Blue Planet (IMAX) [HD DVD] Reviews

• Wrong Planet

  
  By A34OWPDKG8Q82H on 2007-08-05
  Move on to "Planet Earth" for everything this bluray isn't...
  
  I normally refrain from posting negative reviews in case it's a question of taste and I may be in conflict with other people in that respect.
  
  However in this case I am pretty sure this is a title to avoid for everybody. Especially when there is such an alternative as Planet Earth which presents a hundred times the content and imagery this IMAX adaptation strives to deliver.. and fails..
  
  First of all, this is a very lousy transfer. They didn't bother remastering the 40 minute footage and the "dirt" of the master is visible in every frame. It wouldn't have taken a large team to edit them out. Frankly it's the most disappointing bluray transfer I've seen out of the 40 or more bluray titles I have.
  
  Secondly, the narration, disjointed topics, duration of many of the space imagery which drag on for minutes without any movement contribute to a mindnumbingly boring viewing experience. You'll notice you'll be hardpressed not to forward to the next scene every other minute (and let's admit it, there are not that many to start with)
  
  There's also an older similar bonus segment in the bluray, with even worse visuals and mostly resembling SD instead of HD in many places..
  
  In short, I'd strongly suggest you skip this bluray in favor of the stunning Planet Earth if you've not grabbed it yet.
  
  

• Awe Struck...

  
  By A51C9BDEJBW7D on 2004-12-02
  I got this for my 4 year old son's birthday last year because he has a fascination with air planes and I was trying to get him interested in the space program. Let's just say when I first played it, even my husband stopped what he was doing and came over and sat down. We have a large screen TV and it makes you feel like you are really there! The sounds and colors are vivid. And even when there is no sound, the sights are just so amazing you don't need it- I think that's part of it's magic. Maybe it's just that space is such an unknown and elusive place, but when it shows the view of our planet from space you just get goosebumps. This is a wonderful dvd to pull out on those rainy/snowy days. No matter how many times we have watched it, it still evokes a sense of awe and reverence.
  
  

• Very enjoyable; Preservationist; School-level material

  
  By A2Z8KPS7OE6RLL on 2002-02-06
  Shots of planet earth, satellite photography, volcanoes, earthquakes, rainforest. Main message: earth is home to all of us, let's preserve it. The space and aerial photography are beautiful. Spectacular is the view of a lightning storm as seen from space. Footage of a hurricane, however, did not appear threatening. Sheet metal flying off a small house's roof, a man leaning into the wind.

  Things I expected to see but didn't: a storm at sea, a twister, a nice volcano eruption, a geyser, a large crowd of people. The only people we see are two cosmonauts in orbit taking pictures, and some guys cutting trees.

  The narration is rather primitive, sometimes mind-numbingly so, as in the end, where the voice-over enumerates those to whom earth is home: "Earth is home to Jews and Arabs; It is home to Russians and the Chinese; It is home to Germans and Italians", and so on and on, until (surprise!) "It is home to ALL of us".

  Some educational facts are given about how many tons of pollutants we emit and millions of acres of forest we destroy each year. These sound horrifying, but to make sense, they need to be put into perspective (there are billions of bacteria in my mouth, but that doesn't mean I'm about to die). How much forest do natural fires destroy each year? How many acres of forest naturally grow back? How much deadly pollution does an average active volcano emit?

  The 3D California valley fly-through was visually disappointing (have they heard of texture mapping?).

  Overall, a very enjoyable experience. The DVD is definitely worth having, although I won't be watching it for a second time in full any time soon (as I watched Baraka).
  
  

• Misleading

  
  By APV88FIGDXB0C on 2002-03-31
  Hi,
  The cover picture and text on the package leads one to expect space shuttle photo journey, but it is more like a 4th grade science class with intermittent space video. It is about 20% space video and 80% ground level shots. With low-level information like,"On Earth there is a gas called oxygen, which we need to survive...." Great for the kids, yes, but adults may be disappointed.
  
  

• Avoid this disappointment

  
  By A14R3D7PJ5C7FV on 2007-08-09
  Very poor quality video. Definitely not of a Blu-Ray quality and borderline for a DVD. May look good on a small screen, but almost unwatchable on a 56" HDTV.
  
