Review #1 - Epitaph by Aqua and Pr3v1ous
Part 1 Stunts:
Opener Crank 4x: 4.5/5 - Extremely clean stunt, some better BMX clips later in the video though.
Bump to Double Thread to Tree Precision: 5/5 - Best stunt of Part 1, still amazes me to this day. Insanely good combo!
Bump to Triple Grind (Town Hall): 4.5/5 - Unique area to do a grind combo in, really like how it just keeps going after the staircase boost.
Bump to Grind to Peg to Grind: 4.5/5 - Another cool location, that peg in between the two grinds is nuts.
Roof Bumps to Parking Garage Double Grind: 4/5 - Neat little spot
Moto Freestyle #1: 4/5 - The reverse technique and the trash bin precision made this stunt, grinds a little unclean but I like how this screams BMX in moto form.
5x Bump to Precision: 3/5 - This stunt doesn't do a whole ton for me besides the precision that you landed, and even then, you didn't land top :( I think some of the bumps on the huge silos were visually cool.
Vinewood BMX Combo: 4/5 - Iconic location of course, fairly clean combo as well.
Part 2 Stunts:
BMX Thread/Cog: 5/5 - Very intricate spot and I love it, one of my favorite stunts of the video for sure.
BMX Double Peg: 4/5 - This was cool.
Triple Thread to Trash Bin: 5/5 - Amazing find and concept, one of my favorite stunts of all time. (I hope to make an official list someday)
Curved Grind to Billboard Grind: 5/5 - Following up with an even cooler stunt imo. It's got all the big C's: Creative, Clean, and a CLASSIC.
Haku Peg to Slide to Grind: 5/5 - Oh baby a triple! Genuinely insane 3 stunt run in Part 2. No one ever shows this spot of the map love and I don't understand why. Hakuchou underrated.
Moto 4x Grind: 2.5/5 - My least favorite clip of the video, this just feels like filler, nothing killer.
Thread to Bump to Grind (Paleto Bay): 6/5 - Maybe the last clip being my least favorite was a plus because this is definitely in my top 20 stunts of all time and my personal favorite of the video. Yes, it is only like 6 seconds long but it packs a punch. Very PestyPig esque.
Thrust Grind to Bump to Peg (Paleto Bay): 5/5 - And this very Shadow eque, reminds me of that one stunt in Born Ready 2, but this is way better. the pole bump in between is perfect.
Double Sign Bump to Thread to Double Grind (Vespucci Beach): 5/5- Another insane find and the best stunt hit on that beach period, I don't know if anyone has or will come close.
Moto Freestyle #2: 2.5/5 - I see the vision, unclean execution kinda ruins it though.
Wallride to Bump to Double Grind: 4/5 - Sick spot, just not as interesting to me as other technicals in the video.
Cemetery Thrust Combo: 4.5/5 - I really love the concept of this spot, only little downside that keeps this from being perfect is all the driving, and I know that's out of your control but it just be like that for me.
Finisher Mount Dam Triple Crank: 4/5 - Solid way to end it, definitely feels big, just not as cool as other BMX clips in the vid.
Total Score (Stunts): 90.5/105 - 8.6/10
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its a 10, first to ever land on finisher prec in 20 years.
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the french idiotic masterclass is an exercise in faux-maximalist theatrics that drowns in Greig Fraser imitation and has thrived off nostalgia for the 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤 montage. although once you get past the NVE pony and all the warning signs plastered in the video description you are left with a solid, but prosaic mixed bag of fantastic originals, lackluster stunts and a handful of relands.
with the exception of a couple oddities the french idiotic masterclasses assemblage of stunts are inferior takes on bumps from their predecessors that have released as far back as 2022 and uninspired dual stunts from spots dated 2018 and beyond. these sentiments are held mainly for the opener, 2:06 , 2:29 , 3:38 , 5:39 , 7:22 and 8:06. predictably, the stunts i excluded that still checked the boxes where because instead of being inferior, they are nothing more then relands. those are 1:36, 3:53 and 6:56, with the strongest elements of the french idiotic masterclass instead being the few selection of motorbike stunts that innovate on, or landed spots that have been sought throughout the past 10 years which includes my personal favorite of the video; 1:20. likewise, 2:50 , 3:20 , 5:15 and 6:03 are all great stunts, even if the first two bumps used for 6:03 are as cardboard as the editing the video is packaged in.
a major sustain that i avow in the french idiotic masterclass is the absurd banality in which ferox and honor approached this montage with, oozing with pale imitation and larger then life aspirations that swirled into a drab once you look past the 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘤 façade presented. i could drone onwards about dune comparisons but what is most dissapointing to me is honors insistence on bizzare effects that are complete dissonant drabble, not motifed throughout his section, and not at all present during ferox's reign for the first half of the video. ultimately the lack of cohesion of those elements is what brings it down for me the most, although effects like the camera cracking, or pixel sorted transitions are absolutely clichéd right out of the gate. while i disdain the blatent theft it doesn't go without saying the camera work is fine, the video displays great velocity even if the attached bike shots are redudant quick. my standout shots include 4:32, absolutely stunning. 5:54 and 7:19. a major resultant of my dislike for the french idiotic masterclass gets facilitated by the uninspiring music that soundtracks the video. the extremely unpersonable and obnoxious atmosphere that scores the stunts absolutely ruins the replayability and further spirals down the maximalist daftness that facilitates the editing.
while perhaps impressive in a vaccum, the french idiotic masterclass requires an extreme level of disillusionment from its 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 to reach any level of the greatness associated with the video.
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first bday collab in the 2020s - stunts were great - needs more AA - editing was nice actually - there was no blender at the time but it was one of my solid edits back then
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editing is aight, not as much effort as i usually do, lacks some AA while recording
stunts were great
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