But each creature is part of the overall food chain, from baby turtles to seabirds to sea lions to killer whales as the episode moves on, we progressively have our sympathies transferred to creatures higher up on the food chain. Perhaps the best example of Blue Planet's excellent handling of the material in this respect is in "Coasts." As the episode develops, we identify with the creatures who are struggling to survive, to gather food and avoid predators. There's no anthropomorphism of the creatures shown on the film, and no sentimentality: in nature, life can be brutally hard, and death is much closer to life than most humans are comfortable with acknowledging. The filmmakers have chosen subject matter that will be interesting to viewers, and have crafted each episode in such a way that the material is compelling on its own merits. One of the strong points of the series is its objective eye on the material. Disc 4 presents "Tidal Seas," where the effect of tides on ocean and seashore life is examined, and "Coasts," exploring the life-rich habitat that lies in the border between ocean and land. Disc 3 takes us to "Seasonal Seas," showing that life in the ocean is as ever-changing as life on land, and "Coral Seas," a rich "rainforest of the sea" where an incredible diversity of sea life congregates. On disc 2, "Open Ocean" takes viewers to the "desert" of the ocean: where predators and prey cruise in the depths, hundreds of miles from the nearest land, while "The Deep" explores life on the ocean floor. "Frozen Seas," also on disc 1, takes a look into the challenging habitats of the Arctic and Antarctic seas. While the discs are not numbered, it makes sense to watch them in order, starting with "Ocean World," an introduction to the complexities of the ocean and how the sun and moon shape the tides that, in turn, shape ocean life. The series is sold as four individual DVDs, each with two 48-minute episodes in this review, I'm treating them as a set, because if you like one of them, you will absolutely want to have them all.Įach of the nature documentary's eight episodes treats a different aspect of the ocean, amply demonstrating how much there is of interest in the water that makes up 70% of the Earth's surface. Plus: featurettes.The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, an eight-part BBC documentary on the world's oceans, has been given a fabulous transfer over to the DVD format, resulting in a documentary set that's not to be missed under any circumstances. Enthralling, informing and like the other 73 "Life programs the Beeb has developed with Attenborough, a good tool for educating people of any age and an absolute must-have. This is bleak shit, and thats without even mentioning how a hooded seal feeds off its mother for four days before its left to fend for itself. Newborn hatchling turtles become beak-sized meals for various birds, Killer Whales drown and eat an exhausted baby Grey whale, and then theres the sad life of the scarred Beluga Whales, who spend their days coming up for air only to be jumped by hungry Polar bears. But nature is a cruel bitch and The Blue Planet is not short on tragedies. With every nature doc, the behaviour is the fascinating bit cameras get close up into a blue whales face and hang out with the playful sea otters, granting a sense of appreciation for the viewer. How we know anything about these creatures is almost as mind-blowing as the fact that these things even exist but like always, Attenborough is poised and convincing in his speech. On the opposite end are the Deep Sea Jellyfish, which looks like a carnie ride, with its flashing fireworks lights, and those fish that shine their headlights to find food. There they find transparent twilight monsters: ugly creatures like the Fang Tooth, a hideous fish that cannot close its mouth because it has the largest teeth in the ocean relative to body size or the Gulper Eel, with its massive pelican-like mouth and ridiculously long, snaky body. Such is the case for "The Deep, which utilises a reinforced acrylic sphere that can dive 900 metres into the underwater blackness. As he points out in various segments, the cameramen quite often capture creatures or occurrences on film that have never even witnessed before. Hosted by the grandfather of narrators, and possibly the most brilliant man on Earth, Sir David Attenborough, this eight-part 2001 nature doc is known for being "the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the worlds oceans. As with any BBC/Attenborough production, the access the film crew are allowed is nothing short of astonishing. Not as hi-tech as 2006s Planet Earth or amusing as 2002s The Life of Mammals, the sheer magnitude of exploring what covers 70 percent of our globe gives The Blue Planet its catch well, that and its narrator, of course.
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