Our Planet is a new documentary series from the team behind the Planet Earth franchise. Now, I don’t know if it counts as part of the
franchise since it’s made for Netflix instead of BBC. But it has the same style of delivery as the
various Planet Earth series, and it’s
also narrated by David Attenborough, so it really feels like a Planet Earth series.
Just like any other nature
documentaries, Our Planet offers
audiences the exciting opportunity to have an up-close look on the wonders and
mysteries of Creation. But since it’s
basically a Planet Earth production, its cinematography is superior to most. However,
it doesn’t only present stunning footage of wildlife in their natural habitats. It’s also noticeable that, compared to the Planet Earth series, there’s more stressing
done on how climate change and human activity has negatively affected the environment
to the detriment of the way of life of these creatures. Thus, it can get a little too preachy and agenda-driven.
My favorite episodes are easily
episode 2 (“Frozen Worlds”) and episode 3 (“Jungles”), which have the best
moments in the series, in my opinion. In
episode 2, there’s a segment that features a polar bear and her cub hunting for
a seal and her pup. It’s full of drama
and tension. And as you watch it, you
are compelled to cheer for both parties.
You want the former to finally succeed in satiating their hunger, but at
the same time, you want the latter to escape and avoid getting killed.
The second episode also has a
segment that is reminiscent of my favorite moment in Planet Earth II, which was about the harsh conditions that penguins
have to face in order to feed their young.
But this time around, the focus isn’t on monstrous waves, but on the
gauntlet they have to undergo through the pack of leopard seals that want to
eat them before they get to shore and then the mob of slumbering elephant seals
that can crush them when woken.
However, the most memorable
moment in episode 2 – and, arguably, in the entire series for that matter – is
definitely the haunting segment on walruses.
Some walruses, to avoid the crowds, opt to climb up rocky slopes near
the beaches. However, when they finally
have to return back to the sea, the only way they can go down is by hurling
themselves off the cliff. As a result,
almost all of these climbers die upon impact.
Survivors suffer from severe internal injuries. And those walruses lying on the beach can
also be crushed by those plummeting from above.
Meanwhile, episode 3 includes
these following interesting segments: an amusing bird-of-paradise courtship
ritual; the coming-of-age of a Philippine eagle; the weird, rain-reliant nourishment
process of pitcher plants; and mind-controlling fungi that prey on insects.
The last segment of the last
episode is also pretty cool. It depicts
the surprisingly thriving wildlife in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. After humans abandoned the villages and
buildings surrounding the site of the infamous nuclear disaster, the forest has
reclaimed the area, and it has become an effective habitat for various
animals. It’s a phenomenon that I
already got to read about in the past, but as far as I can remember, this was
only the first time I finally saw footage of it.
Every segment in every episode of
Our Planet is absolutely rewarding in
its own right. But I feel that Planet Earth and Planet Earth II constructed much better narratives out of their
footage. Furthermore, there are also
segments in Our Planet that were
already shown in some form by its predecessors.
Now, I’m sure that the footage is unique. But because some segments are somewhat
similar to old Planet Earth segments,
it feels like that Our Planet was
made out of “B footage” from past Planet
Earth shows.
Nonetheless, Our Planet is thoroughly worthwhile. It’s equally funny, breathtaking, heartbreaking,
educational, and meditative. Highly
recommended watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment