'Our Planet' Is Spectacular

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.