  Was so unenjoyable I had to force myself to watch it to completion.
  
  Get Planet Earth instead.
  
  
  
• Good Straight Forward Presentation
  By on 2001-06-12
  There are not many frills; the DVD trailer's are a bunch of quick hit's with no titles. The big plus is the space photo's of earth. I never realize we were covered with so much water; thus the title Blue Planet. The emphasis is on education and the enviorment. This is a safe bet for the Imax enthusiat. It has the picture's that are hard to find on another DVD. Were I found the film lacking was in the music and the naration. I felt they could have had more fun with it. After all this is space and the pictures are spactacular yet the music is basic and the naration is monotone. A small complaint. A good addition for your Imax collection but not in the league with The Living Sea. I resevre the 5 star rating for the one's that have the complete package. A solid 4.
  
  
• More of a HD DVD Review...
  By A1HUX7WN8E65R3 on 2007-08-08
  This HD DVD disc has two features on it and both are around 50 minutes long. There's really nothing in the way of extras other then the features. Both features are neat at first but how much footage of the earth from space can you watch? That's up to you. Seeing the earth from orbit these days is nothing new. I was extremely disappointed that it all "seemed" to be shot in film. I think they have to do this for IMAX but can't they shoot it in pure hi-def video & transfer it to film for the IMAX? Probably the wrong screen ratios. A good portion of the film "jumps" a lot and it's noticable at 56". They made no attempt to clean the film as there's specs of duct & stuff throughout the features. A lot of the NASA footage is old because everyone is dressed from the early 90's/late 80's. The space shuttle scenes & Earth scenes from space are fine but not as good as Planet Earth's footage and the video essentials hi-def display of the shuttle taking off blow's this disc away.
  
  The surround sound is actually nice here and there. A hurricane segment was really convincing in sound eventhough you're watching old raw footage from "back in the day". Overall, you get a total of under 2 hours of lame "been there, done that" footage. They even have a little rant on saving the planet at the last 10 minutes of Blue Planet with the usual citing of devastating facts but no explanation of the proof. I believe there's a hole in the ozone layer but at least show us some cool satelite/composite shots of it. I don't know why they give you this great display of our planet that makes you proud to be on this great rock in space for 40 minutes and then end it with a "stop polluting your planet idiots", kind of an ending. Eesh. I wish they showed more of the craters on earth. Now that was interesting.
  
  Overall, from an HD DVD point of view...I did not see it in IMAX and thought it would look amazing in HD but I was sadly disappointed. Thank god I rented it. And for the blu-ray folks, it isn't going to be much better because the stock is not fantastic. You get a VC-1 compressed version of older junky film mixed with newer fine looking film.
  
  
• blue planet on imax
  By A19GQ8CMWZQKEP on 2007-05-28
  saw this on imax in ft. worth many years ago. if it is 1/3 as good on this dvd as it was in imax, it will be awesome. the imax version i saw in an imax theatre brought tears to my eyes.....it is very near a religious experience. no foolin!!
  
  terry in tulsa
  go sooners......
  
  
• Bored to tears......
  By AHAU16MI9OWHL on 2003-05-11
  This imax put me right to sleep. The narrator talked very slowly, and it was as if she was talking to children. The images were sharp and interesting, if you could stay awake to see them.
  
  
• Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  By on 2004-07-13
  Certain reviewers say you can't go wrong with this picture and then proceed to talk about it only in techinological terms. Of course I suppose that's because that's the whole of their attention span.
  Like most IMAX drive 'movies'; a bloody bore
  
  
• Huge Space Buff Disappointed
  By A1SB90KTIRQW6G on 2005-03-31
  Astronomy has always been one of my favorite subjects, so I was extremely excited to get this DVD. Unfortunately in my humble opinion, the movie was lacking in many areas.
  
  THE GOOD
  
  Incredible views - With NASA as partner in the film, IMAX had some incredible shots of the earth. It was amazing to see this "outside" view of the earth. I was just amazed to see everything we've ever known in our lives presented in one big round package.
  
  THE BAD
  
  Unfortunately I couldn't come up with many good points about this movie. I honestly was searching for reasons to like this film, but it just fell short in so many areas.
  
