Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series Reviews

• A new appreciation for the wonder that surrounds us! Show it to your children...

  
  By A6VPK7X53QNAQ on 2007-04-21
  Never have I been so moved by a series to exclaim in wonder and actually shed tears of joy at the beauty that surrounds us on this wonderful planet.
  
  I have been watching it on Discovery HD Theater when it premiered in March. The first episode "Pole to Pole" set the tone by showing the range of life and species that exist on this planet. The subsequent episodes delve into the habitats one by one. Mountains, Fresh Water, Caves, Deserts, Ice Worlds, Great Plains, Jungles, Shallow Seas, Seasonal Forests and Deep Ocean are the subsequent episodes. This is one series that has to be seen to be believed of what the intrepid cameramen of BBC/Discovery Channel have been able to capture through their sheer perseverance in remote locations. The HD technology has captured some scenes and images never seen before and some seen before but never with this clarity and beauty. 5 years, 62 countries and 204 locations is what it took to make this series, and the result is a lifetime TV series.
  
  This is one series that fascinated my kid as much as it amazed me. She wanted to watch her cartoons but the moment the episode began she was captivated. Both of us shared together the wonder that is our Planet and it was she who brought up the subject of what we might be doing to it by our actions. We cried when we saw how polar bears have begun to drown as ice melts faster every year. The image of one lone bear trying to walk on ice but falling into the slushy waters, and having to swim longer distances to capture food and finally dying with exhaustion was heart breaking. The series makes no references to the present conditions, just in passing as with the polar bear. I think the directors and producers of the series just wanted to show us the beauty of the natural world, the fight for survival of several animals even when there is no climactic change. And as we keep watching and are filled with awe and wonderment that we're lucky enough to live on this planet, we begin to appreciate quietly in our hearts how we need to change today to ensure that we save our planet.
  
  That is what my daughter felt on her own, she asked me why we were not doing more to save our natural world and I did not have any good answers. The last 3 episodes, Planet Earth: The Future delve deeper into these issues, which I haven't had a chance to see yet.
  
  I watched a clip of David Attenborough's version video on the web before I started watching the series with Sigourney Weaver's narration, and I was disappointed by her blandness and lack of depth. I bought this set like many others to listen to Sir David's narration. I was torn between the regular DVD set and the HD DVD though. This series is good enough to make me buy an HD DVD player just to be able to watch it in its true form! However, the regular set has the Future series and the Planet Earth diaries which the HD set does not have. I loved the Planet Earth Diaries (or behind the scenes) with cameramen, it made a fascinating documentary on it's own, and wished some were longer. If they had the extra material in the HD DVD set, it would have been my first choice.
  
  I had saved the Discovery HD Theatre epidodes on my HD Cable box and I was able to compare their image quality with this Standard DVD version playing on an upconverting DVD player. The Discovery Theater images were crystal clear, and you could literally see each grain of sand on the sea bed or each crevice on a rock face. The Standard DVD looked pretty good when upconverted to 720p and if I had not seen the HD version I would have been quite amazed with the image quality. Right now I've been spoilt by the Discovery Theater version. If you're considering the HD version it's a great choice if you have an HD DVD/BluRay player. You'll probably not see a better HD disc. This series was shot completely in HD format. From my experience in the media industry I can tell you that this is a very, very expensive format to shoot in especially given the 5 years that it took to make this series. Most television is shot in a regular digital format and then upconverted to the HD format later. That gives great images but they cannot compare to something shot totally in HD. That is the reason the image quality of this series is spectacular. In HD they were able to capture the action which when replayed in slow-motion also stays crystal clear. Therefore you have breathtaking images of a shark capturing its prey (and many others) in slo-mo.
  
  This really is the set to buy. It's like a living documentation of the beauty of our earth, some of which was starting to disappear right as the cameras were rolling. Perhaps, that is why BBC and Discovery spared no cost to produce this series and it is a masterpiece.
  
  

• Perfect series....with one very minor flaw

  
  By ANS1HSO6D54DX on 2007-04-01
  First off, let me say Thank you to Amazon for clarifying that the great David Attenborough is the narrator for this series. No Attenborough would have meant no purchase on my part. Simply put the most amazing documentary on life and animals and the world around us that I have ever seen. The clarity is simply breathtaking(and that was on my tv brodcast which was in 720P...the HD transfers are in 1080p!!!!).A huge tahnak you to the creators and producers for doing this for people like myself and many others who care deeply about the world around us.
  My one minor complaint has to do with the fact that on the HD transfers, there is absent the supplemental material that is present on the standard defintion release. There is no 110 minutes of behind the scenes footage of what took place on these excavations to these wonderous places or interviews with the people, Attenborough or anyone for that matter. The other special feature not found on either the Blu-Ray or HD-DVD transfer is Planet Earth: The Future, which is a 150 minute documentary(Shot entirely in high defintion mind you) which chronicles how the whole series was created, and how we can continue to preserve our earth so that we may continue to have wonderous documentaries like this for our children's children. Finally, amazingly there are charging the HD customers around $25 MORE for a product that has LESS content than on the standard defintion release.
  Otherwise highly reccomended presentation that is extremely addictive and immeasureably sensational from the first scene to the last. Its simply amazes me the beauty of God's creations.
  
  
  
  

• Attenborough not Weaver!!!

  
  By A29BVMZ01LHZN9 on 2007-03-26
  Having already watched David Attenborough's entire BBC series Planet Earth last year on the BBC, I was somewhat looking forward to seeing this series broadcast on high definition here on the Discovery Channel today. To my horror, instead of hearing the familiar voice of Attenborough, I hear some female voice reading through the narration. After a brief search on the internet I have found out that Discovery Channel execs decided that they would change the narration for this program to Sigorney Weaver (yes, the actress who hasn't worked since the last Aliens sequel) specifically for American audiences.
  
  Blech!!!! WHY??? I'm sorry I set my TiVo to record anything with David Attenborough as a narrator. You can hear in his voice that he KNOWS what he is talking about. He is PASSIONATE about the subject. Sigourney Weaver is simply awful. Every line is given with the same over-dramatic, lilting, "I'm reading this from a script" voice.
  
  Do the execs at Discovery Channel think that Americans are so stupid that they would be confused by Attenborough's pronunciation of the word "zebra"? Or that he would say "from a to zed" instead of "a to zee" or that he would *gasp* use the word "nil" instead of "zero"? David Attenborough practically invented the nature documentary and has been making them since the 1970s. Replacing him with a Hollywood actress is like having Michael J Fox stand in for Howard Cosell to announce boxing.
  
  Shame on you Discovery for cheapening this otherwise extraordinary program because you think that Americans won't understand proper English. Thankfully I have my copies of this program from last year's BBC broadcast.
  
  
  

• Sweetness!

  
  By ANA2PVMARGY8H on 2007-03-26
  I begged a couple of guys across the hall in my apartment complex to let me watch this mammoth production with them this evening (since I don't get the Discovery Channel on my Limited Basic Cable package). The two men were agreeable, provided neither college nor professional basketball was on during the 8pm to 11pm time slot. They ended up loving it as much as I did, and all three of us marvelled at the wonder of nature.
  
  They were far more enthusiastic about the brutal, action-packed hunting scenes than I was, but they tolerated my squealing about how cute the baby animals were (the red panda in particular). All of us had a good laugh over the male Bird of Paradise and his failed attempt to attract a mate---this puts a new spin on the phrase "trying too hard."
  
  The ocean life was awesome--but if you've seen The Blue Planet, you'll already be familiar with most of the material covered. We were all disappointed that the creepy-looking Angler fish was not featured--this creature is long overdue for some serious orthodontics--talk about an overbite, or is that an underbite?--It can't even close its own mouth! After the ocean episode, we see from "behind-the-scenes" where one of the camera men was all but provoking a hungry shark in order to get a close-up, wearing no more protection than his wet suit and diving gear.
  
  What a project, and what a great dividend we "shareholders" in Planet Earth get to behold! New high-speed camera technology allowed never-before footage of otherwise reclusive and elusive animals (and this nature documentary borrowed tricks from Hollywood to get the best shots, including low-hanging helicopters that kept up with the chase). If this project doesn't get the ball rolling for some serious conservancy, I don't know what will.
  
  I enjoyed Sigorney Weaver's well-articulated narration and pleasant-sounding voice, but I think she could have put more emotion into narrating the more intense scenes of Planet Earth, especially considering what a fine actress she is.
  
  Next Sunday can't come too soon!
  
  

• Best HD Documentary Series ever!

  
  By A2JW3920780LYE on 2007-02-23
  Having seen this series on the BBC HD Channel Here in the UK I would recommend this series to anyone that has a Interest in Documentarys and has a HD DVD player, and can safely say you havent seen anything like this before, the amount of detail the HD Cameras add to this is out of this world and the high production values make this a must have for anyone with a slight interest in the world that surronds us. Buy this and I guarentee you wont be disappointed! Its the ideal thing to show off your new HD TV and HD DVD player!
  
  For people in the U.K as HD is region free this will play on your HD DVD player too even though this says region 1, beaware though you can only import goods upto £18 so you might have to pay duty and a Royal Mail admin charge!
  
  
• A sensationalist companion piece to The Living Planet
  By A6060VY7A6CF4 on 2007-07-24
  You may be wondering why I didn't give this beautiful work 5 stars. This is because I'm objectively reviewing its educational value. As a life-long avid fan of the BBC nature documentaries and all things Sir David Attenborough, I will be reviewing Planet Earth in a more historical context, comparing it to previous releases:
  
  Overview: Planet Earth attempts to cover the rich natural variety of the planet by focusing on one type of habitat/region per episode and displaying both the landscape and wildlife that occupy it. The venerable David Attenborough narrates (but is only partially involved in the writing this time) with his incomparable and dependable blend of warmth and objectivity. The BBC crew, as always, take their technical know-how to new heights, filming in high definition with all the advancing technology at their disposal to create another beautiful series.
  
  This conceptual approach is not new for the BBC and has been covered already by The Living Planet (TLP) and will therefore be compared to it. Also, the heavy emphasis on spectacular hunts has been covered in Predators, as have the specific topics of penguins (Life in the Freezer), oceans (Blue Planet), birds (The Life of Birds) etc. and in much more depth.
  
  Scope: The habitats covered overlap the ones in TLP but also cover new 'exciting' areas such as caves and mountains, skipping some of the more mundane but basic territories of grass-lands and coast-lines covered in TLP. Therefore this release is somewhat complementary to TLP in this regard.
  
  Focus: Planet Earth is somewhat weak here, seemingly unable to drop beautiful images and stop exploring specific animals that it finds, all to the detriment of the theme of the episode. TLP managed to show only what is necessary for the topic, quickly skimming over many examples and varieties, and yet also provided more depth and information.
  
  Structure: Very weak, even pathetic. TLP progressed logically from small to big, from simple to complex, and followed the timeline and progression of the features/animals it explored comprehensively. Planet Earth, however, feels almost random, in love with its beautiful images, slow-motions, and whimsically exploring very specific animals for many minutes at a time.
  
  Educational value: Due to all of the above and its lack of depth, Planet Earth obviously suffers in comparison when it comes to making you feel educated. It focuses more on exotics, sensationalism, exciting hunts and kills, rare animals, wonders of the world, grand vistas, big dangers and huge numbers rather than bombarding us with information on the relevant facts and necessary details as in TLP.
  
  Presentation: Obviously, Planet Earth is miles above TLP in terms of image quality, the rarity of things they managed to capture on film, and its style. But is that all we need?
  
  David Attenborough: I miss the more intimate era of TLP where he used the planet as his classroom.
  
  Summary: This is a sensationalist companion piece to The Living Planet. It gives a good feel of the riches of the planet, both overlaps and complements TLP in its scope, but is much less educational and well-structured. If you want screen-saver images, amazing footage and beauty, grab it. If you emphasize educational value, I suggest starting elsewhere first.
  
  
  Side-Note: This release makes me think...what's next? I mean, Blue Planet and Life in the Undergrowth covered the last two obvious gaps in the BBC nature documentary repertoire. Planet Earth is their first 'remake'. Are we to expect more of the same? Will they start scraping the bottom of the barrel from now on? Will there be only more beautiful but mindless repetition? Or perhaps they will just keep seaching for new exotic things we haven't seen yet? Obviously there is always more to learn and see with nature but it feels like they covered everything systematically and the era of the fascinating introductory overview series is over. Perhaps more in-depth documentaries is the way to go but given the trends and where the money is, i doubt they'll do that. I'm apprehensive - is this the beginning of the end?
  
