Planet Earth: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

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Product Details

Format : NTSC
Aspect Ratio : 1.78:1
Binding : Blu-ray
EAN : 0794051400123
Product Group : DVD
Release Date : 2007-04-24
Studio : BBC Warner
UPC : 794051400123

ASIN : B000MRAAJM

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.ca

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), and each episode ends with 10-minute "Planet Earth Diaries" (exclusive to this DVD set) that cover a specific aspect of production, like "Diving with Pirahnas" or "Into the Abyss" (the latter showing the rigors of filming the planet's most spectacular caves, including the last filming ever officially permitted in the "Chandelier Ballroom," a crystal-encrusted cavern found over a mile deep in New Mexico's treacherous Lechuguilla, the deepest cave in the continental United States.)

With so many of Earth's natural wonders on display, it's only fitting that the final DVD in this five-disc set is devoted to Planet Earth: The Future, a separate three-part series in which a global array of experts is assembled to discuss issues of conservation, protection of delicate ecosystems, and the socio-economic benefits of understanding nature as a commodity that returns trillions of dollars in value at no cost to Earth's human population. 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

Customer Reviews

difference between the HD and the SD versions (2008-08-02)

It's a tough decision, whether to chose the sd variant (5 DVDs) with lots of other features but a lower image quality, or the Blue ray one(4DVDs), where you have astounding images, period.

Where's the bonus material? (2008-07-15)

This series is outstanding. Great cinematography and just mind boggling natural beauty.The only question I have is why does the product description mention a 5 disc set when the product image clearly states 4 disc set, like the one I own. Was there a re-release of this product?Where is the fifth disc? Where are those 10 minute behind the scenes clips for each episode? I don't have any of that on mine. In fact my version is bare-bones episodes, no special features. For my first blue-ray purchase that's a little disappointing. My friend has the regular dvd's and they do have all the special features and extras...Why would the blue-ray version have less?

Repetitive (2008-07-07)

I was surprisingly a little disappointed with this film. I found that the repetitive nature of the shots made it disappointing. I gave it 4 stars because the shots were spectacular, but did they have to show the same shots over and over and over again?

Would love to see it (2008-03-26)

R.CAIN,I would like to know the procedure involved with the FIRMWARE update (dvd/internet???)I thought the dvd's were blank, so I returned them and ordered again.Unfortunatly, the 2nd were the same. Please provide me with the info on how to make these work on my hd dvd player.

my copy is not working (2008-02-11)

my copy is not working. i read that other customers had the same problem... is there any solution? ... i really want to watch this series...

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