Planet Earth is an eleven part nature documentary that has won many awards and been hailed the world over. Some may even argue that it is the best series of its kind, setting the standard in the genre. Each episode examines a specific biome, except the first one, "Pole to Pole," which mostly sets things up. Mountains, caves, plains, deserts, frozen tundra, jungles, forests, fresh water, and the oceans are explored in rich detail, really giving viewers a look at their world as never before, with a focus on the animals the dwell in each.
Planet Earth spends 50 minutes in each episode, then there is an additional ten minutes subtitled "Planet Earth Diaries," which looks at the challenges in making such a series. And there are many obstacles. Cameras went into places not usually tread upon by humans, a necessity when looking at nature at its wild best. Thus, the crew has to find a way to get the footage they need without disturbing the environment around them too much.
First broadcast in the UK in 2006, Discovery Channel carried a version of it in the U.S. in 2007 with Sigourney Weaver (Avatar) narrating in place of famed naturalist David Attenborough. For the DVD, of course, Attenborough is in full force, with much more gravitas than Weaver ever managed. It's fine to use an actor, but sometimes utilizing an expert in the field is just a much better fit. Planet Earth is one of those cases.
Planet Earth features many "firsts" that no other series manages to do before now. Bactrian camels are seen eating snow, a piranha feeding frenzy is caught in action, canine hunts are captured from the air, and there is even a glimpse of the extremely rare oceanic whitetip shark. These should easily be enough motive for any nature lover to own this set. It is also the first such series filmed in HD. Although a simple DVD set isn't the best possible picture (for that, buy Blu-ray), it still looks fantastic in any edition.
Of course, many people already own Planet Earth on DVD, so there must be a good reason to buy it again. For one, the packaging is very cool, and numbered for authenticity. The six discs are in cardboard sleeves set in foam, all contained inside a plastic globe. The inside of the lid features a beautiful tree canopy panorama. The globe itself is very neat, and it sure to be a conversation piece no matter where it is placed. There are also four picture cards with facts about the animals shown on the back. These are sort of extraneous, but still fun to look at.
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