Planet Earth
Planet Earth
| 10 December 2006 (USA)
Planet Earth Trailers

A documentary miniseries described by its makers as "the definitive look at the diversity of our planet". Each 50 minute episode features a global overview of a different biome or habitat on Earth (Polar, Mountain, Cave, Desert, Plains, Fresh Water, Seas, Ocean, Forest), followed by a ten-minute featurette which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the episode.

Reviews
Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??
Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
zfoxer There aren't many earth/animal documentaries that keep the interest at that high level! This is a top production that can be considered as part of earth's inheritance for the next centuries to come. The quality of images and camerawork is amazing. Drones must have come in handy for that reason, too. As the earth progresses, depletion of the natural resources is a fact (bear in mind the imminent Blade Runner dystopia!) which threatens survival of most species, even humanity. For that reason, this documentary gets more added value since it shows the abundance of flora and fauna at the peak level of earth's evolution.We see in action some species that really rely on others to survive. The "big fish eats the small" gets a literal meaning here. If the latter distinct, the former follow suit, too! Also, it's impressive how long some animals can stay alive until they find water or their next food (a living creature for that matter, mostly). The evolution ideas hold strong here making the animals adapt to their environment nicely.The tricks some species like the cave worms devise to find food are extraordinary. It's difficult to believe they have the ability and the instincts to setup such traps for the insects to fall into and become their prey. This is the case with the sticky strings and the glowing light to attract the insects.The narration is well written and executed. It is the cohesive substance between the audience and the content of the documentary, actually an integral part of it. It keeps the audience in a state of curiosity and triggers the interest about what's next. There are also some minor issues. The script is not delving deeper into some explanations. I guess it's difficult to find the right balance between the scientific content and the understanding ability of the main target audience.08/10 is nice.
rjb010101 Film is well made, sure. But I find nothing entertaining about watching big animals kill little animals. And that is half the filming here is. Sorry, not for me.
SnoopyStyle The original TV show consists of 11 hour long episodes of some of the most stunning nature cinematography and harrowing real life-and-death struggles. One should definitely get the British version with David Attenborough narrating to get that old nature documentary feel. The scope is global and the visuals are cinematic. It is a thing of utter beauty. There are 3 additional episodes called Planet Earth: The Future and it's best to avoid those. It's a lot of talking heads saying the same thing from slightly different angles. I understand the motive to push for nature conservation but pushing too hard comes off as being preachy. There is greater power to show the beauty of nature. One can always insert the ugliness of human destruction without having talking heads drone on about it. The original 11 episodes are as close to perfection as TV nature documentaries can get.
benno-das This is a feedback on the blu-ray version of Planet Earth: In an age when 'free downloads' are preferred mode for owning movies and documentaries, I shelled out three times more money to buy a blu-ray version of the DVD version I possess just to appreciate the hard work undertaken, to contribute one's mite to fund such beautiful projects and to have an even more spectacular view of the documentary. But 'Planet Earth Diaries' (12 such episodes) part of the 'complete series' in the DVD version has been culled out in the blu-ray version. Although the blu-ray experience is breathtaking, I feel shortchanged by this culled version of Planet Earth. One of the reasons why I bought the blu-ray version was to watch the 'diary' on the snow leopard. It would be an understatement to say I am thoroughly disappointed that this is not there in the blu-ray version. The blu-ray should ideally have the warning, 'the incomplete version'