Reviewed by Johnny McNair

BBC VIDEO – 230 minutes – 2007 – Unrated –Widescreen 1.78:1 – DTS HD 5.1 Audio – Two Discs

 When Planet Earth was released on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray it was huge seller for the formats, even with its $100 price tag, because it’s superior image quality was the ultimate show off material. The BBC followed up with the success of Planet Earth with a new series called Earth: The Biography, which plays more like the kid brother to Planet Earth, but does offer some impressive information, as well as awesome visuals that you come to expect from these nature documentaries. Earth: The Biography, while not as big of a package as Planet Earth, is available on Blu-ray care of BBC Video.

THE MOVIE

Earth: The Biography is divided into five segments that about 45 minutes each, titled ‘Volcanoes,’ ‘Atmosphere,’ ‘Ice,’ ‘Oceans,’ and ‘Rare Planet.’ Hosted by Scottish geologist Dr. Iain Stewart, the documentaries are a visual feast that will make you feel so small on the planet, but at the same time will make you appreciate everything about the Earth. The one thing you will take away from these series is that from the day the Earth began forming, it has never taken a day of rest and billions of years later is still in production to keep itself as well as the life forms that live on it alive.

There are plenty of amazing images of the earth from around the world, and with the assistance of computer graphics, we can get a look at such things as the Earth’s core to see what makes volcanoes erupt and the seas flow. After years of watching science fiction movies that showcased planets from the far reaches of the universe, watching Earth: The Biography will make you realize that your home world is just as amazing, and in the average person’s lifetime they will never have the opportunity to see it all.

‘Volcanoes’ looks at these massive natural furnaces that can pose a great threat, but also helps the planet by allowing it to let off some steam that would do more harm if it didn’t come out. Think of it like an old steam engine that constantly needs to be feed coal to keep functioning. Luckily, nature makes it’s own energy to keep it’s motor running, but the warning is there that one day it will run out.

‘Atmosphere’ takes a look at the planet’s weather showing how it can go from a beautiful sunny day, to a fierce storm that can cause tremendous damage and wipe out many lives. This segment demonstrates how even though the weather on Earth can get crazy at times, it’s nothing compared to the destructible conditions that strike the planet Mars.

‘Ice’ discuses how like the lava that spits out of volcanoes, ice can be just as deadly and at one point in history almost wiped out every living thing on Earth. The current situation with global warming and the melting polar ice caps is looked at, again warning us that actions we take now can change what may be a deadly fate.

‘Oceans’ discusses the huge body of waters that cover the Earth and bring life to all parts of it. We get a look at the world beneath the sea, which to this day scientist are still learning new things. The most important thing that is emphasized in this segment is that without water, there is no life. And even though it seems like the oceans will never die, a planet like Mars once had mighty oceans as well, that eventually were reduced to dust.

‘Rare Planet’ talks about the theory that even though there are an uncountable number of planets out there, how many actually have life. What if our Earth is so unique that it is the only one to possess intelligent life to document its birth and eventual demise? If this is true (and we all hope that it isn’t), we as the human race seriously need to think about how important we are, not only to the planet, but to the universe as well.

While Earth: The Biography is not as detailed and epic as the previous Planet Earth documentary, it does stand on its own and offers some fascinating insight. It bangs it in your head that the Earth is not just a structure or vessel like a building, plane, or boat. It is alive, just like we are, and it needs us to help it to do its job. With the current trend of people going ‘Green’ it demonstrates that we have a better understanding the planet’s needs and are trying to make an effort to not harm it any more than we have over the last few centuries. This documentary would make for an excellent tool in the classroom, because the young minds that care for the Earth will be the ones who grow to discover new ways to save it.

VIDEO

What else would you expect from a documentary that features the Earth? Visually this is an amazing Blu-ray with so much eye candy you’ll be glued to the screen, but it must be noted that this transfer only goes as high as 1080i, so the image may not as smooth in places because it’s not progressive. Realistically you probably will never notice, because when you see the masses of molten lava soaring out of a volcano, or underwater sea life that looks like you’re actually viewing it from Aquaman’s point of view, you’ll be hooked. Colors are perfectly accurate from the blue skies to the red ladybug that crawls across a bright green leaf; but the archival footage that is used to fill in gaps doesn’t match the sharp images seen in the majority of the documentary. Overall, while not on the flawless level of Planet Earth, this Blu-ray does offer some amazing visuals.

AUDIO

The only track offered is a basic DTS HD 5.1 audio mix, which is satisfactory because this is a documentary, not Batman, so none of the sounds have been enhanced. The environmental ambient sounds such as the cracking ice and the eruption of the volcano place you in the scenery; none of this will give your speakers a workout, but it’s effective. The only small issue is that there are times when it’s kind of hard to make out what the narrator Iain Stewart is saying because of his thick Scottish accent, but that’s what the subtitles are for.

EXTRAS

Being that this is a two-disc set, you’d expect there to be some nice bonus features added, but alas there is nothing at all. Not even a look at upcoming BBC titles. Which makes you think instead of using two 25 single layer Blu-ray discs, why wasn’t this documentary just placed on one 50 gig dual layer Blu-ray? Wouldn’t that require using fewer materials, thus helping the planet out?

BOTTOM LINE

Our Earth is an amazing planet that we are still discovering more about each day. The series, Earth: The Biography just touches on various topics and you’re encouraged to learn more information about them. This Blu-ray has some incredible scenes that are sure to amaze you, but unfortunately most will still see it as a diet version of Planet Earth. If you are an Earth lover (and shouldn’t we all be?) this Blu-ray should be added to your collection.

SCORES (Out of 5):

The Movie: 3.0

Video: 4.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 0.0

Bottom Line: 3.0