  
  
• Excellent and it DOES work with the Xbox 360 HD DVD add on
  By A1H3W7HT80WQVY on 2007-04-25
  This title is worth every penny. And it does play on the Xbox 360 HD DVD add on. You have to be connected to Xbox Live and it will download an update that will allow this title to play correctly. It also works fine on the stand alone HD DVD players(HD-A1, HD-A2, and HD-XA2) I have.
  
  
• terrible
  By A16P6UFYKHBI05 on 2007-08-05
  i got this tape and i was very excited. but it doesn't play in my betamax player..i have a 13 inch black and white full HDTV....it doesn't even have the right shape. i'm sorry but amazon is just terrible.
  
  
• Planet Earth is the "Titanic" of television nature documentaries!
  By AIRHRV3D8X4J1 on 2007-04-30
  Planet Earth was filmed on Seven continents. It took Five years and included a $25 million budget. Planet Earth is such an epic, that it earns comparisons to some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. I think High Definition Digest said it best "It's the Titanic of television nature documentaries - a work of great majesty, high ambition and huge financial risk (after all, this isn't a genre known for generating huge profits)." David Attenborough's narrates the series and does a great job at it. Planet Earth first started airing as an eleven episode series on the BBC in England late last year, and more recently on the Discovery Channel and Discovery HD here in the United States. With Planet Earth you will see beautiful landscapes of our planet, and amazing animal scenes all which will leave you either breathless, or at times put you on the edge of your seat. How some of these things were even able to be photographed by humans often makes you wonder. If you have a 1080p HD TV I highly encourage you to get the blu-ray or HD-DVD of Planet Earth. Only then will you will really appreciate the beauty of this amazing series.
  
  I had originally purchased the blu-ray of this, but ended up also buying the DVD version of this because of all the bonus material included on it. Sadly the bonus material is not included on the blu-ray or HD-DVD versions.
  
  
  Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]
  
  Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD]
  
  
• Great series but Audio/Video quality disappointing
  By A1FGEY7R1QQ267 on 2007-06-02
  I know that I will be in the extreme minority here based on what I'm about to say but here it goes.
  
  I watched this series on Discovery HD and purchased the HD-DVD set shortly after it was released. I read many reviews and forum posts about this set especially on Sigorny Weaver's narration. (Most couldn't stand her narration and were applauding the Attenborough narration on the new sets).
  
  While I don't dislike David Attenborough's narration, I really prefer Weaver's. (I can't believe I said that!) Attenborough does sound older, (naturally) and I have to turn the volume up to hear him as well, I just feel Weaver's narration is more "effortless" to listen to and understand. This is not because of Attenborough's accent.
  
  My remaining gripes about this set are in the Audio/Video quality, lack of features and the addition of the Weaver narration track if possible. Although someone in the forum did give good reasons as to why that probably did not happen due to the editing for American TV.
  
  I know everyone loves the quality of the picture on this set and it is HD, but I have had HD for a few years, and am used to looking at it. I am very critical of picture quality and am disappointed... There is a lot of noise in many of the scenes for HD quality. I have 2 HD Televisions and basically the top of the line 1080p HD player as of this writing. (Toshiba XA-2)
  I have hooked it up on HDMI and component, 1080p and 1080i, and the noise is there in many of the scenes. Some scenes are jaw dropping with almost no noise whatsoever, 3D-ish with incredible "POP" and many are just downright disappointing and I'm not only talking about dark scenes which digital cameras will naturally show noise. I feel that although this set was filmed mostly in HD, I'm sure they could have spent more time in the editing room cleaning up the picture in many scenes. I am going to say that this version at 1080p didn't really look better than the broadcast in HD. Although the broadcast is at lower resolution, 720p or 1080i, it did not look as noisy as the HD-DVD set. This may be because at higher resolution, imperfections are amplified and easier to see. Sitting 10-15+ feet away, many people will not even notice.
  
  The audio quality of this set is not very good for an HD production. It could have been much better and would have added even more to the viewing experience of the series.
  
