Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]

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 More Planet Earth Planet Earth on Blu-ray Planet Earth on DVD More BBC DVDs Stills from Planet Earth (click for larger image)

Shop Now »»

Permalink: dealnay.com/10398

Last updated: October 22, 2009, 3:10 am

Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD] Cusomter reviews:

Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 2248

(E. Barr Jr., 2009-10-20) We saw one episode of this BBC produced series on the Discovery channel several months ago and we were sold. This series is a beautifully depicted narration on the wonderful planet we call home. The documentary is filmed almost exclusively in High Definition and the cinematography is simply stunning in Blu-ray. We are using a 1080p 120Hz Toshiba Regza as our reference and the picture quality is at times breathtaking. The producers went to great lengths to capture amazing images of the entire planet and just watching the scenery alone is worth the price of this set. There is one shot taken as they flew over Victoria falls that almost makes you feel like you are soaring over the falls on your own personal set of wings. While the Discovery Channel series is narrated by Sigourney Weaver and the Disney edited version is done by James Earl Jones; this original series is narrated by David Attenborough with the BBC and he is by far the best of the three. The only issues I had with the physical Blu-ray discs is that Mr. Attenborough's voice is slightly hard to hear over the higher volume musical scores and scenery sounds. This set comes in a nice box for display and has 4 discs inside. The length is approximately 550 minutes and is divided into 50 minute themed segments. I should also note that there are a few references (maybe 4 or 5) to evolution and global warming for those of you who may have issues with these types of views. However, the focus is not on politics or religion, rather the main focus is on our amazing planet and I do not believe the commentaries would be offensive to anyone who is solid in their own beliefs. In my opinion the stunning imagery reinforces the ideas of creation by design and the entire series would be an excellent educational resource for any type of school or home. The wonder and awesomeness of this planet really shines in this series and I highly recommend it.

(C. Kleijn, 2009-10-19) Planet Earth has a lot of amazing images displaying beautiful parts of this world. It is incredible how vast, beautiful, intricate and varied the creatures and landscapes of our planet are. The thing that disturbed me about the video series is its unscientific talk of millions of years and the possible origin of places and species without any conclusive scientific evidence. The vastness, beauty, intricate and varied nature of this world's creatures and habitat are a powerful witness to an Awesome Creator God. I missed the praise of the Creator of the Universe in this series. For God alone is worthy to receive all honour and praise. Cornelis Kleyn

(Ricky R. Venegas, 2009-10-19) Love the series but did not like the narration by Sigourney Weaver for the U.S. version. Got a chance to see the BBC version and loved the narration by Sir David Attenborough. Anyone who has a Bluray player has got to get this.

(Isabella, 2009-10-16) SOMETIMES YOU FORGET HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS EARTH REALLY IS. THE SERIES MAKES ART OUT OF LIFE AND I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!!! A must see.

(C. Broadie, 2009-10-16) The set came on time and was as described. This is a great series. Awesome footage and very informative about a side of life most of us don't get to experience.

Shop Now: Planet Earth: The Complete Series [HD DVD]