Around the World in 80 Days

Travelogue is nothing new. But this one had a funny Brit and a superior premise. Michael Palin attempts to copy the exploits of fictional character Phileas Fogg, by trying to travel around the world (without flying) in 80 days. Within this premise, there lies great tension which is unlike most other travelogue before it. That's the genius of this series. And with the likable Michael Palin at the helm, this made for a superior compelling watch.

Like all great things, there would soon be a lot of imitators... including Michael Palin himself. But none of them could ever be the first again and none of them had a better premise.

This is my favourite of Michael Palin's irresistable travel shows, and despite the fact that I know the outcome, I revisit it over and over.

The sights from London to Cairo, Shanghai to Tokyo, and Aspen to New York are breathtaking to see, and Michael Palin's delightfully humorous and informative commentary is a joy.

The journey retains all of its excitement every time I view it, and I hope I will never grow tired of it.

I recommend that all lovers of travel see this, and anyone else for that matter, as the sights are fantastic to see from your own armchair.

Michael Palin manages to make us look at the world through a fascinating perspective. He talks about Philleas Fogg as though as if he was a real character that he's trying to catch up and in the meantime we share with him the joys and dangers of a journey that takes him from the battlefields of the Middle East, to the Purple Mountains of the American West. We can see how the world changes as people and places differ and we get a small taste of our wonderful and diverse world. Definitely a must see for anyone who enjoys travel.

After watching a couple parts of the film in a class I was taking at Ohio State, I was hooked and had to find out for myself how the whole thing played out. After watching the entire program, I had to get a copy of it on DVD. The DVD of it is also a brilliant masterpiece. Every facet of the program is perfectly put together, as is the case for the other five travel documentaries he did later. Palin, as is the case for his other travel documentaries, shows the viewers many places of the world we only read about in encyclopedias. He goes many places we would only dream of seeing. If you are a fan of Palin, geography, travel, or documentaries, this is a good show to catch. This is one documentary you will want to watch over and over again, like yours truly; I give it an A+!

Michael Palin travelled around the globe in Pole to Pole, Full Circle, and Hemingway Adventure. Around the World in 80 Days done twice in 1989 on TV, by follower Monty Pythoner Eric Idle played Passepartout, but Palin did the trip for real. This is his first, based on the fictious trip of Phileas Fogg by Jules Verne. Palin travels by ground transport without a plane flight around the world within the 80 days. You wonder if he will make the alloted time for the trip or not? It is an enjoyable journey following the places that Verne wrote about in the book. It was a pleasure to read and watch this show.