  Confusing Views - As I mentioned in the good points, there were some amazing views of the earth provided from the shuttle. Unfortunately it was difficult to figure out exactly what you were looking at. It was difficult to discern what you were looking at and most times when a new image flashed on the screen my girlfriend and I were saying something like "that's florida?!....do you see florida??...i don't see florida!!"
  
  In my opinion the film should have briefly highlighted what you were supposed to be looking at. Angles are a lot different in space #1 and #2 there was a lot of cloud cover in many of the images. Maybe "highlighting" technology wasn't available in 1990, but I doubt it :)
  
  Narration - The narration appeared to be aimed at elementary school level. Perhaps that was the intent of the movie, but in my humble opinion the speed at which the film progressed would have bored a younger child to tears. It was too "elementary" in my opinion and I felt "under stimulated" through most of the movie. The narrator also spoke in a boring monotone voice.
  
  Faultline Animation - Oh my goodness. What a waste of five minutes this part of the film is. Someone decided to create an animation of basically as if you were flying over the San Andreas faultline. Given this movie was made in 1990 when computer technology was in it's infant phase compared to today, but I doubt I would have been impressed in 1990 either. If you've seen this movie already, I'm sure you feel my pain. They also dub in these roaring plane engine sounds to make it feel like you're zooming over the terrain and it's just "bad". B A D.
  
  Conclusion
  
  Believe me, I was looking for reasons to like this film, but I just didn't think it was very well done. If you're just dying to add another earth / astronomy film to your collection, then by all means go ahead and buy it. As I mentioned some of the views are truly breathtaking. But if you consider the value of the film vs. what you pay I'd have to say this is unfortunately a bad investment. Knowing what I know now, I honestly would not pay more than $9.95 for this movie. Sorry, but that's just my humble opinon. :)
  
  Take it easy,
  Mike
  
  
• A natural alternative to Lunesta
  By A31GGUV2CKNBZ5 on 2005-10-13
  OK...to start off with the positive, this DVD does have great sound and crisp, vibrant video footage. Also within the 40 minutes of this DVD, you will come away with a good understanding of the big picture of our planet and how our planet's atmosphere, oceans, land, life and and pollution are all interrelated. It is also explained in a way that makes it easy to understand. If you are an adult with with a true interest in Earth science then you can add a star or two to my rating.
  
  I do not recommend this DVD for children. It will be a real sleeper for them! The very calming voice of the narrator and fairy tale type of music in the background will put almost any adolescent to sleep. I say this because I am a high school science teacher and have shown this to my students. While doing so I have had to nudge my students or get their attention to stay awake. Those that were awake had that glazed over look in their eyes. There are better videos out there for students that are more exciting and just as informative.
  
  
• Outstanding!
  By A3R7YL48505SU8 on 2001-07-17
  I saw 'Blue Planet' several years ago at the IMAX, and it has remained my favorite. The surround sound is astounding, and the DVD transfer is excellent; if you have an HD-ready projection TV with progressive-scan DVD player, you'll be amazed at the resolution. Unlike some other films that display compression artifacts on larger screens (unfortunately, "The Living Sea" is one of them), this film looks just as crisp and beautiful as the original IMAX presentation. It's only 42 minutes in length, but you won't be sorry you picked this one up.
  
  
• IMAX Double Feature Blu-ray disc from SPACE not PLANET EARTH'S animals and computer earth views
  By AQWYEQNSLKBWO on 2007-09-03
  I can't believe the negative reviews for these are beautiful transfers of beautiful films. Some scenes look far deeper and sharper than the often mentioned PLANET EARTH series which is beautifully made though "only" on HD-Video. These films were filmed in space and explore the earth and Space Shuttle, PLANET EARTH is animals/nature with some computer-generated earth views!
  
  The films presented here were made for specially made theatres with screens up to 1.000 square meters big and filmed in 70mm/15perforation, a three times larger film format than 70mm/5perf LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. All films in this format were 30 to 55 minutes long.
  
  I always LOVED the slower pace resulting from these big images, just to get the time to take it all in. Also the earth views are so beautiful they need a slower pace. That is too much for some viewers it seems.
  