  I know many will disagree with my opinion here, but they could have spent more time and care on this HD set. Just putting it on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD is not enough. They spent an ungodly amount making this thing over 5 years, spend and extra 2-3 months cleaning it up and make it look even better before you release it. I'm sure they were rushing to get this set commercial as soon as the initial airing was completed on Discovery Channel. It is possible to realease a 1080p disc with poor video quality. While I won't say the video quality is poor, I was expecting better and more consistant video quality.
  
  I have come across other posts and reviews complaining of noise and grain in the picture. I am hoping to find someone I know with the Blu-Ray version to see if it's exactly like this one.
  
  I doubt my review will deter anyone from purchasing this set. (It's not intended too.) It's more of a heads up and know what to expect. Don't pay the $99.99 retail like many stores have it for.
  
  
• Best HD Documentary Series Ever !
  By A2JW3920780LYE on 2007-02-15
  Having seen this series on the BBC HD Channel Here in the UK I would recommend this series to anyone that has a Interest in Documentarys and has a Blu Ray player, and can safely say you havent seen anything like this before, the amount of detail the HD Cameras add to this is out of this world and the high production values make this a must have for anyone with a slight interest in the world that surronds us. Buy this and I guarentee you wont be disappointed! It the ideal thing to show off your new HD TV and Blu Ray player!
  
  
• Stunning. Breath-Taking. Beautiful.
  By AS28WVBBZ3G99 on 2007-07-05
  If there was any doubt that HD was worth the money, PLANET EARTH lays the question to rest.
  
  This series is, without question, the most breath-taking, exquisitely beautiful and stunningly filmed series ever produced. Five years in the making, $25 million in production, 2,000 days of patient, timeless, extraordinary shots of nature at her most intense.
  
  The breadth of the series is the planet. The pace is measured in the torrential downfall of rushing waters or beats of a hummingbird's wings or in the patient stillness of a snow leopard stalking her prey. The depths lie far beneath the surface in hidden crystal caves of Mexico. The heights are from outer space - we see our earth, as well as ourselves, in ways we have never dreamed possible.
  
  Truly, the Creator's majesty is manifested in the tiniest details of creation. Nowhere is it more beautifully and astonishingly depicted as in PLANET EARTH.
  
  
  
• Mondo Cane 2 : when it does not bore you - it disgusts you
  By ASBBXTMWFTIV3 on 2007-11-15
  Panoramic scenes of breathtaking beauty form the background of this remarkably dull yet amazingly cruel Series.
  
  A true remake of Mondo Cane (1962), in this series, poor David Attenborough has the sad task of narrating the 'story' of each episode: inevitably about predators hunting other animals, eating them, killing weaklings and young.
  
  The series is uninterested about the Planet Earth - you want to see more of it, but unfailingly the producers want to show you animals being eaten by predators, for they went to great trouble to film it and want you to see it.
  
  Not how animals or birds live - but how they die.
  
  Each kill is shown in sadistic detail, so that you can see the poor victim's last moments of pain and terror. You will soon see they or their chicks or cubs in their predators jaws still alive and then being dragged and killed - the camera will still linger long enough for you to see them eating their prey.
  
  When you see an animal, any animal or bird - you already know that in a few moments time you will see their predators, time over time again this will be repeated.
  
  In this series Animals are shown only this context: of killing and dying, for that is what interest the makers of this series , the killing of weak and young animals.
  
  Nature is shown in short quick takes - monotonous text is reread by David Attenborough , for every episode is just a re-run of the previous one. They follow the same format. You saw one, you saw them all.
  
  You wonder how the Producer of Blue Planet managed to create such a series.
  
  Anything is better than this series.
  
  Do yourself a favor and buy any of David Attenborough's great series, buy Blue Planet - head over shoulders better than this stupid disgusting series, a waste of your money and time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Sorry Sigourney but Sir David Attenborough's narration is the best.
  By A3ATYXUIKAJH78 on 2007-04-04
  having grown up with Sir David Attenborough's natural history programmes I was surprised to see that Planet Earth slipped under my radar. So I ordered the set From Amazon in the UK in January knowing that it will work on my DVD player as it's region free. The set arrived but I didn't have time to watch it so it sat on a shelf until I found out the the Discovery Channel was going to air the series. I suddenly remembered I had the set and decided to watch a bit of the set with my wife before the documentary aired later that night.
  
