#BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE DVD SERIES#

That's not to say that younger viewers won't enjoy or appreciate it, as they most certainly can. Perhaps the best way to describe Blue Planet: Seas of Life is as a documentary for intelligent adults. It's misleading, particularly since the soundtrack does include many genuine sound effects, like dolphin sonar or whales clearing their blowholes. The other quibble I have is the use of sound effects, particularly in underwater scenes: for many instances of things that would really have been completely silent, the soundtrack adds in 'effects' like clicking or other small noises. There are also a few small instances of overlap in the material.

#BLUE PLANET SEAS OF LIFE DVD SERIES#

One of these is the overall series continuity the episodes can really be watched in any order, so there's no building on the information that's provided. Is it perfect? Admittedly not quite, as there are a few minor details that I think could have been handled slightly better. The implied lesson? That in the ecological balance, there is no 'good' or 'bad,' no 'villains' and 'heroes' just a complex system of creatures living in a web of relationships in which no energy is wasted.

But each creature is part of the overall food chain, from baby turtles to seabirds to sea lions to killer whales as the episode moves on, we progressively have our sympathies transferred to creatures higher up on the food chain. Perhaps the best example of Blue Planet's excellent handling of the material in this respect is in 'Coasts.' As the episode develops, we identify with the creatures who are struggling to survive, to gather food and avoid predators. There's no anthropomorphism of the creatures shown on the film, and no sentimentality: in nature, life can be brutally hard, and death is much closer to life than most humans are comfortable with acknowledging. The filmmakers have chosen subject matter that will be interesting to viewers, and have crafted each episode in such a way that the material is compelling on its own merits. One of the strong points of the series is its objective eye on the material. Disc 4 presents 'Tidal Seas,' where the effect of tides on ocean and seashore life is examined, and 'Coasts,' exploring the life-rich habitat that lies in the border between ocean and land. Disc 3 takes us to 'Seasonal Seas,' showing that life in the ocean is as ever-changing as life on land, and 'Coral Seas,' a rich 'rainforest of the sea' where an incredible diversity of sea life congregates. On disc 2, 'Open Ocean' takes viewers to the 'desert' of the ocean: where predators and prey cruise in the depths, hundreds of miles from the nearest land, while 'The Deep' explores life on the ocean floor. 'Frozen Seas,' also on disc 1, takes a look into the challenging habitats of the Arctic and Antarctic seas. While the discs are not numbered, it makes sense to watch them in order, starting with 'Ocean World,' an introduction to the complexities of the ocean and how the sun and moon shape the tides that, in turn, shape ocean life.

The series is sold as four individual DVDs, each with two 48-minute episodes in this review, I'm treating them as a set, because if you like one of them, you will absolutely want to have them all.Įach of the nature documentary's eight episodes treats a different aspect of the ocean, amply demonstrating how much there is of interest in the water that makes up 70% of the Earth's surface. The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, an eight-part BBC documentary on the world's oceans, has been given a fabulous transfer over to the DVD format, resulting in a documentary set that's not to be missed under any circumstances.

Blue planet seas of life dvd