Customer Reviews
By
Enjolras (Springfield, MA) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
There will inevitably be comparisons between "Nature's Most Amazing Events" and Planet Earth. While I can't say that this new series is quite as groundbreaking, it is still pretty great and has some amazing footage. As its title suggests, "Nature's Most Amazing Events" focuses on some of the most amazing events in the animal kingdom. I actually like the fact that each episode stays in one location (as opposed to the way Planet Earth jumped around the world). However, I thought it could have gone beyond Africa and North America. I also tho ught this series had some amazing footage of birds and whales, particularly of birds underwater. Those scenes alone make the series worth buying. One note: I originally watched this series on the Discovery Channel. For some reason, Discovery used another narrator (Hasani Issa), not David Attenborough. As viewers of nature documentaries know, Attenborough's infectious enthusiasm makes his programs truly a joy to watch. As such, this DVD will be much better than the televised version for simply having Attenborough as the narrator. Now, onto the episodes: 1) Arctic Summer: This episode focuses on Arctic environments and includes many of the usual suspects, such as Polar Bears. There was a great scene with baby Gillymots learning to fly. The birds essentially jump off a huge cliff and try to land in the ocean. Many miss and bounce along the ground - but survive! This scene evoked the infamous scene in Planet Earth with the ducklings jumping out of the tree - but many times hi gher, with Arctic foxes waiting at the bottom to eat any unlucky baby Gillymots. 2) Grizzly Wilderness: This episode follows the Salmon migration in the pacifc northwest - and all of the animals trying to eat them. There's some great shots of the Salmon swimming through the water. In one shot, a Salmon is swimming through a waterfall, jumps out of the water, and - in slow motion - flies toward the camera. There's also a cool scene of a dead Salmon decomposing in fast motion. 3) Surviving the Serengeti: Unfortunately, there wasn't much new in this episode. It covers the wildebeest migration in East Africa. The wildebeest migration is certainly one of nature's most amazing events, but the Serengeti is also one of nature's most documented events. 4) Army of Predators: This episode covers the army of predators that chase Sardines. I loved the footage of Gannets plunge-diving into the water to eat fish. The birds look like they're swimming underwater. I've seen some other docu mentaries trying to capture birds underwater (including Blue Planet: Seas of Life), but this scene was by far the best. The episode climaxes with a battle royale between Gannets, Dolphins, Fur Seals, Sharks, and Bryde's Whale all chasing the Sardines. 5) Kalahari Flood: This episode focuses on southern Africa, with the drying up of the Okavango River in Botswana. The footage of the Termites up close looks great in HD. These scenes were even better quality than the Termite footage in Life in the Undergrowth. Also lots of elephants wallowing around. 6) Pacific Feast: This is another underwater battle royale, with Stellar Sea Lions, Orcas, and Humpback Whales all going in for some Herring. This episode includes some of the best blu-ray footage of whales I've seen, with extensive footage of Humpbacks hunting using "bubble nets." The "whale song" that the Humpbacks use while "bubble netting" is haunting. After watching this, it is absolutely clear that these animals are intelli gent - coordinating group action, using tools (bubbles), and taking advantage of the Herrings' weaknesses. There's also a great shot of a Humpback exhaling through its blowhole and catching a rainbow on its breath. The mist from the blowhole changes colors from blue to green to yellow to red. I can't describe what it looked like other than to say it was pretty amazing. This is easily some of the best Humpback footage ever. In short, if you enjoy nature documentaries, don't miss out on "Nature's Most Amazing"! It has wonderful footage of birds underwater and whales. While there are some low points (notably the Serengeti), the best moments far exceed the ocean scenes in Planet Earth.
By
Lydia Atsma "Raptorgrrl" (Corvallis, OR USA) (REAL NAME)
I am a huge fan of Blue Planet and Planet Earth. So when I saw this on the shelf, I snapped it up without any real thought. I went home and put it on right away. I was blown away by the shear genius of the photography. It seriously rivals Planet Earth's photography. It not only has amazing shots, but the stories that are told in each episode, are ones that you don't really see. It shows the life of a polar bear during an Artic Summer, the struggles a salmon endures during its upstream journey, the challenges a pride of lions face when their food migrates away from their territory, and more. This is an amazing product that I reccomend for anyone who loves the Animal Kingdom.
