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Review: Planet Earth (2006)
It's been a hundred years and I finally watched this documentary series and it definitely did not disappoint!
Format
Each episode focused on a different type of habitat. The documentary might jump from continent to continent within a single episode, but it made more sense to group the parts by habitat type than geographical region.
Production
Obviously, the real star here is the quality of shots. The thing about landscapes is that you can visit them any time and they'll be there. A mountain will never move, a tree will never move, etc. But wilderness? They are always on the movie. The fact that the people behind this documentary were able to catch so many amazing moments is freaking wild to me, and deserves all of the praise. Specific moments of bears leaving their dens, or of the cicadas coming out of the ground after 17 years, or of the rare amur leopard were all so amazing. I can't imagine the patience it took to get those shots. Not to mention the extreme conditions the team would have needed to go through to get those shots, especially those that were in the deep ocean.
The narration by David Attenborough of course deserves praise. He has that calming voice that helps you get comfortable in the specific habitat. I liked how the narration humanized the animals, and sometimes used comedy to help us relate to them. It really helped me as the viewer to gain a fondness for all of the creatures.
Episodes
I can't say that any of the episodes were better than the other. They were all fantastic haha.
I will say that there were a couple of scenes that I felt might've been repeated. Specifically, the scenes of a mother polar bear leaving her den with her two cubs, and a wolf chasing down a baby deer that was separated from its herd. I felt like I'd seen them twice in the documentary.
Themes
I think the documentary wanted to end on a tone of environmental awareness. I think they wanted to show us how beautiful the earth was, and then remind us to take care of it. That being said, I didn't think that the message was particularly strong due to the subtlety of the narration. The narration would mention how certain species were endangered, or how arctic animals were struggling to survive, but the tone didn't sound as accusatory as I would have expected.
Overall
Overall, this was an amazing watch. I would highly recommend it. No complaints!
Format
Each episode focused on a different type of habitat. The documentary might jump from continent to continent within a single episode, but it made more sense to group the parts by habitat type than geographical region.
Production
Obviously, the real star here is the quality of shots. The thing about landscapes is that you can visit them any time and they'll be there. A mountain will never move, a tree will never move, etc. But wilderness? They are always on the movie. The fact that the people behind this documentary were able to catch so many amazing moments is freaking wild to me, and deserves all of the praise. Specific moments of bears leaving their dens, or of the cicadas coming out of the ground after 17 years, or of the rare amur leopard were all so amazing. I can't imagine the patience it took to get those shots. Not to mention the extreme conditions the team would have needed to go through to get those shots, especially those that were in the deep ocean.
The narration by David Attenborough of course deserves praise. He has that calming voice that helps you get comfortable in the specific habitat. I liked how the narration humanized the animals, and sometimes used comedy to help us relate to them. It really helped me as the viewer to gain a fondness for all of the creatures.
Episodes
I can't say that any of the episodes were better than the other. They were all fantastic haha.
I will say that there were a couple of scenes that I felt might've been repeated. Specifically, the scenes of a mother polar bear leaving her den with her two cubs, and a wolf chasing down a baby deer that was separated from its herd. I felt like I'd seen them twice in the documentary.
Themes
I think the documentary wanted to end on a tone of environmental awareness. I think they wanted to show us how beautiful the earth was, and then remind us to take care of it. That being said, I didn't think that the message was particularly strong due to the subtlety of the narration. The narration would mention how certain species were endangered, or how arctic animals were struggling to survive, but the tone didn't sound as accusatory as I would have expected.
Overall
Overall, this was an amazing watch. I would highly recommend it. No complaints!