Every now and then we get to witness nature on either the big screen or on television in ways that are just astounding. In 2007, Planet Earth from the BBC and the Discovery Channel came to America, was narrated by Sigourney Weaver, and showed an amazing array of life on our planet in glorious HD quality. Since then, it seems that the BBC and other documentary filmmakers have been working hard to top themselves.

Though Nature's Most Amazing Events is an incredible accomplishment, I don't think it quite matches up to the splendor or Planet Earth. That said, it includes some unbelievable footage of some inhospitable and nearly unreachable places all over the globe filmed over a period of years by extremely dedicated people. Where Planet Earth had little time to focus on a single area and the stories of individual animals, Nature's Most Amazing Events uses its own methodology and storytelling to create an emotional bond with the audience.

This two DVD set includes all six episodes from the series, and appends a "diary" to the end of each. Each diary tells the stories of the filmmakers as they tried to get to these places and record the footage used in the episode.

The series is narrated by David Attenborough and his very correct British accent only made it difficult for me to understand what he was saying in a few places. Notably, each time he says "school," I heard it as "shoal," which caused a bit of confusion.  Upon figuring out his pronunciation, everything made much more sense.

The episode "The Great Melt," tells about the impact of global warming on the Arctic ice and the dangers the increased melting poses for the polar bears. However, beyond the polar bears one begins to see the huge circle of life as melting ice sends fresh water into the sea and alters habitats for an incredible array of fish, birds, seals, whales, and more. Particularly amazing are the shots of the narwhal migration through the ice. Though I'd seen pictures of these mysterious creatures before, actually seeing them wind their way through the canals and cracks opening in the melting ice is beautiful to behold.

Article Author: Fitz

Brian Fitzpatrick (aka "Fitz") is a software engineer and writer living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, and two cats -- trying desperately to survive the chaos!

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