Product ReviewsPlanet Earth: The Complete BBC Series

The best video series of this earth, EVER, in my opinion!

Extraordinary, breathtaking photography like you've never seen before, of the places and animals that we've all THOUGHT we've seen before! Attenborough is the perfect guide to take us around this planet we call home. From the east to the west, and from the north pole to the south, he shows us which animals in the kingdom can survive the highest places on earth and in the deepest trenches of the sea. This is NOT your typical junior high geography class movie! I ordered 5 sets to give to different family members; I only wish I could get them for everyone I know!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: n4I_sC7nSsa@Del...

Great Value, Only One of the Discs Didn't Work

One of the discs froze during one of the episodes due to a damaged disc (a scratch I assume).

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: decluttr_store

A must Watch for all Nature and Animal Lovers!

I really enjoy watching these DVD, this collection of DVD is awesome, A must watch for anyone who enjoys nature and wants to see the never before footage of animals in action!

Here's a brief summary of what the DVDs contain!

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,” which is 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.Read full review...

In 'Planet Earth' series, TV achieves its potential

Simply put, the BBC's "Planet Earth" series (aired in the U.S. on the Discovery Channel) is one of the two best things ever produced for TV. The other is Ken Burns's epic "Civil War" series for PBS. And Planet Earth may have the edge because, unlike "The Civil War," it's entirely in glorious color and widescreen format.

Years in the making, Planet Earth is an astounding feat of film-making by an outrageously dedicated (make that obsessed) group of film professionals who combine the latest in film technology (super high-speed, time-lapse, long telephoto lenses, etc.) with unimaginable patience and an acrobats dexterity to capture fascinating and never-before-seen vignettes of life in the natural world, from pole to pole, from seemingly lifeless desert to teeming rain forest, and from ocean bottom to the tops of our highest mountain ranges. Simply stunning!

No one person, no matter how intrepid or widely traveled, has ever seen in person one-tenth of the spectacular snippets of life Planet Earth treats us to in our very own living rooms. It is TV at its finest.Read full review...

A great series

I learnt about this series from a friend of mine and after watching one episode online decided to buy it for myself. It is a collection every nature lover must have. I have not watched the complete series, but am impressed with the area I have covered so far.

The photography is breath-taking. And when we realise just how much effort, thought and perseverance went behind taking shots of some rare animals or their life-styles, the appreciation increases further.

What I like about the episodes is that they cover what is generally not shown in other series: the uncommon and the unknown [for eg. the episode on Freshwater did not feature Niagara but focused on the other less known falls]. Thereby expanding our horizons.

The narrative, while talking about the fragility of nature and how many species are on the verge of extinction, does not push the message of conservation very markedly, in the earlier series. This, I feel, will not put the "pro-hunting" audience on their defensive; thereby helping make a case for conservation of nature stronger in the "Future" series. This series will surely make one appreciate the wonders of the nature and the life-forms we share it with.

All in all, I am very happy with the quality of the pictures and the series in itself. I would highly recommend it.Read full review...

Planet Earth - The Complete Collection (2007, DVD)

As of its release in early 2007, Planet Earth is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever produced. Following the similarly monumental achievement of The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, this astonishing 11-part BBC series is brilliantly narrated by Sir David Attenborough and sensibly organized so that each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented by the most astonishing sights and sounds you'll ever experience from the comforts of home. The premiere episode, "From Pole to Pole," serves as a primer for things to come, placing the entire series in proper context and giving a general overview of what to expect from each individual episode. Without being overtly political, the series maintains a consistent and subtle emphasis on the urgent need for ongoing conservation, best illustrated by the plight of polar bears whose very behavior is changing (to accommodate life-threatening changes in their fast-melting habitat) in the wake of global warming--a phenomenon that this series appropriately presents as scientific fact. With this harsh reality as subtext, the series proceeds to accentuate the positive, delivering a seemingly endless variety of natural wonders, from the spectacular mating displays of New Guinea's various birds of paradise to a rare encounter with Siberia's nearly-extinct Amur Leopards, of which only 30 remain in the wild.

That's just a hint of the marvels on display. Accompanied by majestic orchestral scores by George Fenton, every episode is packed with images so beautiful or so forcefully impressive (and so perfectly photographed by the BBC's tenacious high-definition camera crews) that you'll be rendered speechless by the splendor of it all. You'll see a seal struggling to out-maneuver a Great White Shark; swimming macaques in the Ganges delta; massive flocks of snow geese numbering in the hundreds of thousands; an awesome night-vision sequence of lions attacking an elephant; the Colugo (or "flying lemur"--not really a lemur!) of the Philippines; a hunting alliance of fish and snakes on Indonesia's magnificent coral reef; the bioluminescent "vampire squid" of the deep oceans... these are just a few of countless highlights, masterfully filmed from every conceivable angle, with frequent use of super-slow-motion and amazing motion-controlled time-lapse cinematography, and narrated by Attenborough with his trademark combination of observational wit and informative authority. The result is a hugely entertaining series that doesn't flinch from the predatory realities of nature (death is a constant presence, without being off-putting), and each episode ends with 10-minute "Planet Earth Diaries" (exclusive to this DVD set) that cover a specific aspect of production, like "Diving with Pirahnas" or "Into the Abyss" (the latter showing the rigors of filming the planet's most spectacular caves, including the last filming ever officially permitted in the "Chandelier Ballroom," a crystal-encrusted cavern found over a mile deep in New Mexico's treacherous Lechuguilla, the deepest cave in the continental United States.)
With so many of Earth's natural wonders on display, it's only fitting that the final DVD in this five-disc set is devoted to Planet Earth: The Future, a separate three-part series in which a global array of experts is assembled to discuss these issues.Read full review...