By
Enjolras (Springfield, MA) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
There will inevitably be comparisons between "Nature's Most Amazing Events" and Planet Earth. While I can't say that this new series is quite as groundbreaking, it is still pretty great and has some amazing footage. As its title suggests, "Nature's Most Amazing Events" focuses on some of the most amazing events in the animal kingdom. I actually like the fact that each episode stays in one location (as opposed to the way Planet Earth jumped around the world). However, I thought it could have gone beyond Africa and North America. I also thought this series had some amazing footage of birds and whales, particularly of birds underwater. Those scenes alone make the series worth buying. One note: I originally watched this series on the Discovery Channel. For some rea son, Discovery used another narrator (Hasani Issa), not David Attenborough. As viewers of nature documentaries know, Attenborough's infectious enthusiasm makes his programs truly a joy to watch. As such, this DVD will be much better than the televised version for simply having Attenborough as the narrator. Now, onto the episodes: 1) Arctic Summer: This episode focuses on Arctic environments and includes many of the usual suspects, such as Polar Bears. There was a great scene with baby Gillymots learning to fly. The birds essentially jump off a huge cliff and try to land in the ocean. Many miss and bounce along the ground - but survive! This scene evoked the infamous scene in Planet Earth with the ducklings jumping out of the tree - but many times higher, with Arctic foxes waiting at the bottom to eat any unlucky baby Gillymots. 2) Grizzly Wilderness: This episode follows the Salmon migration in the pacifc northwest - and all of the animals trying to eat them. There's some great shots of the Salmon swimming through the water. In one shot, a Salmon is swimming through a waterfall, jumps out of the water, and - in slow motion - flies toward the camera. There's also a cool scene of a dead Salmon decomposing in fast motion. 3) Surviving the Serengeti: Unfortunately, there wasn't much new in this episode. It covers the wildebeest migration in East Africa. The wildebeest migration is certainly one of nature's most amazing events, but the Serengeti is also one of nature's most documented events. 4) Army of Predators: This episode covers the army of predators that chase Sardines. I loved the footage of Gannets plunge-diving into the water to eat fish. The birds look like they're swimming underwater. I've seen some other documentaries trying to capture birds underwater (including Blue Planet: Seas of Life), but this scene was by far the best. The episode climaxes with a battle royale between Gannets, Dolphins, Fur Seals, Sharks, and Bryde's Whale al l chasing the Sardines. 5) Kalahari Flood: This episode focuses on southern Africa, with the drying up of the Okavango River in Botswana. The footage of the Termites up close looks great in HD. These scenes were even better quality than the Termite footage in Life in the Undergrowth. Also lots of elephants wallowing around. 6) Pacific Feast: This is another underwater battle royale, with Stellar Sea Lions, Orcas, and Humpback Whales all going in for some Herring. This episode includes some of the best blu-ray footage of whales I've seen, with extensive footage of Humpbacks hunting using "bubble nets." The "whale song" that the Humpbacks use while "bubble netting" is haunting. After watching this, it is absolutely clear that these animals are intelligent - coordinating group action, using tools (bubbles), and taking advantage of the Herrings' weaknesses. There's also a great shot of a Humpback exhaling through its blowhole and catching a rainbow on its breath. The mist from the blowhole changes colors from blue to green to yellow to red. I can't describe what it looked like other than to say it was pretty amazing. This is easily some of the best Humpback footage ever. In short, if you enjoy nature documentaries, don't miss out on "Nature's Most Amazing"! It has wonderful footage of birds underwater and whales. While there are some low points (notably the Serengeti), the best moments far exceed the ocean scenes in Planet Earth.
By
B. Wong (SF, CA) (REAL NAME)
Like Planet Earth, this Nature's blu ray dvd set had fantastic shots and the narration is good. The aerial and panoramic views are spectacular. Like Planet Earth, some of the video is like sd. Overall I am giving the dvd set a 4 star rating. Now to the lousy packaging. Well somebody had to do it again. The outside sleeve is standard cardboard with the standard information printed which is ok, but the inside container for the dvds is also cardboard, not the standard blu ray plastic container. The dvds slide in and out the slits on the cardboard container with difficulty. If you are not careful, you can scratch the dvds. Zero star rating here people; lets get with it.
By
Annie B. (North York, Ontario. Canada)
I'm a huge fan of sir David Attenborough, I own most of the dvds narrated by him until recently saw this one and I have to have it. It is really an amazing dvd, love it. You will learn so much about animals, plankton bloo m, polar bear and the most amazing shot is the flood, how they managed to capture it happening before your eyes.... the title fits! It is Nature's most amazing events!
By
Dave Chua Hak Lien "Dave C" (California) (REAL NAME)
This BBC documentary is as impressive visually as ever, and if you haven't seen Planet Earth or The Blue Planet, it'll definitely wow you. However, there's not that much new in here, though there is a greater effort spent in linking the event to how it affects the different species. Would have liked to see new events, such as the butterfly migration in America; right now, it mostly comes across as material that's been done before. Still visually stunn ing, but not particularly new.
