Review of Ali G: Bling Bling

Introduction

Can there be anyone who hasn`t heard of Ali G?. From humble beginnings on a UK comedy show through to his own series he has grown in popularity to the point where he presented this years MTV awards, with next year seeing the release of his first movie.

For those who don`t know Ali G, the brainchild of Sacha Baron Cohen, is a white guy from Staines (UK) who`s convinced he`s a bad-ass Jamaican gangsta rapper character. The initial sketches involved Ali G interviewing unsuspecting people, the majority of which can be see on his first release `Ali G, Innit`. Many people doubted how he could move out of that scenario however he went on to enjoy a very successful series of his own and saw him launch a new character called Borat, the best bits are available on his second release `Ali G - Aiii`.

This third DVD contains several interviews not included on the first DVD, some extra Borat sketches and the memorable comic relief interview with Victoria and David Beckham.

Video

The anamorphic picture is sharper than you`d expect from what was originally a TV broadcast. Certain scenes (mainly scenes featuring Borat) are supposed to look grainy/lower quality however so these can`t be criticised.

Audio

The sound is a run of the mill Dolby Pro-Logic affair but that isn`t really of any consequence on a DVD like this. It`s dialogue all the way which comes through clear at all times.

Features

The extras on this disc consist of 15 mins of interviews plus a very early trailer for next years Ali G movie. As amusing as these are all but the movie trailer should have been included in the main feature anyway. Their omission seems odd and the more cynical might think they weren`t included simply so the DVD could list some extras.

Conclusion

As a huge Ali G fan I was looking forward to this release immensely so it is with some annoyance that I found the whole thing a rather disappointing experience. Being a collection of footage that was omitted from the previous 2 DVDs it really does have the feeling of scraping the bottom of the barrel somewhat.

There is a reason why these sketches were previously omitted, quite simply they aren`t that good. Sure there are some laughs to be had but if you`re expecting vintage Ali G then you, like me, will be sorely disappointed.

Having said that I did thoroughly enjoy the Posh and Becks interview. Ali G is on top form with some truly inventive humour which really makes the stars squirm. It`s also great to see that the pair were up for the laugh as well.

This is sure to sell by the bucket load and at a bargain price it would have been a much wiser purchase. As it stands I can`t really recommend it as a full price release as it really does stand out as a blatant attempt to cash in on Christmas, which is such a shame.