The reviews of “Inventions That Changed History” on Discovery+ are rolling in, and … I’m not in them. But they haven’t burst my bubble.
The reviews are based on the critics’ sneak previews of the first two episodes of the documentary mini-series, which launched Thursday featuring “The Wettest Inventions Ever” and “The Hungriest Inventions Ever.” My pop’s Bubble Wrap has been used as a pool cover and wrapper for bubble gum, but doesn’t fit either category.
There’s still no word on which episode, if any, the Bubble Wrap story will burst into the scene.
Meanwhile, the debut episodes focused on the stories behind the iconic (Mr. Potato Head and the Easy-Bake Oven), the common (corn holders and vending machines), and the gross (toilets and barf bags). The narrators give a little history, then the producers cut to some of their stable of pop-culture comedians for play-by-play.
There was a snippet of an interview with the inventor of the water bed, along with B roll of him luxuriating in his invention. My hourlong interview last fall will probably be edited down to a few seconds of fame in the same way, but won’t be nearly as sexy.
Meanwhile, here’s what the critics say:
- We Are Movie Geeks: “Not all segments will be equally interesting to any given viewer but the presentations are short and perky, so you’ll soon be off to the next one.” 2.5 out of 4 stars.
- Reel News Daily: “Ready to dominate at the next Trivia Night? ‘Inventions that Changed History’ is a light, silly romp that is likely to help your team win a free round.”
As for us, we’re watching it on Amazon Prime. Discovery+ is offering a free one-week trial before subscribing at $4.99/month or $6.99/month without commercials.