Nature's Most Amazing Events takes you on a fantastic journey from the Artic to Africa. The Great Melt: The collection starts off in Arctic with a primary focus on Polar Bears and Guillemots. If you've seen Planet Earth, you will be familiar with the Polar Bear activities, but the Guillemots were fantastic as we see the young taking their first flight and learning how to feed. The Great Salmon Run: This takes place in the Pacific Northwest and follows the Salmon Run and the grizzly bears that depend on it. This was my favorite episode because I really enjoyed seeing how the Salmon travel so far and often up waterfalls to get to their birthplace. I also enjoyed the bears and their fantastic f ishing techniques. The Great Migration : This takes place on the Serengeti and features the migration of the Wildebeest and their predators. A special focus is on a lion pride and their struggle to survive while waiting for the migratory animals to return. The Great Tide: The scene follows the sardines and their predators. The scale of sardines is amazing, as is the footage of the predators devouring them. The Great Flood: The next to last scene takes us to the Kalahari during the flood. Planet Earth viewers will be familiar with the elements in this scene, but it's nice to see different scenes as well. The Great Feast: The scene follows the may animals that are supported by herring feasting on the plankton. The footage of birds,sea lions, and whales is amazing. In particular, we get a close up view of the whales eating a bait ball, and the scene is stunning. It was also interesting to see the whales together doing what is called "bubble fishing". Nature's Most Amazing Events is a great series, and the camera work is stunning as I have come to expect since watching Planet Earth. Some of the footage may seem familiar if you've seen Planet Earth or other nature shows, but it doesn't detract from how well these scenes were shot. David Attenborough does a great job of narrating the series, and each scene also has a "diary" that takes you behind the scenes and shows you how some of the camera work is done. I thought this was a great addition and enjoyed seeing these folks in action. Each scene is about 45 minutes long and then has a 10-15 minute diary. This DVD will go on the shelf right next to Planet Earth, Home, Ganges and Earth: Biography as part of my nature collection.
By
S. Loos (REAL NAME) &n bsp;
I pre-ordered Nature's Most Amazing Events on blu-ray a month before it came out. All of the reviews talk about how the crew used the same high def cameras as in planet earth. Being a huge planet earth fan, I was stoked for this one to come out. I had high expectations. But I have to say that it has let me down. The picture quality is excellent but the film is very jumpy. In fact in some parts it seems as though the disc is scratched. After a while of watching the jumpiness I turned up my Sony Z flat screen to 120 Mhz and it seemed to help a ton. But I am still wondering why there is so much jump and digital noise. Can anyone help me with this? But as for a sweet documentary, it is awesome. For example, the "Salmon Run" is one of the cooler documentaries I've seen. Overall it is a good documentary but I feel like they hurried to quickly to get it out and failed to polish it. Also, the cardboard case is kind of lam e. 3 out of 5 would be pretty accurate.
By
Tom Trails "Tom Trails" (United States)
I am a pretty picky movie watcher - just ask my family. I watched this with Panasonic Blu-ray player and my Optoma 720p projector with 5.1 surround sound and was blown away. Some of the stuff they show in this program defies imagination as to how they managed to capture it. I don't know what Turtledom is talking about. The Serengeti episode was unforgettable. The intimacy of the segments following the lion pride as its members struggled to survive the dry season was heartrending. No one has ever filmed animals like this before. You are literaly there, just a few feet away, watching these emaciated, diseased lion cubs as they strain to keep up with their pride, and against all odds rejoining their family and frolicking in the bounty of the rainy season. The shots of the grizzlies from the salmon run episode are breathtaking, watching these skinny cubs follow their mother out of the den in the snow packed mountains, then climb up and down steep grades on their way to the swelling streams below, all the while panning out from close up shots to super wide aerial views showing the bears as tiny dots in the vastness of the Alaskan wilderness. STUNNING. Then they get these super close up shots of grizzlies' fishing tactics in deep water, from above and below the surface, that no one has ever captured before. Watching how they did it in the Diaries segment at the end was just as impressive. BBC is the best in this genre because they not only educate, they create a visual work of art that is mesmerizing in its aesthetic beauty. The zoological expertise of the people filming these animals is what sets BBC apart, creating images you have never , ever seen before. GET THIS VIDEO
By
Nature Photographer (Singapore)
I have been following all of BBC's releases to blu-ray from Galapagos and Ganges, to Planet Earth and Wild China. The photography is absolutely stunning. In many ways, the various wildlife cameraman have found a way to out-do themselves over what they did in Planet Earth. Who would expect to see, thousand of dragonfly's in the middles of the Kalahari. Or how often, has anyone seen starving, hungry and bedraggled lions - King of beast. The photography and narration by Sir David, evokes strong emotional bondings. My significant other actually was moved to tears to see the plight of the lions waiting for the rains to bring life back to them. The Diaries are welcome addition. This was highly missed in the Planet Earth blu-ray edition. Please release that in the planet earth blu-ray.. In terms of photography and content.. I rate it an absolute 5. Why do I rate it a 3 then? Firstly. The photography done on many of the action slowed down sequences were really really blothcy. Anywhere there was black or dark browns, you could actually see pixelation in patches of rectangles, and you can obviously see the transistion from one frame to the other during this sequence, as you could see the vertical lines across the transistion. The score for background music was amazing. But again.. either a BBC oversight (or lack of sight) or plain arrogance from success after success, they release the track in Stereo only. Why in all the technological glory not release it in full 5.1 or 6.1. And where is 1080P!!!! again for all the technological glory.. why not release it in 1080P. I am not saying 1080i didnt look stunning, but 1080P is what eveyone expects today. The casing is not what I expect for a Blu-ray disc, but BBC has been shipping many of its older DVD's in such pocket cases before. I rest my case..........
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