by Sky Sports
Review by Tom Hamilton
How far will one man go to prove
himself? According to the press release by Unapix/Miramar, "Daredevil
adventurer Nicolas Hulot takes on nature and tests the limits of human endurance
with heart-stopping feats of courage and outrageous exploits on land, sea,
and air. Filmed in some of the most spectacular places on earth. The
Ultimate Adventure is a test of guts by the world's most daring explorer."
Unapix/Miramar has released The Ultimate Adventure with Nicolas Hulot, "a four volume survey of Hulot's remarkable, throw-caution-to-the-wind exploits on every continent and in nearly every ocean." The four installments reflect Hulot far-flung tastes: Skysports, Exotic Animals, H2O Extreme and Fire & Ice.
Balloon Life reviewed the Skysports video in the series. Local balloonists were invited to watch Hulot "challenge" the sky. While most of the activities revolve around sky diving, there is one hot air balloon segment and one gas airship segment. The sky diving pieces with Hulot might have been more impressive if he didn't have somebody assisting him and pulling his rip cord. The sky diver, not Hulot, doing aerial acrobatics with skis was pretty cool.
On to the balloon segment. It was a flight over the Swiss Alps. Breathtaking scenery to be sure. The landing was a high winder on a partially frozen lake. Rough, but pretty standard fare. Besides they had a chase helicopter taking pictures to rescue them.
The one person airship had a seat with a single directional propeller directly behind. During Hulot's second ascent he cuts the motor and then forgets to turn the key to start it back up. It is now a free balloon. The scene takes place among ancient ruins. He lets out his dropline, which is too short. He is eventually saved before "smashing" at two knots into rock walls. When he is back on the ground and the team discovers the problem one of our reviewers snickers, "Retard."
That pretty much sums up this made-to-sell thrill-and-excitement video. Save your money.
The four tape set is approximately 184 minutes and is available from Unapix/Miramar, 200 Second Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119 or call 800-245-6472.
