Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3508 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-12-04
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 9

Amazon.co.uk Review
Planet Earth: As befits the BBC’s reputation for producing some of the world’s best nature documentaries, Planet Earth is an epic travelogue, focussing on different ecologies and the unique animals that inhabit them. Once again, Sir David Attenborough provides the narration, as the cameras fly across the surface of the earth, zooming in to give us a bug’s eye view one minute, zooming out to give us an eagle’s perspective the next. The BBC’s cameramen filmed more than 200 locations, resulting in some truly spectacular footage, much of which has never before been seen--such as the rare sight of an endangered snow leopard hunting in the Himalayas, or great white sharks leaping from the water as they hunt. The creators of Planet Earth endured some of the world’s most hostile environments, from the deepest ocean depths to an Antarctic blizzard to a fetid, cockroach- and bat-infested cave, just to grab a few moments of film; it’s worth watching the "Making of" shorts that accompany each episode, in order to see just what lengths they had to go to. The three extra episodes here--Planet Earth: The Future--provide a sobering finale, as Sir David practically pleads with viewers to cherish the animals that we share this planet with, before it’s too late. --Ted Kord

Blue Planet: It’s hard to rain too many superlatives on Blue Planet, surely one of the finest and most fascinating nature documentaries ever made. But nonetheless, we’re going to try. Long in the making, the idea behind the show was to, using some cutting-edge technology, film previously unseen areas of the ocean, and to investigate life beneath the waves. And in doing so, it pretty much encompasses the full spectrum of creature size. From the staggering, gigantic whale of the first episode, through the miniscule life that’s documented as the programme progresses, it’s a jaw-dropping experience. It’s also a very, very accessible one. Thanks to a diligent, warm narrative from Sir David Attenborough, there’s plenty of fact married up to the sheer spectacle of Blue Planet, although in many ways the stunning photography almost needs no accompaniment. It’s timeless work, too, with immense rewatch value, uncovering both life that’s never been photographed previously while charting the habits of the more familiar. Icing Blue Planet’s cake is a series of short pieces documenting just how some of the incredible pictures were captured, and these are almost as interesting as the main feature. Enough of those superlatives, though. Because Blue Planet simply demands to be seen and enjoyed. Prepare, like many before you, to be mesmerised. --Simon Brew