![]() ![]() Most of the series is still joyful, but it is never allowed to be naively so. We witness the improbably complex dance of the western parotia, a bird of paradise that almost single-handedly justifies the entire group’s name. We’re treated to a rare glimpse of the oarfish, a luminescent, serpentine creature that looks as if it has swum out of mythology. ![]() It is hard not to cheer as an initially incompetent Philippines eagle takes her first flight, or laugh as a tree shrew uses a pitcher plant as a toilet, or marvel at two Arabian leopards meeting and mating-1 percent of the species’ surviving individuals, perhaps creating a few more. ![]() That’s not to say that Our Planet is a dour, finger-wagging downer-far from it. It forces viewers to acknowledge their own complicity in the destruction of nature, in the moment. It does what no other natural-history documentary has done. The answer from Our Planet is repeatedly, in shot after shot. The answer from last year’s Blue Planet II- still the greatest nature series of all time-was at least once an episode. “How often do you say this without becoming a real turn-off?” “Every time that image comes up, do you say ‘remember, they are in danger’?” Attenborough asked in an interview with The Observer. It doesn’t deal with the issue.”Īfter Planet Earth II repeated some of these problems, the natural-history-film producer Martin Hughes-Games wrote that by showing a pristine world without context, these series are “lulling the huge worldwide audience into a false sense of security.” The rejoinder has always been that warnings would dissuade viewers. “There has been a habit of having a 45-minute show where we say that everything’s fine, and in the last five minutes, we say there’s a problem,” he said. Read: “Planet Earth II” puts stunning images above all elseįrozen Planet, a tour of polar fauna, saved its talk of climate change for its final, seventh episode-and Fothergill told me he had to fight for even that. “We can now destroy or we can cherish: The choice is ours.” Disappearing species, shrinking habitats, spreading diseases, accumulating pollutants, changing climates- Planet Earth obliquely hinted at these problems in its final line. But the shows have also been criticized for whitewashing the decline of the creatures they feature. The BBC’s natural-history series have been a gift, enchanting tens of millions of viewers with nature’s wonders. It’s like watching an American drug ad during which a voice-over reads out lists of horrific side effects over footage of frolicking, picnicking families. Though the film is still entertaining and beautiful, its narration imparts its shots with a more complex emotional flavor. But Our Planet seems to have no interest in letting you be contented. You could sit back, content and relaxed, gawping at nature’s splendor. If you muted the series, it would look almost identical to any other wildlife documentary. We’re told that Louie and Eden’s generation could be the last for wild orangutans. We see Borneo’s jungle transforming into oil-palm monocultures in a time-lapse shot that is almost painful to watch. ![]() After meeting the endearing orangutans Louie, Eden, and Pluto, we are told that 100 of these apes die every week through human activity. After seeing a pair of mating fossas-a giant, lemur-hunting, Madagascan mongoose-we’re told that the very forests we just saw have since been destroyed. Repeatedly, unambiguously, and urgently, Our Planet reminds its viewers that the wonders they are witnessing are imperiled by human action. Here, much of the awe is tinged with guilt, the wonder with concern, the entertainment with discomfort. Everything is narrated by David Attenborough, whose unctuous tones, somehow both silky and gravelly, have become synonymous with wildlife films.īut this time, the messages delivered by that familiar voice are different. The series is produced by Alastair Fothergill, who was also responsible for the original Planet Earth. The resemblance to the oeuvre of the BBC’s renowned Natural History Unit is striking. This is Our Planet-Netflix’s new, big-budget nature documentary-and, without the sound on, viewers could easily think that they’re watching Planet Earth III. Birds of paradise, hunting dogs, leafcutter ants-they’re all there. contains backups of every video posted to the youtube channel.Onscreen eagles lock talons in aerial combat, and humpback whales engulf herring by the shoal. is the home of movie reviews by /u/anunkindness. If you want to hide spoilers we use the (/spoiler) format. We have an official discord- Which can be found here ![]()
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