Written by: Kassidy at 3:47 am
Filed under: Movies
Documentaries are not often the type of thing that will suit the majority of people. However, if you thrive on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and other learning networks or you are looking for something educational for your children then you will simply adore The Blue Planet: Seas of Life. As far as documentaries go this set is absolutely stunning. Over 200 locations were filmed to create a thorough, interesting, and definitely complete array of scenes on the water portion of the planet.
Release Information:
The Blue Planet: Seas of Life was originally release in 2002 and was just recently released again on October 2, 2007. Originally produced by the BBC, Planet Earth was filmed by the same director and crew working on The Blue Planet. In this time, the crew visited 200 locations to create the best documentary possible. In addition to a full documentary with beautiful video and pristine sound, Blue Planet: The Seas of Life also offers plenty of special features to keep you well informed on this fascinating subject.
The The Blue Planet: Seas of Life Plot:
During this documentary, Richard Attenborough points out some very important facts. He mentions how earth is a blue planet with 70% of the earth being covered by the sea. The Pacific Ocean proves this easily, as its massive water mass spans half the globe. The wonderful thing about The Blue Planet: Seas of Life is that it reveals all of the little mysteries and answers all of the questions that you might have about earth’s deepest seas.
The Blue Planet: Seas of Life spared no expense at offering an intimate look into the beautiful and majestic seas that cover our planet. This was one of the first documentaries to ever offer such a complete look at its subject matter. The entire Seas of Life set is voiced by Sir David Attenborough with a score by George Fenton. When you compare the 2002 release to the 2007 release you will find all of the same eight episodes on four discs. The main difference is that this new release comes with a fifth disc that is solely made up of special features.
There are two episodes on each of the four episode discs. Each of these discs also has a small selection of special features included with the episodes. The episode listing is listed below:
Disc One: “Ocean World” and “Frozen Seas”
Disc Two: “Open Ocean” and “The Deep”
Disc Three: “Seasonal Seas” and “Coral Seas”
Disc Four: “Tidal Seas” and “Coasts”
Any child or adult who doubts the fascinating quality of science or the environment needs to see this. Thanks to the amount of water covering the planet, the beautiful locations, and the depth of information that is offered, this series was meant to be made. In the scheme of things there was an abundance of material and the series could have gone on without becoming old. That being said, the information was crisp and entertaining. It called for learning without preaching the facts in a dull and uninteresting tone.
The Blue Planet: Seas of Life shows us how the oceans are truly a part of us and how that life system is necessary to and for our survival in ways we may be taking for granted. You will see how ocean life can affect land creatures. These things are explored all over the world from the Arctic where polar bears hunt beluga whales to Antarctica where thousands of penguins huddle together just to stay warm. This series offers the essence of life, death, and everything in between. You will explore the life cycle and watch the delicate dance between predator and prey.
It is recommended that if children watch this they have some supervision. Some of the scenes can be frightening to watch for younger children. They are not overly graphic, but the children may have questions and adult supervision will help clear up any confusion or wonder that they may have during the duration of the films.
Audio/Video:
The Blue Planet: Seas of Life is visually stunning. The fact that they went to 200 locations to film the various scenes really made all the difference in the world. This version of the series is offered in a widescreen format with a compression ratio of 1.66:1. The results are absolutely clear. The visuals are sharp and stunning. These discs are a pleasure to watch. Audio is offered in Dolby Digital 2.0. While it is not as stunning as the visuals it gets the job done without any major problems. The combination is so real its easy for anyone to feel like they are right in the middle of all of the action.
Special Features:
Every disc offers at least two special features and there is also a full disc of special features on top of that. Some of the main features include photo galleries, interviews, trailers, and “Making Of” featurettes. As for featurettes, the fifth disc offers, “Dive to Shark Volcano”, “Amazon Abyss”, “Being There: Antarctica”, “Being There: Between the Tides.” Of all of the special features, “Amazon Abyss” was the most interesting to watch. Previously the Amazon had not really been explored, especially on film, due to the conditions in the area. It was amazing to watch naturalists explore this unchartered territory.
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Bottom Line: This is the perfect educational way to sit back and veg out in front of the television. This film teaches something and offers an entertaining and comfortable experience. The Blue Planet: Seas of Life is worth watching just for the spectacular visual experience. The presentation is beautiful and deserves to be seen. This one is highly recommended for both children and adults. |
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Technorati Tags: Blue Planet, Seas of Life, BBC, Documentary, DVD Review, DVD Box Set, Richard Attenborough, Five Disc Set
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Written by Kassidy - Visit Website
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Kassidy received her degree in Journalism in 2002. She lives in the Midwest with her husband of six years, Jason, and their two little girls, Madison (5) and Emma (2.5), with one (a boy) on the way. The couple is very excited to welcome their first son next January. Passions in life for Kassidy include painting, scrapbooking, writing, being a Mommy, watching romantic comedies, and dancing.
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