I don't have much time for Netflix binging.. It's difficult to commit a few hours of my life to a show that might turn out to be a disappointing waste of time.
However, I have always been fascinated by the nature-doco-limited-series that the BBC tends to produce every so often.. especially if it's David Attenborough narrated. I hopped on board with Planet Earth when if first came out, followed by The Blue Planet, and more recently Life and Planet Earth II. Each time, the cinematography and amazing feats of wildlife they captured seemed to trump what came before.. I thought.. surely it can't get any better than this..
Enter.. Our Planet, the 8-part documentary series produced in conjunction with the WWF.
I stumbled across this purely by accident while trying to find something to entertain my kids on Netflix. I was like a kid on Christmas.. especially when I started the first episode and heard Sir David Attenborough's voice over! The guy is 93 years old, for christ's sake!
It's amazing to see the fantastic shots and cool backstory to them, but it's ultimately the narration that sells it for me. Like I said, I had devoured Planet Earth when it first came out, and jumped on everything Attenborough had his name on. I picked up a copy of LIFE once when I was back visiting the states. I wanted to impart on my family the awesomeness of the majestic videography that went in to making these masterpieces.. there was just one hitch..
[Do you see it?]
Yup, I didn't notice at time of purchase, but once I started watching, it was abundantly clear.. the American Version had be narrated by Oprah Winfrey! There was no way to switch the narration channels either.. I tried! I was devastated! It ruined my Life (pun intended)! It just wasn't the same.. not NEARLY as interesting.
No offense to Oprah, she's great and wonderful, but it sounded as if she was reading from a script and had no actual knowledge of what was happening on screen and why.. When Attenborough narrates, it's captivating.. He knows what he's talking about. He's been there and seen it.. directed it, studied it.. and you can tell. His dramatic pauses, the humor.. all fits naturally to make a compelling story. You want to know more!
So I'm glad that Netflix and the World Wildlife Fund have kept the original narration for Sir Attenborough's latest and greatest creation: Our Planet.
And what a creation it is. If you've ever seen any of the BBCs nature documentary series before, you might see some recycled stories.. i.e. bird's of paradise mating dances, or dolphins fishing in shallow water, etc. And while the story angle might be unoriginal at times.. the image quality is incredible! Watching this on my 4k UltraHD TV is jaw-dropping to say the least. It's delightful and I can't get enough!
It's flooring to see exactly to what extent of detail the camera and crew are able to capture of these natural phenomenon. I'm only halfway through the series, but I'm absolutely tickled to see what other eye pleasing spectaculars they have in store for the second half of the series.. (I'm trying to pace myself.. they only made 8 episodes!!)
I can say, other than the giant leap in technology and image quality of this latest series, what sets this apart from Attenborough's previous work is the message. This one is laden with Sir David expunging the calamitous effects of climate change on the global flora and fauna. He tries to offer glimmers of hope that these effects can still be reversed and throws the ball into your court by ending each episode with a call-to-action:
"Please Visit Ourplanet.com to discover what we need to do now to restore our Earth."
I assume it is due to this being a collaboration with WWF rather than produced by BBC Earth, but it seems like a small favor to ask for such a value in return. And if you do go to the website, you'll be privy to one of my FAVORITE aspects of an Attenborough documentary series.. The Behind The Scenes vignettes!
All in all, if you are a fan of nature, Our Earth, amazing 4kHD quality shots, or want to learn something new, I can highly recommend Our Planet exclusively on Netflix.. If anything it's worth it just to hear a 90 year old David Attenborough say the word "boobies" hehe..
What's your favorite documentary series? Please let me know in the comments below!
