Most of us take the sky above and the ground below entirely for granted, and now Mother Earth has a chance to shine in the spotlight.
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Is it just me, or does the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) blow the competition somewhere into the far reaches of the cosmos when it comes to nature documentaries? The proof is in the long list of award-winning milestones including Walking with Dinosaurs, "Blue Planet," and the coup de grāce: Planet Earth. It's no wonder they're in a league of their own, this dedication to quality just raises the bar to new and unparalleled heights.
"Earth: The Power of the Planet" is another solid entry in their documentary lineup originally airing on the BBC in November of 2007. Since then, the show has made the usual rounds to the National Geographic Channel and other television stations in the United States, although the title received a slight facelift as "Earth: The Biography." This two-disc Blu-ray set contains the entire five-part documentary series.
"Earth: The Biography" is hosted by Dr. Iain Stewart, a former actor turned world-renowned geologist from Scotland. Not unlike the late Steve Irwin, Stewart is an adventurous soul and extremely passionate about his work. Most of the time he's like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store, practically giddy with glee when taking in the composition and sheer power of the elements. While his enthusiasm is appreciated and certainly livens up the learning process, sometimes it does tend to be a bit on the melodramatic side.
Stewart travels across the globe exploring the predominant forces of nature on our planet: "Volcanoes," "Atmosphere," "Ice," and "Oceans." Each episode takes a close look at what makes these marvelous creations tick, discuss how they continuously sculpt and reshape the planet, and even dig into their symbiotic relationship--working together in harmony to provide the ideal concoction for a habitable environment.
The fifth episode, "Rare Earth," wraps up the series and really brings the uniqueness of our planet into perspective. The sun, the moon, and even Jupiter play an important role in Earth's ability to sustain life. Without our big brother bodyguard serving as a gravitational magnet for giant asteroids in our solar system, life on our planet as we know it wouldn't be the same. The slate would be wiped clean every million years or so, meaning that evolution would be stuck in a standstill.
Just like with "Planet Earth," the series uncovers many amazing natural wonders that most of the public would otherwise never know exists. Stewart heads to the chilly Alps to film a waterfall literally frozen solid. "The Wave" in Arizona is a beautiful swirling monolith whittled by grains of sand blowing in the wind. My favorite, though, was when the scientist demonstrated with brilliant visuals of how pockets of methane are buried deep within permafrost. I've never seen fire shoot out of ice before, and it was a stunning spectacle I'll never forget.
Earth: The Biography also accents the program with CGI models of the planet and satellite imagery to demonstrate some of the global effects mentioned in the film. Most people will agree that it's much more easier to comprehend subjects like the flow of ocean currents and the science behind plate tectonics when there's an easy to follow visual aid at hand. I also have to add that these diagrams look fantastic in high-definition.
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[release]23642[/release]