...but it's not easy to make an interesting and entertaining documentary of a war-torn country in a desert like Iraq. As someone else pointed out, the most difficult topics are left alone, yet the legacy of war is everywhere. Somehow the series feels also a bit rushed at times, and lacking in proper research.
Palin does his best to make the little the country has to offer tourism-wise seem as interesting as possible, but the results are often sad and underwhelming. Even the most important historical sites were practically destroyed by "re-building". The end scene falls flat in a very similar way to the whole series, instead of getting to finish the journey on the shores of the Persian Gulf, the road stops in the middle of a salt desert. I don't think the rating would be anywhere this high if it wasn't for Michael Palin.
But, if you genuinely liked this, I'd like to recommend one of my favourite documentaries: Darwin's Nightmare. Worth the search!
Palin does his best to make the little the country has to offer tourism-wise seem as interesting as possible, but the results are often sad and underwhelming. Even the most important historical sites were practically destroyed by "re-building". The end scene falls flat in a very similar way to the whole series, instead of getting to finish the journey on the shores of the Persian Gulf, the road stops in the middle of a salt desert. I don't think the rating would be anywhere this high if it wasn't for Michael Palin.
But, if you genuinely liked this, I'd like to recommend one of my favourite documentaries: Darwin's Nightmare. Worth the search!