  THE DREAM IS ALIVE (1985), 37min, features three space shuttle starts from different angles and shows training of astronauts as well as some of the first footage of the earth actually taken in orbit with the highest definition cameras on earth in the 15/70 format. Sure, there are always scenes in the shuttle where they had a lowlight situation and the image is not as sharp as others. One has to take into account the conditions under which these films were made. What counts is the overall impression and that is definitely high definition. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.
  I use this disc to impress my friends and NOT my PLANET EARTH disc ;-) Both films have breathtaking sound (Dolby TrueHD + Dolby Digital + French Dolby Digital). Subtitles French + Espanol.
  
  BLUE PLANET (1990), 44min, to me is a true IMAX classic. Stunning earth views and exploration of the ozone hole at a time when few were talking about it make it one of the most stunning and at the same time serious large format films. Aftermath of San Francisco earthquake and hurricanes in the southeast.
  
  I hope there will be many more IMAX films coming to Blu-ray!
  
  
• Inspiring
  By on 2001-08-12
  This is a must have for audio/video enthusiasts. Besides being my favorite IMAX film, both the sound and images on this DVD will put any home theater system to the test. Fantastic dynamic range, shots from space, air, and underwater, and a great message underlies the entire film. The narrator's voice occasionally gets buried by the sound effects/music, but other than that, this was an excellent transfer to DVD. Children will enjoy it too!
  
  
• Don't Buy it ! only rent it if you desperate a Imax fan
  By A31Q7NE0NP3IH4 on 2007-09-17
  I won't not recommaed to buy at all cost, is simply not worth it, the document is too short. Is out of order as well, do not even compare to planet earth not comparison at all, only thing this worth to rent for is to see space shuttle launch in full details and some nice picture shot by satellite in our planet. Most of the scene is really not good, and is lacking information.
  
  
• Beautiful "Blue Planet" comes home...
  By A3GZI90K080K9W on 2001-11-19
  I had seen the "Blue Planet" IMAX movie in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. in 1994 and had ben wondering about it ever since. DVD version is well-worth buying and keeping forever. The film conveys an extremely healthy attitude of preserving and appreciating World's vulnerable organism and its scarce resources. Content is well-balanced, audio and video streams are quite healthy and price is reasonable. I suggest that you buy it and see it with your family, friends and neighbours.
  
  
• You can't go wrong with this picture!
  By A5RF4VO6XDGSB on 2003-01-14
  IMAX out does any other DVD's in tranfer of films and picture quality. I haven't gone wrong EVER buying ANY IMAX picture. The closet you'll ever get to High Definition. Like looking through glass. I tried it on an old tv and it made my tv look like new almost. Truley amazing! And most IMAX DVD's include DTS sound.For you widescreen lovers, DO NOT be put-off by the standard format of 1:33:1 that the DVD IS Released it. It is the way the film was shot and on my widescreen the picture is awesome watching it in ANY frame. "Full" or "Wide Zoom". It even gives you that feeling your at the IMAX theatre and does not take away anything because it is not in widescreen format. The closet thing to High Definition DVD is worth the price alone. You can't go wrong with any IMAX film.Sure some of the IMAX films might not have the greatest stories and might be under an hour long, but in my opinion the picture quality alone is worth the price. It is my opinion that IMAX and it's affiliates are the absolute BEST in DVD digital / picture quality transfer. I have yet to see a beter DVD picture. Also, most IMAX DVD's come with DTS sound.I even purchased the 3-D IMAX box set and was amazed at the amusement park/in your face special effects I got on my widescreen television. IMAX absoulutly RULES in DVD productions. "Blue Planet" is the absolute best picture I have yet to see from any DVD out there that has views of the Earth from space.I have watched it over and over in slow motion and I'm always amazed at how clear of a view I have of the Earth. Just like taking a Kodak picture from space in your living room on your tv set.
  
