This series makes explorers of us all!
I had never observed a baby sailfish swimming in the open sea before this, and it's something I will always remember. I had never witnessed crossbills so up-close that I could see how they used their tongues and beaks to pry seeds from pine cones. I knew an octopus could camouflage itself, but I never knew that it could change the topography of its body to mimic the ocean floor. And I never realized that "Alien"-like spores existed in the rainforest before I saw time-lapse photography of a spore from a parasitic Cordyceps fungus attacking an insect and sprouting right out of the creature's brain. Yikes!
Protective parents and those who are squeamish should know that Fothergill's philosophy seems to be to show the predator's chase and eventual meal, but not the graphic kill. Lions are shown gang-attacking a small elephant, for example, but the cameras allow the chase to go into the bushes without following. And the next shot is of the pride of lionesses feasting, while we're told that a single kill can feed the whole group a number of days. It'll be enough to disturb sensitive, pet-loving children, but parents can see scenes like that coming (this is, after all, a leisurely paced BBC film) and send children off until the hunt is over. To Fothergill's credit, there are as many shots of failed hunts as there are successful ones. The most poignant, actually, is the case of a poor polar bear who was forced to swim for 60 miles because his world melted. Tired, exhausted, and not having eaten for a month, he lands on a rocky place inhabited by walruses. He tries for a baby, but the adults circle up, as we've seen other species do in this series. So out of desperation he attacks a small walrus, and fails. As he curls up in the sand, wounded, just a few feet away from the colony of walruses that ironically could have nourished him, you can't help but feel for the predator this time around.
Video:
The 1080p picture looks great, especially presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that fills the entire screen. Colors are bright and vivid, blacks are strong, and the level of detail is phenomenal. You notice the HD picture the most in scenes where various birds of paradise mate, or in extreme close-ups. The roughest moments, meanwhile, come during the night shots and of some time-lapse shots of jungle seedlings trying to sprout. In such cases, there's noticeable graininess. Overall, though, it's a very good HD picture.
Audio:
The audio is a mystery that isn't listed on the box or any publicity materials and is identified on my player only as a "multi-channel" audio. I suspect it's English Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS Surround, but can't say for certain. It doesn't have the same stunning presence as an uncompressed DTS HD or PCM audio, but the bass is certainly resonant, the treble bright without sounding flat or tinny, and the balance decent.
Extras:
Unless BBC Video has conducted interviews with focus groups who told them there was no interest, I'm mystified why people committed to wildlife and wildlife preservation wouldn't include disc five from the DVD set-the disc with all the bonus features. They were broadcast in HD, so they obviously were filmed in HD. So why isn't "Planet Earth: The Future," a 150-minute making-of documentary, included? And why no 100+ minutes of behind-the-scenes clips of on-site footage? Admittedly, they were the sort of thing that turned preachy in spots and probably infuriated everyone on the planet who thinks, as Bush does, that global warming is "fuzzy science." But if the filmmakers thought enough to include it in the series, why not include it here? As it is, there are NO bonus features.
Now, would I personally have watched them? Yes, but only once. While I have to admit that I'll watch these 11 episodes over and over. You all know your own preferences. If the bonus features are important to you, you might have to wait, or else choose between standard and High Definition.
Bottom Line:
"Planet Earth" is that rare sequel that equaled, and maybe even surpassed the original. It looks great on Blu-ray, but it will leave HD fans hoping that "The Blue Planet" will be released on Blu-ray and HD DVD soon. Watching this series in HD just whets your appetite for more.
Protective parents and those who are squeamish should know that Fothergill's philosophy seems to be to show the predator's chase and eventual meal, but not the graphic kill. Lions are shown gang-attacking a small elephant, for example, but the cameras allow the chase to go into the bushes without following. And the next shot is of the pride of lionesses feasting, while we're told that a single kill can feed the whole group a number of days. It'll be enough to disturb sensitive, pet-loving children, but parents can see scenes like that coming (this is, after all, a leisurely paced BBC film) and send children off until the hunt is over. To Fothergill's credit, there are as many shots of failed hunts as there are successful ones. The most poignant, actually, is the case of a poor polar bear who was forced to swim for 60 miles because his world melted. Tired, exhausted, and not having eaten for a month, he lands on a rocky place inhabited by walruses. He tries for a baby, but the adults circle up, as we've seen other species do in this series. So out of desperation he attacks a small walrus, and fails. As he curls up in the sand, wounded, just a few feet away from the colony of walruses that ironically could have nourished him, you can't help but feel for the predator this time around.
Video:
The 1080p picture looks great, especially presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that fills the entire screen. Colors are bright and vivid, blacks are strong, and the level of detail is phenomenal. You notice the HD picture the most in scenes where various birds of paradise mate, or in extreme close-ups. The roughest moments, meanwhile, come during the night shots and of some time-lapse shots of jungle seedlings trying to sprout. In such cases, there's noticeable graininess. Overall, though, it's a very good HD picture.
Audio:
The audio is a mystery that isn't listed on the box or any publicity materials and is identified on my player only as a "multi-channel" audio. I suspect it's English Dolby Digital 5.1 DTS Surround, but can't say for certain. It doesn't have the same stunning presence as an uncompressed DTS HD or PCM audio, but the bass is certainly resonant, the treble bright without sounding flat or tinny, and the balance decent.
Extras:
Unless BBC Video has conducted interviews with focus groups who told them there was no interest, I'm mystified why people committed to wildlife and wildlife preservation wouldn't include disc five from the DVD set-the disc with all the bonus features. They were broadcast in HD, so they obviously were filmed in HD. So why isn't "Planet Earth: The Future," a 150-minute making-of documentary, included? And why no 100+ minutes of behind-the-scenes clips of on-site footage? Admittedly, they were the sort of thing that turned preachy in spots and probably infuriated everyone on the planet who thinks, as Bush does, that global warming is "fuzzy science." But if the filmmakers thought enough to include it in the series, why not include it here? As it is, there are NO bonus features.
Now, would I personally have watched them? Yes, but only once. While I have to admit that I'll watch these 11 episodes over and over. You all know your own preferences. If the bonus features are important to you, you might have to wait, or else choose between standard and High Definition.
Bottom Line:
"Planet Earth" is that rare sequel that equaled, and maybe even surpassed the original. It looks great on Blu-ray, but it will leave HD fans hoping that "The Blue Planet" will be released on Blu-ray and HD DVD soon. Watching this series in HD just whets your appetite for more.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]20341[/release]