  As we watched we both gasped with wonder at some of the shots of the wildlife and the filming off the various locations. We both watched the first episode on the DVD and then eagerly awaited watching the others on the Discover Channel later that night.
  
  We settled down to watch the documentary and we both were in shock as the original narration by Sir David Attenborough had been replaced by Sigourney Weaver. In fact my wife couldn't watch the documentary as the narration was so bad - and she's American! So we went back to the DVDs.
  
  We cannot understand why the Discovery Channel decided to replace Sir David Attenborough's narration with Sigourney Weaver but we both agree it was a very bad decision. We both like Sigourney, however she lacks any passion or warmth and appears to be speaking in a monotone voice. In particular there's a spot where in the first episode a bird clears a spot on a branch with a piece of debris from it's area so it can attract a female and Sigourney says "missed a bit" here she could show emotion she is just so lifeless. Sir David's narration is different here and you can hear the passion in his voice.
  
  Speaking for myself, if I muted the sound so I couldn't hear the narration I could instantly tell the this was a BBC production and Sir David Attenborough would be the narrator. So I'm disappointed that the Discovery Channel felt the need to use change the narration. I'm just glad that I have Sir David Attenborough's narration on the DVD as I believe that this was the way the documentary was supposed to sound.
  
  
• Planet Earth is the "Titanic" of television nature documentaries!
  By AIRHRV3D8X4J1 on 2007-04-30
  Planet Earth was filmed on Seven continents. It took Five years and included a $25 million budget. Planet Earth is such an epic, that it earns comparisons to some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. I think High Definition Digest said it best "It's the Titanic of television nature documentaries - a work of great majesty, high ambition and huge financial risk (after all, this isn't a genre known for generating huge profits)." David Attenborough's narrates the series and does a great job at it. Planet Earth first started airing as an eleven episode series on the BBC in England late last year, and more recently on the Discovery Channel and Discovery HD here in the United States. With Planet Earth you will see beautiful landscapes of our planet, and amazing animal scenes all which will leave you either breathless, or at times put you on the edge of your seat. How some of these things were even able to be photographed by humans often makes you wonder. If you have a 1080p HD TV you will really appreciate the beauty of this amazing series. This blu-ray is one of the best looking blu-ray discs to come out yet. The only thing I can complain about is the lack of bonus material which you will find on the DVD version of Planet Earth, but is is not included on the blu-ray or HD-DVD discs. Why they choose to not include this on these HD formats is beyond me, but other than that and the sound (Compared to the video, the audio is a bit of a disappointment) this series is almost perfect.
  
  Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]
  
  Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [HD DVD]
  
  Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series
  
  
• PUT THE SUPPLIMENTAL CONTENT IN
  By AD98531MSSSZ3 on 2007-06-05
  I was all hyped up to buy this set until I found out it's missing 110 minutes of supplimental materials that I've been told are amazing that are on the DVDs but not on the Blu-Ray or HD-DVD version.
  
  WTF where you thinking? People that own Blu-Ray or HD-DVD are the people most likely to want those supplimental materials.
  
  I'll buy when they are included. Until then, no sale!
  
  
• Disappointed
  By AI5DKEXFZMWKH on 2007-05-06
  We have watched the TV series Planet Earth narrated by Sigourney Weaver and have enjoyed it immensely. We bought the DVD set narrated by David Attenborough and were highly disappointed. Mr. Attenborough's voice is not the problem; the problem lies with the balance between the volume of his voice and that of the music. The volume has to be turned up to hear his voice, in which case the music volume becomes intolerable. We found ourselves straining to hear what he was saying and playing it back to listen to what we missed. It is such beautiful photography, it is a shame that it is so poorly produced. Instead of taking us on a wonderful serene voyage around the planet, we found our experience quite stressful and had to return the discs.
  
  
• Order this version!
  By A3JTL1D00999Z4 on 2007-04-11
  You don't need the HD DVD version unless you have the HD DVD player! A Progressive Scan DVD player is different. This version will play to your HDTV's specs. UNLESS you have the souped up newer technology, don't waste your money.
  