  
• Decent views but....really? Did they have to go there?
  By A639H0GCUF7C8 on 2007-12-20
  I purchased this on Blu-ray earlier today and watched it with my dad tonight expecting it to be something like the wonderful Planet Earth series, but with NASA. But let's face it. It's not. I have to agree with the others here that say the HD quality could be, well, better. And since it was made in 1990 I *kind of* understand that. Besides, that's not even my complaint so I won't delve into the picture quality aspect at all. My biggest problem came at the half-way point when the documentary took a 'left' turn and became nothing more than a tree--hugger/bleeding-heart piece on how Man is destroying the planet. I mean it was just "Ozone layer this"... and "Rain forest that"... and "Man is making extinct hundreds of undiscovered species every minute". They literally said that; "Undiscovered". Ok, if they're undiscovered then how do we know we're causing they're extinction?
  
  Listen, I'm not the kind of guy that would throw his Big Mac wrapper out the window of his Hummer while driving through a nature preserve but... Come on! Do these people really think they need to dupe Americans in to buying their liberal B.S. by marketing it as "A spectacular look at Earth like you've never seen before"?! I am sure that some people will/do love this documentary for everything it stands for. But if you're like me and you don't want to be preached at by someone who feels that the best thing you can do for Mother Earth is to kill yourself... then don't bother. Somehow, I'm getting my money back!
  
  
  
• Preserve Our Planet!
  By A30ZFQ90TY9YNF on 2003-11-08
  After seeing this for the first time at Parmount's Great America in Santa Clara, CA made me wanna do whatever I can to preserve the Earth. This video is truely amazing and gives a wonderful and deep view of our Mother Earth. Very beautiful scenery and awesome narration.
  
  
• My Blue Planet Review
  By on 2005-10-11
  This movie was not very interesting. I'm shocked at how amazingly BORING this movie was compared to most IMAX films. I watched it as a classroom film. I watched two students fall asleep. One child left the room to go to the bathroom, and didn't come back for 10 minutes! I appreciate what these people were trying to teach us but it would have been nice if they had made it interesting.
  
  
• Dreary, boring, and too correctly spoken
  By A1U6B2LDK3BUVU on 2006-07-13
  This is a disappointingly boring and formulaic show. Basically we get hit over the head with how miserable we are making the earth. All right, already. Tell me thirty six more times.
  
  Whenever I hear the word "evolved" in a show about life on earth it annoys me. It is the new religion, the new dogma. It is just as dogmatic as its religious competition preaching Jehovah or Allah or some other fictional character. Why can't the evolution people just realize that someone very brilliant designed the tiger and the peach, and stop pretending that they just grew out of the soil, like a can of tomato sauce growing out of the dusty rocks on the moon.
  
  The announcer is annoying as hell. She pronounces every word perfectly and bloodlessly. She speaks acceptably and "beautifully", so beautifully that it is ugly. Her speech is acceptable, yours is not. It's a bunch of bull. I took speech classes too, and I had the sense to ignore them. They get in the way of honest communication.
  
  The environmentalists feel that they need to bang us over the head every chance they get, telling us how humanity is ruining the planet, and you can sympathize because our government doesn't give a damn about pollution, and in fact revels in it, since it means that their rich campaign contributors will save money by not having to clean up after themselves, making the campaign contributions excellent investments, paying huge profits. It does pay to own the U.S. government, so they let you do whatever you want. One hand washes the other.
  
  Sometimes they showed us images of green or blue or white swirls, and they told us it was the Himalayas or Sri Lanka or something, and they really needed to use arrows to show us what they were referring to. All I saw was a bunch of colored swirls. Why couldn't they just use an arrow to point out where to look?
  
  Imax should have thrown propriety and predictability and preachiness away and given us an interesting show. But they weren't creative enough to do that. So they gave us the same old stuff, preaching the same old new religion, and spoken the way they were taught to speak, artificially.
  
  
• Just OK
  By ATU6RODAM01IL on 2007-09-05
  Definitely some impressive shots, but it's got nothing on "Planet Earth" (maybe I shouldn't have expected a comparison considering the price discrepancy b/tw the 2).
  
  Anyway, it is a great way to show off you HD TV as background scenery at a party.
  