The Most Amazing, Captivating Nature Series Ever!

Planet Earth is a prize for nature lovers. The Photography is awe-inspiring, the animals are captivating and the topography is beautiful. This series is fit for everyone- With it's epic presentation, soundtrack and narration from the most renowned naturalist alive today (David Attenborough), Planet Earth has a magnanimous power to dazzle viewers of all ages, no matter one's level of interest in Science (It's a perfect place to start).

Finer Points: One drawback in the BBC series is the American Version syndicated on TV has a different narrator-Sigourney Weaver (sp?). Her Narration is well below sub par, and takes away from the grandness of the film. David Attenborough is a naturalist, not an actor, and his passion for Planet Earth is evident in his flawless reading. Also, D.A.'s voice is soft and lulling, adding further to the epic experience. Weaver's reading is choppy and awkward like a bad audition, blatant someone is reading from a script.
Be sure to buy a version with D.A.

If you think you don't need this DVD because you've seen it on Discovery TV, well, think again! The television versions are thoroughly edited down with massive cut outs, and the commercial interruptions hinder the entire experience (and, of course, David Attenborough is not featured on the American TV version, but luckily you can buy a region 1 American DVD with Attenborough)

This is a DO-NOT-MISS DVD, and for a great price.

FYI: If you're already a fan of this series, you may like to know Disney has funded/produced a new, similar full-length film with BBC called 'Earth', which is playing in select theaters now.Read full review...

Planet Earth

I decided to purchase Planet Earth because both my husband and I are nature nuts in and out of work. We are big fans of the National Geographic and Discovery Channel videos. Overall, I was impressed with their work. Some of their camera shots were very unique. However, some of their material I had seen previously. For example, their segment on great white shark breeches were featured earlier on a Discovery Channel shark week. Also, it seemed to be billed as footage that had never been attempted of taken before. They did have a new angle on the footage, but I don't think they were the first to attempt to record some animals. I would also dispute some of their opinions. However, I would recommend this to any viewer, experienced in wildlife biology and other fields in natural resources, as well as anyone who just wanted to learn and enjoy the intricacies and grandeur.Read full review...

Stunning - Relaxing - Educational

I recently watched Planet Earth for the first time after hearing rave reviews for months. In my opinion, it is quite simply the greatest nature/wildlife series ever filmed. Because I loved it so much I went out and bought The Blue Planet: Seas of Life. Sir David Attenborough is a fantastic narrator. Each 50-minute episode covers a specific geographical region and/or wildlife habitat (mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, seasonal forests, etc.) until the entire planet has been magnificently represented - all 7 continents receive some level of exposure. It took five years to film on a $25 million budget. There are several rare, never-before seen sites: a wild dog hunting party in Africa, a 100 meter high pyramid of bat guano, and the endangered Amur leopard are featured to name a few. This was one of the more relaxing and entertaining series that I have ever watched! Get it quick!Read full review...

Planet Earth Unveils Mysteries

As a high school teacher, I am always looking for media/documentaries that are appropriate and fascinating for my students. The BBC's Planet Earth fits the bill completely.
Filmed over 5 years in over 200 locations, this is a Pole to Pole trip that unveils animals and species that 99.9% of my students would never have a chance to see.
From the Amur leaopards of Russia to the dung beetles of Asia, this a fascinating study of our world in explicit detail.
We see the 500 mile march of elephants searching for water, as well as Great Whites snatching seals in mid-air. There is a gorgeous view of General Sherman, the tallest tree on Earth, as well as the oldest tree in Israel, clocking in at almost 5000 years.
The potography is flawless and humanless. There is no evidence of any human in the filming, except in the "Diaries" extras, which show how the DVDs were made.
BBC's David Attenburough adds a perfect narration and keeps viewers glued to the video, which as a teacher is much appreciated.
This series makes for a great Science lesson, and allows for a unique and thorough study of our world and its animal, insect and biological inhabitants.
As good as it gets.
Craig Rousselot, MAEd
High School teacher
Orange Co Dept of Ed ACCESSRead full review...

Planet Earth-The Complete Collection DVD

The photography in this set is mind boggling! The cameras were designed for use by the defence department. With this equipment, the producers were able to zoom in on animals from over a mile away! This allows them to show footage that has never been seen before. Along with night vision footage they have provided the most amazing and breathtaking nature scenes that I've ever witnessed.
The BBC invested over 25 million dollars producing this series and it certainly shows! You will feel like you're hiding mere inches from these animals, watching them doing things that have never been photographed before.
The set also includes a wealth of information about the habits and lives of these creatures, the plight of many of them, and their valuable impact on our entire eco-system.
If there is a negative aspect to the series, it's that you will be compelled to watch all 5 DVDs in one sitting, which is much like trying to cover all of Disney World in an afternoon!
The producers have undertaken an enormous task and transposed it into our living rooms brilliantly!
Five Gold Stars!!Read full review...