in the later qualifiers seemed like they might have just been rushed to make up competitors for episodes.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2019 10:46:14 GMT Barrass said:

My only gripe was some of the drivers in the later qualifiers seemed like they might have just been rushed to make up competitors for episodes.

I guess the one thing that didn't feel quite right to me was that re-qualifiers were four attempts in yet competing against fresh competitors doing a course for the first time. It's a mix of advantages and disadvantages.... re-qualifiers have prior experience to learn from, yet they also may have already damaged or wore out their cars on prior attempts.

I think it would be cleaner if there were distinct rounds of competitors. Everybody in each round doing it for the first time then moving ahead. It was easier to qualify in the first episode with less 'obstacles' than episode four where they'd added much more stuff.

It all seemed a bit like it was unfair to one or other although I couldn't decide who was actually worse off!

[SmokeEm]

Aug 29, 2019 10:53:34 GMT @spookytim2 said:

Aug 29, 2019 10:46:14 GMT Barrass said:

My only gripe was some of the drivers in the later qualifiers seemed like they might have just been rushed to make up competitors for episodes.

I guess the one thing that didn't feel quite right to me was that re-qualifiers were four attempts in yet competing against fresh competitors doing a course for the first time. It's a mix of advantages and disadvantages.... re-qualifiers have prior experience to learn from, yet they also may have already damaged or wore out their cars on prior attempts.

I think it would be cleaner if there were distinct rounds of competitors. Everybody in each round doing it for the first time then moving ahead. It was easier to qualify in the first episode with less 'obstacles' than episode four where they'd added much more stuff.

It all seemed a bit like it was unfair to one or other although I couldn't decide who was actually worse off!

Glad to see you back Tim. Will we be lucky enough to see a thread on your new ride? A nice picture of some 11's wouldn't be amiss either!

[Paul]

I had to turn the volume down when the commentators KEPT referring to the Lambo that was 'drifting'.

It wasn't drifting.

It was skidding into stationary objects.

All very silly but not entirely unenjoyable.

[hoopsontoast]

Nope, not at all for me. Too much 'amazement' at everything and sob story features.

So here is a nice retro.

[b3nson]

Pretty interesting Q&A from one of the drivers, sounds like they were all genuine people having a great time (at their own expense!)

[neilsdavies]

There was a Japanese battle cars series on Amazon I think, where the drivers were using their own cars and taking no prisoners, pretty much destroying all manner of retro and other cars. I watched about five episodes and couldn't watch any more, and I haven't watched Hyperdrive yet incase its just an American version. Think I'll give it a go now!

[incarsolutions]

Not sure if it was different direct on netflix, but i found the infills and driver background on the most part pretty useless without subtitles, I don't speak, French, German or Brazilian. Enjoyable other than that

[b3nson]

Yeah all had subtitles on netflix

[Deleted]

I finished the season last night.

Loved it. Its covered in cheese but beneath that I found it all really gripping.

PLOT SPOILER FOLLOWS. STOP READING.

My only moment of cynicism was when it became apparent there were no more Americans left in the competition so they had to rustle up a surprise round of allowing one knocked out competitor back in again.

The only relief from that mild annoyance was that it didnt bring back that cash rich void in the Lambo. My cynicism about the whole thing was compounded when they first announced it by the additional suspicion Mr Lambo Man had actually paid to have that episode slotted in specifically so he could get back in to the competition.

He struck me as singularly unimpressive, singularly unskilled, and singularly wealthy... and that combination seemed to get him a very long way without him ever actually doing anything to validate his attendance.