  
• An Awesome Experience
  By A3S6OSZS5O1HD6 on 2003-10-04
  "Blue Planet" is a very beautiful and powerful film. The perspective it provides of our precious planet Earth from outer space is invaluable. Although the small screen version is not as visually overwhelming as the IMAX format it nonetheless conveys the awesome message of wonder yet danger to the amazing gift of life on Earth. (The narration and music are excellent.) I urge everyone to see this film and urge IMAX to release it in 35mm so it can reach the vast audience that needs to see this critically important film.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A19I3Y7II8GA4Y on 2007-12-05
  I bought this together with Planet Earth (PE). I watched PE first which set my expectations for the Blue Planet (BP). I was extremely disappointed. The narrator was extremely monotonous, and did nothing to really add to the experience. The viusals were good, but the stories were disjointed and brief. I expected more. The duration of the film was also very short. I really expected to see a full length video documentary on the oceans, seas, and lakes. PE has sections that cover oceans and seas and that rendition is so much better than Blue Planet. I can see why now it is sold with Planet Earth as by itself it would be a flop. Great pictures though.
  
  
• Spectacular
  By AHEHNXJJMXJLI on 2001-10-01
  These IMAX DVD's rule, although this isnt as good as Desitiny in space, its a different type of film, and covres a more vast area of natural phenomena. The narrator isnt the best, but will suffice. An excellent movie, i cant wait for more space oriented IMAX DVDs
  
  
• Good Job production team
  By A3IV83IADWKN7K on 2005-10-27
  It a very beautiful movie, giving us a perspective of how wonderful Mother Earth is!
  Photography and narration is great. The team has done a great job, relating the analogy of an Astronaut to a space shuttle as Man to earth.
  It opens up ones mind to the wonders of Gods creation and Mans destruction by depleting natural resources. A movie well made and drives home a point well worth it!
  
  
  
• disappointing
  By A1R58VOXWFQCQA on 2007-08-25
  Blue Planet, by its packaging and subject matter, calls for a comparison with the vastly superior Planet Earth series. This is a little unfair considering the latter is made of recent HD material thoughtfully organized and tied together with a catchy narrative throughout several episodes. By comparison, Blue Planet -and The Dream is Alive- are older material and in many ways dated (the near-future promise of microgravity for the pharmaceutical industry was a 1980s pipe dream, not a 2007 reality just yet...).
  
  However, one could have hoped for a nice video transfer to Blu-Ray. Dated information notwithstanding, the images still have the same inherent beauty. And since the shows were made for IMAX, one believes there should be a way to make them look good.
  
  Unfortunately, they do not. The image quality of Blue Planet (Imax) is uneven, seemingly coming from materials of different original quality (and I exclude the Moon Landing footage). At its best, it only vaguely reminds you of the stunning (and consistent) precision of Planet Earth footage. Most of the time, it seems inferior to the quality of a good, regular DVD on an up-converting player.
  
  Since not enough work has gone into optimizing the image quality of the program -and its companion piece The Dream is Alive- one is left with an obvious realization of what it is primarily: a cheerleading piece for the space program serving mostly NASA's and Lockheed Martin's image building but rather short on content.
  
  Buy Planet Earth in confidence. Almost any audience should be delighted and stunned by its beauty. As for Blue Planet, it should be reserved to the most dedicated -and forgiving- fans of the space program...
  
  
• Great historic record of the Space Shuttle presented in HD
  By A14K5UAH17AUCA on 2007-09-25
  If you like space history, especially the Space Shuttle period, this is a great DVD to own.
  
  The disc contains two documentaries. The Dream is Alive is a very early documentary and has very nice shuttle launches, as well as the release of three satellites in space, and views of the VAB and launch pads. The Blue Planet documentary has a lot of shots of the Earth from space, nature shots, and also shuttle launches.
  
  The image quality is very good, but does not match recent movies like BBC's Planet Earth in HD (which has no space shuttle shots). I am not aware of any other HD space documentary that matches Blue Planet/The Dream is Alive. This disc is a must have for HD fans who are also space buffs.
  
  
• Go with Planet Earth
  By A17G2BH68JQ7RR on 2008-02-29
  Its got a great picture but the content is less than desireable. Its short and its not even close to what "Planet Earth offers in the realm of content.
  
  

• Galapagos [Blu-ray]
• Galapagos [HD DVD]
• 2001 - A Space Odyssey [HD DVD]
• Africa: The Serengeti (IMAX) [Blu-ray]
• The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray]