National Geographic - Amazing Planet (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)If I didn't find the subject matter so interesting I would have turned this off in five minutes. The background noise (some may call it music) in the soundtrack is so loud that you can barely hear the narrator's voice unless you turn the volume up to pain levels. I just watched 15 minutes of it and my ears are still ringing!
That said the the perspective of our planet presented in this documentary is quite captivating and the cinematography is first rate. If you can stand the noise it's well worth watching, but if you want your hearing to last long enough to hear your grandchildren's first words then you may want to avoid watching this one too often.
(Note: this review is based on the broadcast version of the show, not the DVD release.)

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The earth is vibrant in color and motion, startling in its variety of shapes and textures, and awe-inspiring in its grace and power. But, many of the Earth's most spectacular conjuring tricks unfold in a timeframe that is imperceptible to mere humans. For Amazing Planet, National Geographic has teamed up with NASA and the US Geological Survey to create a 4-D planet Earth - an eye-popping CGI time machine that makes it possible to see in seconds what took eons to create. Witness the bumper-car antics of continents; ice ages pulsing out of the poles and back again; the Himalayas surging upwards; the march of sand dunes swallowing and then uncovering African villages.

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NOVA - In the Path of a Killer Volcano (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a teacher of Earth and Environmental Science and have the VHS version of this fabulous documentary. It excels at highlighting the science of volcanology as well as the real world decisions that the seismologists/volcanologists from the U.S. Geologists had to deal with. It profiles a few scientists who quickly became my heroes after watching this including John Ewert, Rick Hoblitt, and Dave Harlow (among others). I will be purchasing the DVD version of this when it is released. It is a must have if you want to impress upon your students 1) how truly awesome volcanoes are and 2) how important scientific research is in helping to save lives. The DVD version of this should be fantastic. I think that you'll find that it is a real nail biter!

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The Philippines' Mount Pinatubo is about to blow big. Is there enough time to evacuate the hundreds of thousands in its raging path? Stay with the scientists who remain behind- and see some astonishing footage of the world's largest volcanic eruption in 80 years. Local tribespeople were the first to see the signs."There was a flash of light from the sky," said one."I thought it was my time to die." The Philippines' Mount Pinatubo was acting restless- and the volcanologists at Clark Air Force Base were starting to sweat.An angry mountain is highly unpredictable.If they misread its fits and starts, a violent explosion could send pyroclastic flow- hot, dense avalanches- roaring down its sides at 100 miles per hour, burning everyone and everything in its path.But if they ordered an evacuation and nothing happened, these experts could lose their credibility for good. With a typhoon headed in their direction, the stakes are even higher.Torrential rains turn ash and rock into hot mud flows that can bury a town in minutes.Is it time to issue a Level 4 alert- ordering hundreds of thousands to flee their homes?Stay with the courageous scientists who remain behind- and see some astonishing footage as the world's biggest eruption in 80 years really starts to blow.

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Earth: The Biography (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Is it as good as Planet Earth? No. This documentary series doesn't a never-ending overabundance of brilliant imagery. But don't let that dissuade you. If it wasn't for "Planet Earth" everyone would be raving about this set. Because though its visuals aren't always as stunning as that excellent series -- sometimes the screen shows just a guy or two talking in front of a washed out sky -- overall "Earth: The Biography" is just as interesting and at times even more informative. The special effects are good, too.
Generally, I'd say this set is great for anyone with even a passing interest in geology, at least if they're over, say, 8.
These are the same shows that recently aired on the National Geographic Channel. There are no bonus features.
Disc 1 has three shows, "Volcanoes," "Atmosphere" and "Ice." Disc 2 adds "Oceans" and "Rare Earth." Each of the first four explains how that particular system works, as well as what happens when it's messed with.
The last show examines a theory that says simple life may actually be common on other planets, but complex life -- i.e., animal life -- requires such a complex sequence of events that we'll never find another human-like population. It goes on to examine how humans are damaging the planet. Did you know each year people cut down enough forest to cover the state of South Carolina?
Everything is presented with plenty of objective, scientific information.
My favorite show is the first one, since it includes the formation of Earth. Did you know scientists think our planet once had a twin? Or that the moon is drifting away from us?
Though the narrator, Dr. Iain Stewart, speaks in a Scottish brogue, I didn't have any trouble understanding him. He's calm and articulate.
By the way, you can't help but be reminded of "Planet Earth" as you watch this. A commercial for it is actually the first thing that comes up when you pop in Disc 1.
Besides "Planet Earth," I'd recommend pairing this up with An Inconvenient Truth. Or a trip to go see Wall-E.

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This landmark series uses specialist imaging and compelling narrative to tell the life story of our planet, how it works, and what makes it so special. Examining the great forces that shape the Earth - volcanoes, the ocean, the atmosphere and ice - the programme explores their central roles in our planet's story. How do these forces affect the Earth's landscape, its climate, and its history? CGI gives the audience a ringside seat at these great events, while the final episode brings together all the themes of the series and argues that Earth is an exceptionally rare kind of planet - giving us a special responsibility to look after our unique world. This is a series that shows the Earth in new and surprising ways. Extensive use of satellite imagery reveals new views of our planet, while timelapse filmed over many months brings the planet to life. Offering a balance between dramatic visuals and illuminating facts, this ground-breaking series makes global science truly compelling.

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Inside Planet Earth (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to say; when it came to understanding and researching the center of the Earth and the planet's contstruction for my novel, this show covered it well. The extra feature, Inside The Volcano, was a perfect bonus, (although the bonus is rather long and not as well paced owing to the time it was made).
I should point out that Patrick Steward IS on this DVD--he is in the bonus feature documentary, Inside The Volcano, produced about 1996. He is there, but not in the main feature. That's where the confusion comes from. I own it, and I recognized his voice.
Good stuff overall :)

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It's the ultimate voyage our world has to offer: a journey from the temperate surface of our world to the fiery core of the Earth. With the aid of stunning visual effects, the unexplored interior of the Earth is split wide open, giving us an unbelievable view. From glowing seams of pure iron ore to sparkling diamond caverns to the magnetic field that keeps us safe from the lethal radiation of space... for now, this is the fantastical world we live in -- and never see.
Bonus Feature: Amazing Earth

From the heights of Mount Everest to the molten lava fields of Hawaii to the very core of our planet, the geologic forces that have changed the planet's face over the past 4.6 billion years are revealed. With state-of-the-art effects and the latest scientific information, this is the story of striking meteorites, gigantic eruptions, the movement of continents and other geologic events that have shaped our AMAZING EARTH.

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National Geographic: Drain the Ocean (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)This program is the use of CGI at its finest; not only the hear the description, but to see the continental shelf, the deeps of the Pacific from the air, in almost 3D quality is amazing. To look down in one segment and see an aircraft flying along the sheer drop to the ocean floor for what seems miles and miles is fantastic!

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Three-quarters of Earth is an alien world, lying beneath the surface of the oceans. And although it encompasses over half of the world\'s species, we know more about the surface of Mars than the bottom of the ocean. It\'s only recently that science has penetrated this world, revealing extraordinary life forms and vast sweeping landscapes on a scale that defies imagination. If we could remove the water, what would we see? Using CGI animation, based on the latest scientific research, Drain the Ocean explores one of Earth\'s last great frontiers as never before—revealing unimaginable landscapes more dramatic than anything on dry land.

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Body in Numbers (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Body in Numbers" is a really interesting, informative, and innovative dvd. It strives to inform its viewers about the workings of the human body, by utilizing number amounts of everyday objects as comparisons. It relates specific information on many various parts and stages of our bodies...but at the same time, it manages to capture/maintain your interest while doing so. Because of this, it appeals to both young adults and older adults...it is actually enjoyable! In many ways, it seems somewhat similar to the "Eyewitness" science videos...except that this dvd is obviously targeted at more mature audiences. In fact, I plan on showing portions of it to my Living Environment high school classes...it's great to find a dvd that will enable students to enjoy, while also learning. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in learning about how and why our bodies function the way they do. You'll be astonished, and amazed by what you learn!

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More advanced than a computer yet more versatile and resilient than any machine is the amazing miracle known as the human body. From the thousands of breaths we take each day to the millions of receptors our eyes use to see, our bodies are an intricate and astonishing collection of working parts. In these four fascinating programs, we analyze the human body, from conception through old age, and decode the body's vital statistics in a surprising way that will completely change the way you think about yourself. The Miracle of Life We bring the miracle of conception to life in a brand-new way, illuminating the process with sheer numbers. For example, did you know that sperm must swim the equivalent of the width of Lake Superior to reach the female egg? Childhood This episode follows the evolving journey of our lives - from one-year-old to the age of 10. We look at how our muscles and bones develop, examine how we are able to learn so much so quickly, and analyze the incredible power of our senses. Becoming Men and Women This episode explores the numbers in the lives of our bodies from the age of 10 to middle-age. We see how a boy's testosterone levels soar 50 times over to transform him into a man and follow a girl's remarkable journey through puberty. Our Life in Numbers In this final episode, we look at the whole sweep of our body's journey through life, how it keeps going and what it's capable of producing during the course of a lifetime. For one person alone, the numbers climb into the trillions.

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Faces of Earth (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is another of my favorites. I have studied Geology and I love these videos about our wonderful planet.
This is close to "How the Earth is Made" series but I think more in depth. I would not hesitate to recommend this video to libraries,
schools and your home.
This video is about Earth showing us her true faces: plate techtonics, ice ages, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, the deep ocean and more. This is an absolutely fascinating video. Then there is animal and ocean life and US!
I highly recommend this video--you won't regret it!
Sara Howard, Author of Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Moon and The Biggest Explosions in the Universe

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Explosive volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and even human beings contribute to the constant changes on the Earth's surface. Uncover the deep mysteries of our planet with top geologists in Faces Of Earth. Using state-of-the-art computer animation and stunning photography, these four in-depth, compelling programs explore how these forces shape the Earth and how, in turn, the Earth has shaped human evolution.Includes: Building the Planet Witness the explosion that formed planet Earth, and travel back in time to explore the evolution of the Earth we know today. New technologies allow today's geoscientists to strip back the layers of Earth to see what previously could only be imagined. Shaping the Planet Earthquakes rumble, volcanoes explode, land is stretched and pulled like taffy - pushing up mountains and creating new oceans. Special effects and advanced animation techniques take viewers inside tectonic events to find out why the ground constantly shifts under our feet. Assembling America The land we see today was shaped over hundreds of millions of years. Guided by leading geoscientists, we unravel the mysteries of continent-building and the almost unimaginable span of geologic time. Human World Beginning with the dawn of agriculture, mankind has moved from simply reacting to Earth's processes to shaping the planet. But are we pushing too hard and upsetting this delicate balance?

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