Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD], starring David Attenborough: DVDNear.com

Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: David Attenborough
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Published)
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 550 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-04-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Video
Accessories:

Planet Toys Planet Earth Digital Microscope Kit

Movie Reviews of Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

Movie Review: As good as you've heard
Summary: 5 Stars

I've only seen the standard-definition BBC version of this, so I can't compare it with Sigourney Weaver's narration, but I'll say this much: The money and time they spent on this documentary is right there on the screen. It's simply the most captivating nature series I've seen. I particularly liked the introductory episode, "From Pole to Pole," as well as "Mountains," "Shallow Seas," and "Ice Worlds." The episode "Great Plains" was also very educational about the importance of grass in our world. I plan on seeing this series in high definition, for sure. David Attenborough's commentary is very good, although the repeated use of superlatives to announce a particular sequence gets a bit tiresome periodically. (How many "greatest spectacles" can one planet have?) They're even occasionally contradictory: Both freshwater rivers and glaciers are touted as the "most erosive force on the planet." This isn't really a gripe, however, just an observation. I spent many happy hours in rapt attention watching this series and expect I will rewatch it many times. I particularly liked the understated subtlety about the importance of conservation and respect for wilderness. Only two or three times in the course of nearly 10 hours of programming was a comment fairly blunt about global warming or destruction of habitat. Sometimes you really don't need a sledgehammer to make a point, and "Planet Earth" achieves this brilliantly.

As I've only seen the standard DVD release, I'm shocked that the high-definition version doesn't include the "Planet Earth: Diaries" segments included at the end of each episode of the standard version. The behind-the-scenes looks at the filming challenges, detailing what these filmmakers had to endure (solitude, endless boredom waiting for an animal, travels to incredibly remote places, polar bear attacks, grappling with emotion at seeing the wrath of nature firsthand, etc.) were so enjoyable... I was very much surprised to learn they weren't part of the HD version. The "Planet Earth: The Future" disc five in the standard release is something I could take or leave. It was a nice addition, but not integral to the series. In my opinion, the "diaries" were, and it's a shame they were omitted.

Some day in the future, there will doubtlessly be an even more encompassing nature documentary series. Technology will continue to evolve and the HD of today will look like a stepping stone. Until then, though, this is the standard. Whatever comes along to eclipse this series will have to be stunning in the extreme. "Planet Earth" has set the bar very high indeed.

Add my voice to those who are annoyed that people order the wrong version of this series, then give the program itself a poor rating because THEY made a mistake. I can honestly understand some people being confused at DVD vs. HD-DVD (many people are just not technically minded, and I've talked with people who incorrectly think that DVD is a high-definition format by its very nature), but in my mind, the rating system is for the content itself, not for exacting revenge due to one's technical ineptitude or a poor experience ordering from Amazon.

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Summary of Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

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)

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Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]