Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

List Price: ~~$99.98~~
Our Price: $29.99
You Save: $69.99 (70%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $19.85 (click here)
Category: Blu-ray
See more DVD releases

Compare Prices for Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: David Attenborough
Brand: Warner Brothers
Blu-ray: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Box set, Color, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 550 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2007-04-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: E4001
Studio: BBC Worldwide
Product features:

The makers of The Blue Planet present the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations, this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that combines rare action, unimaginable scale, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet's best-loved, wildest and most elusive cre

Accessories:

Planet Toys Planet Earth Digital Microscope Kit

Movie Reviews of Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: USA customer, purchased set from UK site with 5th disc
Summary: 5 Stars

I am writing this to answer some questions I've seen in other reviews, not necessarily to review the entire blu-ray set which has been done ample times.

I purchased my blue ray set from the Amazon UK site. Even though I had to pay for shipping, my total cost was about $29 USD (GBP 18.39). I decided to purchase the set sold on Amazon UK because it was the best option in my opinion: 1) the voice is David Attenborough, 2) a bonus disc (Natural World: Desert Lions & Snow Leopards) is included, 3) it is encoded for all regions so I had confidence it would play on my US disc player, and 4) even with shipping and an unfavorable exchange rate it is cheaper than the ones here on the US Amazon and Discovery Channel web sites.

For the sake of clarity and those who seem to be confused: YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE AMAZON UK WEBSITE TO GET THE SET WITH 5 DISCS.

I've seen many claims that the UK blu-ray set also has extra footage; I don't own either of the blu-ray sets sold in the US so I can't confirm that. However I do know that the blu-ray version sold by Amazon UK, just like the ones sold here in the US, does NOT have the behind-the-scenes footage that is included in the DVD set. There is no blu-ray version that contains that footage at this time. The only way to get that footage is to either buy the stand alone DVD that includes that footage (Planet Earth: The Filmmaker's Story) or to buy the entire set on DVD. The current price for "Planet Earth: The Filmmaker's Story" is ridiculous. When Amazon temporarily reduced the prices for their Planet Earth boxed sets, the entire set on DVD was almost the same price as the single DVD "Planet Earth: The Filmmaker's Story".

One thing I can confirm is that the Planet Earth chapters in the set sold on Amazon UK are 1080p. Yes, that's "p" as in Planet. I know they are 1080p because my TV tells me that they are when the chapters load (I made sure to check when the actual documentary plays, not just during the intro or the menu screens). However, the "Natural World" disc -- the bonus 5th disc -- is 1080i, or at least my TV says so. The back of the box says 1080i, yet there was plenty of room to have written "1080p and 1080i", and I think doing so would have spared us all a lot of confusion.

Regarding the complaints of grainy video on the BBC versions vs. the Discovery Channel version: Keep in mind the DC version was edited for TV; the audio track was completely redone. The video track was edited, perhaps even tweaked. However, even so, on my BBC version purchased in the UK, I do not see the grainy picture others see, not even with the Caves chapter. I (obviously) have a 1920x1080p TV. I don't know what to say other than sorry, but mine is gorgeous.

In my opinion, the video and audio are both beautiful, but I will not deny my opinion of the quality is likely influenced by the emotion this documentary evokes. There are frames that could have benefited from some restoration, and maybe in the future a restored version will be released. I have been waiting to buy this set for a few years because I kept hoping a blue ray version containing the behind-the-scenes footage would be released. But I have resigned myself to the possibility that this might never happen. Even without the behind-the-scenes footage, to own the rest of the footage for less than $30, with an extra disc thrown in for good measure, seems incredible. I am extremely satisfied with this purchase.

Even if you don't have time to watch the entire documentary when you receive your boxed set, I highly recommend at least making sure every disc plays. There have been too many reports of bad discs to not take this precaution before the return period runs out.

Write your own review

More Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray] reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Summary of Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]

With an unprecedented production budget of $25 million, and from the makers of Blue Planet: Seas of Life, comes the epic story of life on Earth. Five years in production, over 2,000 days in the field, using 40 cameramen filming across 200 locations, shot entirely in high definition, this is the ultimate portrait of our planet. A stunning television experience that captures rare action, impossible locations and intimate moments with our planet's best-loved, wildest and most elusive creatures. From the highest mountains to the deepest rivers, this blockbuster series takes you on an unforgettable journey through the daily struggle for survival in Earth's most extreme habitats. Planet Earth takes you to places you have never seen before, to experience sights and sounds you may never experience anywhere else.

As of its release in early 2007, Planet Earth is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced. Following the similarly monumental achievement of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home. The premiere episode, "From Pole to Pole," serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming--a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact. With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea's various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia's nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild.

That's just a hint of the marvels on display. Accompanied by majestic orchestral scores by George Fenton, every episode is packed with images so beautiful or so forcefully impressive (and so perfectly photographed by the BBC's tenacious high-definition camera crews) that you'll be rendered speechless by the splendor of it all. You'll see a seal struggling to out-maneuver a Great White Shark; swimming macaques in the Ganges delta; massive flocks of snow geese numbering in the hundreds of thousands; an awesome night-vision sequence of lions attacking an elephant; the Colugo (or "flying lemur"--not really a lemur!) of the Philippines; a hunting alliance of fish and snakes on Indonesia's magnificent coral reef; the bioluminescent "vampire squid" of the deep oceans... these are just a few of countless highlights, masterfully filmed from every conceivable angle, with frequent use of super-slow-motion and amazing motion-controlled time-lapse cinematography, and narrated by Attenborough with his trademark combination of observational wit and informative authority. The result is a hugely entertaining series that doesn't flinch from the predatory realities of nature (death is a constant presence, without being off-putting). At a time when the multiple threats of global warming should be obvious to all, let's give Sir David the last word, from the closing of Planet Earth's final episode: "We can now destroy or we can cherish--the choice is ours." --Jeff Shannon

Stills from Planet Earth (click for larger image)

Similar DVD Movies

Planet Earth Season 1 [HD]
Release date: 2011-12-08; Amazon Instant Video; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $26.99

Frozen Planet: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]
Release date: 2012-04-17; Blu-ray
Best price: $38.99
Price in other shops: ~~$54.98~~

Wonders of the Solar System [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2010-09-07; Blu-ray
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops: ~~$34.99~~

Wild China [Blu-ray]
WHV; Release date: 2008-08-05; Blu-ray
Best price: $23.98
Price in other shops: ~~$39.99~~

Madagascar [Blu-ray]
WHV; Release date: 2011-06-07; Blu-ray
Best price: $26.49
Price in other shops: ~~$34.99~~

Human Planet [Blu-ray]
WHV; Release date: 2011-04-26; Blu-ray
Best price: $37.85
Price in other shops: ~~$49.96~~

Nature's Most Amazing Events [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2009-06-02; Blu-ray
Best price: $21.98
Price in other shops: ~~$34.99~~

Galapagos [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2011-10-11; Blu-ray
Best price: $10.47
Price in other shops: ~~$24.98~~

Blue Planet: Seas of Life (Five-Disc Special Edition)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-10-02; DVD
Best price: $29.99
Price in other shops: ~~$49.98~~

Life (David Attenborough-Narrated Version) [Blu-ray]
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2010-06-01; Blu-ray
Best price: $42.99
Price in other shops: ~~$69.99~~