  I was relieved to learn this version has a different narrator than S. Weaver. The footage in this series is simply remarkable and from my very first viewing of it on the Discovery Channel I've been baffled as to why they chose her to narrate. She is so dry and scripted. I'm anxious to hear this original narration. I'm pretty confident that it will undoubtedly be better.
  
  Bottom line, I think this is a must have. And don't be fooled by the other HD DVD and Blu-Ray versions unless you own that new technology. And be happy that it's narrated by someone other that Sigourney Weaver. That's my two cents worth!
  
  
• The word on Weaver...
  By A3E5KFCYN26O2B on 2007-03-22
  I can't wait to get this set... I ordered the british version this morning, half because I couldn't wait for it until April, and I was scared Sigourney Weaver was the narrator for the American version.
  
  FEAR NOT!! The word on the street is that the American version of the series DVD's will feature BOTH the ORIGINAL DAVID ATTENBOROUGH NARRATION AND Sigourney Weaver's narration. Phew... close one eh? I thought BBC was going bonkers for a while there... Who prefers Sigourney Weaver to David Attenborough anyway? I mean she's good for action flicks and stuff, but Dave can't be beat.
  
  
• terrible
  By A16P6UFYKHBI05 on 2007-08-01
  I have a VHS player and I got this tape. it doesn't even have the right shape and it won't fit in my VHS player!. amazon is simply terrible.
  
  
  
• British Version not American
  By A16V2I8G9O5NE1 on 2007-06-06
  This is the British Version. I can't find the American version, which is narated by Sigourney Weaver, not some British guy, on Amazon. Otherwise I think the content is the same, but Sigourney is better. The American version is available on the discovery channel website.
  
  
• Do youself a favor and see the British version
  By A2QJH1PLIMRA0G on 2007-03-27
  See the British version with David Attenborough. American verson is re-narrated(worse), re-edited(sequences out of order, remixed, sequences missing- completely gone!!), and dumbed down(some of us know what an arboreal forest is!!)
  
  
• Not the version that aired on the Discovery Channel
  By A10ZIO8DJRWTC4 on 2007-11-26
  This is NOT the version that aired on the Discovery Channel. Here's the link to the Discovery version (which was one of Oprah's favorite things): Planet Earth DVD Set (US Version, 2007) & Steve Irwin Wildlife Warrior Wristband (Adult) Gift Set
  
  
• Great documentary! but not from same mold as.....
  By A3CW9IXMHJ4HRH on 2007-02-08
  This is a great documenttary. I just got it on region 2 DVD's. I'm a huge fan of David Attenborough and his series of DVD's, but this one is different in the sense that he is not on set, just pure narration. His voice sounds older, and possibly this is the reason he chose not to be on location while this series was being filmed. This dies detract from it IMHO.
  
  The 5 DVD's are outstanding though, and the DVD's itself are extremely high quality, worth a watch just for this. It goes into detail about every climate on earth. David's narration is splendid but lacking some of the wit in past series, perhaps because he is not location? I gave it 5 stars because it is great, just not off the scale great, as some of his past DVD's are. Enjoy it! I did.
  
  
• Think you have seen it all? Think again!
  By A5HXZ4OB4S4R3 on 2007-02-19
  It is just amazing how BBC manages to produce wildlife documentaries of this calibre time and again.
  First of all, you will be amazed to know that there is so much of untouched wilderness still out there. But you will also be saddened to know that there is actually nothing that is truly untouched!
  The program is divided geographically and shows you some pretty spectacular shots. The aerial shots, in particular, are absolutely amazing. The limit to which the camera men have gone needs to be seen to be believed.
  The image of the snow leopard hunting in thick snow is something that makes me feel privileged! And if you thought you have seen all there is to see about lions, wait till you see this one!
  The photography is unbelievable, the sound is awesome, a must watch with the entire family. Certainly a collector’s edition.
  
  
  
• Bad DVD Transfer/ too compressed / bad picture
  By AOLQ22OA3HHHK on 2007-12-15
  I have the BBC version. Great Show / BAD DVD TRANSFER!!! They crammed 3 shows plus extra (at least on the 1st DVD which I just watched). Don't they care? The transfer is horrible. The compression is so much you see branches on trees jerk around. There is no detail!!! I'd wait until you have an HD player and can buy one of the HD versions. Even then, there is no guarantee they won't compress the heck out of it. You really can only get a quality picture if you put 2 hrs or less on a normal DVD (remember 'superbit' ?) TOTAL DISAPOINTMENT! The people who spent years making this have to be upset.
  
