Planet Earth is amazing and a must-see !!

I want to start off by saying...WOW !! Planet Earth's first episode "From Pole to Pole" provides an overview of the entire series. It whisks us from the Antarctic to the North Pole, and a variety of climes in between, without simply repackaging footage from subsequent episodes. We're given a glimpse into the lives of Emperor Penguins, Polar Bears, Great White Sharks hunting sea lions in breeding season, the nearly extinct Amur Leopard of Eastern Russia, a massive herd of caribou in North America, a pack of wild dogs on the hunt in Africa, and other rare and fascinating species. As the episode titles indicate, the remainder of the series focuses on specific ecosystems and the wildlife they nurture. Each episode is a glory of high-definition cinematography that utilizes new technology to capture vivid imagery from distances that give us a window into animal behavior sans the disruptive influence of camera crews tromping through their habitats.

Like all nature series, each episode of Planet Earth draws its dramatic intensity from the relentless struggle between life and death—and the show is, indeed, dramatically intense. Placid shots of achingly beautiful flora, fauna, and sprawling landscapes are juxtaposed against the never-ending contest between predator and prey. Planet Earth is absolutely riveting, but not for the feint of heart. The most dramatic and controversial of its violent set pieces is the "Great Plains" episode's difficult to watch encounter between an elephant and a pride of 30 hungry lions. Shot in the dead of night, the sequence delivers a palpable sense of terror and raw savagery that evokes equal parts sympathy and fascination. Best of all, the show's genuine drama doesn't rely on anthropomorphizing the animals. It simply presents them as they are.

It is the astounding breadth, scope, and depth of Planet Earth that makes it revolutionary.
"Ocean Deep," "Ice Worlds," "Jungles," or any of the other episodes have the smarts and substance to hold their own against similarly themed Discovery Channel documentaries. That each of the unique episodes is woven into a sprawling but cohesive 11-part whole makes Planet Earth a unique and special snapshot of the planet on which we live. Combine that with the show's innovative and surprisingly intimate cinematography and one need only watch a few minutes of the first episode to realize that nature documentaries will never be the same. In terms of supplements, each episode of the series is followed by a 10-minute featurette detailing the production of one of the episode's segments. Though brief, the pieces provide a concrete sense of the new technologies used to deliver the show's stunning views of nature, as well as the trials suffered by the various crews trying to capture rare footage in remote parts of the world.

A fifth disc contains a follow-up series called Planet Earth: The Future. Split into three episodes—"Saving Species" "Into the Wilderness" and "Living Together" The whole show runs approximately two and a half hours in length. It assembles a group of environmental talking heads to discuss the ecological ramifications at the heart of Planet Earth. This 11-part examination of the majestic beauty of Earth's remotest landscapes and rarest species is guaranteed to take your breath away. As I am running out of caracters to finish my review, let me say Planet Earth is the most impressive nature show I've ever laid eyes on. If you're a fan of the genre, it's a must-see.

Clear and Very Well Defined Footages

This Blu-ray DVD is awesome! The images of each footage is so clear and defined that you feel like your right there standing next to the filming crew!

01. Pole to Pole: Illustrates a “journey” around the world and reveals the effect of gradual climatic change and seasonal transitions en route.

02. Mountains: All of the main mountain ranges of the world are explored with extensive aerial photography.

03. Fresh Water: Describes the course taken by rivers and some of the species that take advantage of such a habitat, as is provided by such habitats. All of which ultimately illustrates that, though only three percent of all the world’s water is fresh, all life is ultimately dependent on it.

04. Caves: Explores the planet’s “final” frontier, as it presents to viewers the world of caves and tunnels found throughout the world.

05. Deserts: Features this harsh environment that covers approximately one third of the planet, as well as the various forms of life that have adapted to survive its harshness.

06. Ice Worlds: Primarily looks at the regions of both the Artic and Antarctica.

07. Great Plains: Deals with savanna, steppe, tundra, prairie, and takes a look at the importance and resilience of grasses in such treeless ecosystems — systems that contain the largest concentration of animal life on Earth.

08. Jungles: Examines jungles and tropical rainforests, two environments that occupy only three percent of the land yet are home to over half the world’s species.

09. Shallow Seas: Is devoted to the shallow seas that fringe the world’s continents — an area that may only constitute only eight percent of the oceans, yet it also contains the most marine life.

10. Seasonal Forests: Surveys the coniferous and deciduous seasonal woodland habitats — the most extensive forests to be found on Earth.

11. Ocean Deep: Concentrates on the most unexplored area of the planet, the deep ocean.

Each episode runs approximately 58 minutes in length. This includes “Planet Earth Diaries,” a 10-minute feature that details the filming of a particular event. Also, the DVDs have each episode being narrated by the wonderful vocal talents of David Attenborough as it was in the program’s original BBC release, instead of with Sigourney Weaver’s narration as was used in the American airing of the series on the Discovery Channel.

The BBC’s Planet Earth is available in Standard Definition DVD, High-Definition DVD, and Blu-Ray DVD formats.

Ultimate Nature Series

Planet Earth is probably the most amazing nature documentary of all time. The BBC did a fantastic job filming this series in high definition and the Blu-ray version is one of the best discs you can buy. The 4 disc set covers the entire series of 12 episodes and contains jaw dropping natural scenes unlike anything you've ever seen before. One thing to note if you watched the series in the US on Discovery Channel is that the blu-ray and dvd versions have a different narrator than when they were broadcast. The discs are narrated by David Attenborough while the US broadcast version was narrated by Sigourney Weaver.

Must own for anyone with HDTV

The sheer beauty of the images on this set will take your breath away. The native 1080p picture is crisp and bright, and the subject matter never becomes dull. This is probably the best nature series ever put on film.

David Attenborough's narration is a big part of why this series is so great, but of course the real star of the show is our blue planet. There are beautiful and incredibly rare animals and stunning vistas, things that most people will never see with their own eyes, all treated with the reverence they so richly deserve.

The score is a standout as well, no matter how many times I hear that opening theme it brings a tear to my eyes.

The one downside is that all you get on the Blu-ray set are the 11 50-minute episodes, with none of the extra "making of" Planet Earth diaries and interviews included on the standard 5 DVD set, and it costs a $20 premium. If you can afford to, get both because you will not want to miss out on this high definition wonder. In my opinion a must for anyone with a 1080p screen.

A documentary of epic proportions, magnificence and...

In this Blu-ray version played on 1080p, the video shots are awesomely vivid and soul reaching! The time-lapsed portions are extremely amazing! Close-ups are incredible! Sensationally outstanding sceneries! Narration by Sir David Attenborough are simple and yet precisely descriptive and educational. No doubt, the best over-all collection. The painstaking 5 years of making the film over the seven continents of the world and the $25M budget is the best video contribution to humankind ever produced. My salute and respect to the great deeds of all the people involved in the making of Planet Earth as well as hail to all the viewers who have watched it. Let's start to love our planet more and support this kind of documentaries so more will be made in the future. FIVE STARS all the way!!!