Planet Earth - The Complete Collection (Blu-ray Disc, 2007, 4-Disc Set)

I want to start off by saying...WOW !! Planet Earth's first episode "From Pole to Pole" provides an overview of the entire series. It whisks us from the Antarctic to the North Pole, and a variety of climes in between, without simply repackaging footage from subsequent episodes. We're given a glimpse into the lives of Emperor Penguins, Polar Bears, Great White Sharks hunting sea lions in breeding season, the nearly extinct Amur Leopard of Eastern Russia, a massive herd of caribou in North America, a pack of wild dogs on the hunt in Africa, and other rare and fascinating species. As the episode titles indicate, the remainder of the series focuses on specific ecosystems and the wildlife they nurture. Each episode is a glory of high-definition cinematography that utilizes new technology to capture vivid imagery from distances that give us a window into animal behavior sans the disruptive influence of camera crews tromping through their habitats.

Like all nature series, each episode of Planet Earth draws its dramatic intensity from the relentless struggle between life and death—and the show is, indeed, dramatically intense. Placid shots of achingly beautiful flora, fauna, and sprawling landscapes are juxtaposed against the never-ending contest between predator and prey. Planet Earth is absolutely riveting, but not for the feint of heart. The most dramatic and controversial of its violent set pieces is the "Great Plains" episode's difficult to watch encounter between an elephant and a pride of 30 hungry lions. Shot in the dead of night, the sequence delivers a palpable sense of terror and raw savagery that evokes equal parts sympathy and fascination. Best of all, the show's genuine drama doesn't rely on anthropomorphizing the animals. It simply presents them as they are.

It is the astounding breadth, scope, and depth of Planet Earth that makes it revolutionary.
"Ocean Deep," "Ice Worlds," "Jungles," or any of the other episodes have the smarts and substance to hold their own against similarly themed Discovery Channel documentaries. That each of the unique episodes is woven into a sprawling but cohesive 11-part whole makes Planet Earth a unique and special snapshot of the planet on which we live. Combine that with the show's innovative and surprisingly intimate cinematography and one need only watch a few minutes of the first episode to realize that nature documentaries will never be the same. In terms of supplements, each episode of the series is followed by a 10-minute featurette detailing the production of one of the episode's segments. Though brief, the pieces provide a concrete sense of the new technologies used to deliver the show's stunning views of nature, as well as the trials suffered by the various crews trying to capture rare footage in remote parts of the world.

A fifth disc contains a follow-up series called Planet Earth: The Future. Split into three episodes—"Saving Species" "Into the Wilderness" and "Living Together" The whole show runs approximately two and a half hours in length. It assembles a group of environmental talking heads to discuss the ecological ramifications at the heart of Planet Earth. This 11-part examination of the majestic beauty of Earth's remotest landscapes and rarest species is guaranteed to take your breath away. As I am running out of caracters to finish my review, let me say Planet Earth is the most impressive nature show I've ever laid eyes on. If you're a fan of the genre, it's a must-see.