  
• Too many killings and death to be enjoyable
  By A384TTCOBX9QVZ on 2007-08-17
  I really didn't enjoy this series because I wanted to enjoy watching it with my little one, which I couldn't because I was horrified with all of the death and killing of the prey--especially the babies. I understand that is how nature is, but I also needed to see a happy ending now and then. Also, my dvd had a lot of areas where it skipped and stopped--which seems to be a common problem that others have found also. If you do end up purchasing it, watch all of the discs right away to ensure yours isn't defective.
  
  
• Narrated by WHOM?
  By A2RE4A2S8LN9WC on 2007-05-09
  I purchased this product in a store, on impulse, after seeing it on the discovery channel. My wife and I were entranced by the beautiful music, the soothing voice of Ms. Weaver, and the astonishing videography. What we go was rather different. Mr. Attenboroughs nasal british accent is quite annoying, enough that I think the music is different as well. We watched about 1/2 hour of the first DVD... that was enough. The retail packaging carefully avoids mentioning who the narrator is; classic bait and switch. If you loved the TV version, avoid this DVD. It's nothing like what you are expecting.
  
  
• Not what I was expecting
  By A25143F5O72IGI on 2007-06-07
  This isn't the Discovery Version. I purchased this for my boyfriend and thank God he realized it wasn't the correct one. He didn't open it and I was able to get a refund.
  
  
• WOW!!!
  By A3F3B6HY9RJI04 on 2007-08-25
  I've got a HD DVD player but there has only been one album that I've bought for my collection (Batman Begins). Everything else has been rental through Netflix and the local Blockbuster.
  
  Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series has become the second HD DVD to be added. And despite its $100 retail price, it is worth every single penny.
  
  I did originally rent this from Netflix and had read all the reviews on this product and was anxious for it to arrive. Unfortunately I ran into two problems.
  
  The first was that there is a patch that is required in order to make this run on my HD DVD player that is attached to my XBox 360. There were some user comments on this web site on how to patch the XBox 360 if you don't have XBox Live so if you are having the same problem, check out the comments. The patch fixed things right away. (Thanks, Amazon!).
  
  The second problem was that my family wasn't interested in watching it with me. "We don't want to watch some nature program," they said. Well, I basically forced them to watch it with me anyways. After the first episode was finished my family was in love with it as much as me. In fact, my son said, "We should watch an episode every night until we finish it. Maybe even two episodes."
  
  Not only have we enjoyed watching this movie almost every night but we have shown it to several of our neighbors and watched a few episodes with many of the kids in our neighborhood. I've yet to run into somebody who loves this series.
  
  There are so many good things about this album I'm not sure where to begin. Probably just how beautiful it this video is, especially since everything is in crystal clear high definition. After all, the planet earth is not too exciting in regular television so in high definition it makes you feel like you are there. High definition is also very bright and colorful which makes everybody sit there oo-ing and awe-ing the entire time.
  
  Also, it is very interesting and fascinating. This isn't your standard nature show, you actually get to see things that you've never heard of or seen before. Monkey's who swim for food, bears who live high in the mountaintops searching under rocks for moths to eat, and a bird who actually cleans up his area and does the wildest and funny dance for his potential mates (that was our favorite part).
  
  This covers everything from pole to pole, to the highest mountains to the lowest valleys and caves in the earth. You'll laugh, you'll probably even cry when you see some animals fall victim to their predators, you'll be amazed as what is out there on our planet, and you'll want to watch each episode over and over again.
  
  Most of my reviews end with who would like a certain product and possibly who wouldn't like the product. This is a rare one... I recommend this to EVERYBODY and can't think of anybody who would not find this a fun and wonderful video. David Attenborough is a wonderful guide as you experience planet earth in a way you never have before.
  
  

• Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure
• Blue Planet: Seas of Life (Special Edition)
• Nature's Colors [Blu-ray]
• Planet Earth: The Making of an Epic Series
• The Living Landscapes Collection (9 Disc Set) [HD DVD]